In a now deleted Instagram post, Britney Spears called out journalist Diane Sawyer about an infamous interview that took place after her 2002 split from Justin Timberlake. The interview aired on ABC in 2003.
"Do we dare forget the Diane Sawyer interview in my apartment almost 20 years ago?" Spears wrote. "What was with the 'You're in the wrong' approach?? Geeze ... and making me cry?"
She also opened up about coping after her breakup from Timberlake.
"Something I never shared when I had that big break up years ago was that I couldn't talk afterwards ... I never spoke to anyone for a very long time ... I was in shock," Spears recalled. "Pretty lame of my dad and three men to show up at my door when I could hardly speak ... two days later they put Diane Sawyer in my living room ... they forced me to talk!"
She added that she was too young to realize that the situation wasn't in her best interest. "I was a baby ... I was almost 22 and didn't understand ... but I fucking know now!!! She said 'a woman or a girl,'" Spears wrote, referring to a question Sawyer asked about the singer's "shopping problem." "I would like to say now, 'Ma'am I'm a catholic slut!!! You wanna join me at a mass and I can serve your husband my certificate on shopping for anonymous players?'" It's unclear what she meant there—Sawyer was married to the director Mike Nichols, who died in 2014—but she was definitely all fired up.
Of her attitude toward shopping now, Spears added, "I should spend a thousand dollars if I want every day of my life and she can kiss my white ass."
The singer's father, Jamie Spears, who up until recently oversaw her conservatorship, denied any involvement in the interview. His lawyer, Alex Weingarten, told People, "Mr. Spears has no idea what Ms. Spears is talking about. Jamie never set up any interview with Diane Sawyer and was not present for any such interview. He had nothing to do with Britney's career at this point and was completely uninvolved in this interview. Jamie loves Britney very much, wishes Britney nothing but the best and hopes that she continues to seek the help that she needs to stay safe and healthy."
Spears also wrote about her emotional reaction to being able to withdraw cash from an ATM on her own following the termination of her conservatorship last month.
"I'm able to have cash now so I went to an ATM and was so proud of my $300," she wrote. "And no I'm not embarrassed to share this ... well maybe a little ... but I'm more embarrassed for my family for condoning the fact that I wasn't allowed to have cash for so long when I worked my little ass off for them ... I'm embarrassed for the State of California for permitting my father to have me work as hard as he worked me all those years and never seeing a dime ... I'm embarrassed for all of them and I'm sad for them because I know my value and worth now."
As an associate editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey keeps a finger on the pulse on all things celeb news. She also writes on social movements, connecting with activists leading the fight on workers' rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying yet another corset.
