Hollywood stars offer grovelling apologies to Britney Spears for torrent of abuse

Britney Spears supporters gather outside a court hearing concerning the pop singer's conservatorship at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse

Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP

Britney Spears’ lawyer has previously said she is "afraid" of her father. On Thursday, he said it was "no secret" she didn’t want her father to have control over her finances.

Many have questioned how Ms Spears was in a good enough state to hold a three-year residency in Las Vegas but could not control her own money.

The debate, given new life by the documentary, has prompted soul-searching among those closest to the star when her career imploded.

"We are all to blame for what happened to Britney Spears – we may not have caused her downfall, but we funded it,” Glamour magazine wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

The phrase “We are sorry Britney” has spread across social media, accompanied by cries demanding apologies from those who ridiculed her throughout the 2000s.

One Twitter fan posted a list of those she deemed directly responsible, including Katy Perry, who famously said “I haven’t shaved my head yet” when responding to questions about mental health in 2017.

Celebrities who owe Britney Spears an apology — a thread pic.twitter.com/qorQn13K4a

— Britney Fan 🌹 (@BritneyHiatus) June 28, 2020

Tabloids latched onto Britney as soon as she became a teenage sensation, but took a sinister twist in her early twenties as they vilified her sexuality.

TV interviews repeatedly questioned Britney’s virginity and, in 2003, the end of her relationship with Justin Timberlake brought unfounded accusations of her infidelity.

Mr Timberlake’s hit "Cry Me a River" appeared to confirm the rumours and played a part in solidifying his fame.

After thousands of calls for him to address the issue, Mr Timberlake released an apology for benefitting “from a system that condones misogyny” and that he had "contributed to the problem”.

Britney Spears was 17-years-old when she sat down for this interview with @Ivo_Niehe #FreeBritney pic.twitter.com/wLFMh6aXR3

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) February 9, 2021

Rallying around Ms Spears now are Sarah Jessica Parker, Sharon Stone, Cher, and Ellie Goulding, echoing support and dismay.

Ms Golding said “Britney really paid the price” for entering the spotlight during a time when “mental illness” and “female sexuality” were taboo subjects.

“The glee we take as a society in building someone up so they can eventually be torn apart for sport” needs to be addressed, she added.

As Britney sang in 2004: "Everybody’s talking all this stuff about me. Why don’t they just let me live?"