Top 10 Britney Spears Interviews We Look at Differently Since Reading Her Memoir

In her memoir, Britney recalls a 2016 interview where she tried to shed a little light on her situation and how mysteriously that part never made it to air. While she doesn’t name the specific chat show, some outlets have side-eyed “The Jonathan Ross Show.” Reportedly, audience members vouched that she’d referenced her controlling conservatorship and wanting to separate her creative vision for “Glory” from those restrictions. Apparently, this lit a fire behind the scenes, igniting a series of emergency meetings. Ultimately, the network conceded to edit out that part of the interview. There’s a lot about this conversation we hear differently now, but it’s what we didn’t hear that reverberates that much louder.

When Britney was just 10 years old, she competed on the talent show “Star Search.” Now, if you ask us, her rendition of “Love Can Build a Bridge” is beyond phenomenal. Her voice is so powerful, and her stage presence is incredibly compelling. Surely, it’s only natural to ask her about her outstanding performance skills, right? Well, host Ed McMahon was more interested in her “adorable, pretty eyes” and whether she had a boyfriend. Britney fired back ever so politely but with a sharp wit. Unfortunately, we now see this is a taste of what Britney would go on to endure throughout her career. And do you think her male competitor received equal treatment? Yeah. Exactly.

Britney gave a fierce performance of “Satisfaction” and “Oops! I Did It Again” at the 2000s VMAs. But is that what MTV wanted to focus on? Nope. Instead, they made her watch a bunch of strangers pass judgment on what she was wearing and whether or not it made her a bad role model for kids. In her book, Britney writes, “This was my first real taste of backlash.” To her, the performance was about doing what she loved. But suddenly, she was in the hot seat with a light shining on her face. Afterward, a voice off-screen presses her about what she saw. Well, how would they feel if they were in Britney’s shoes…?

In April 1999, Britney Spears was featured on the cover of “Rolling Stone” magazine wearing underwear and holding a Teletubby. The controversy that followed highlighted how the media and public somehow felt ownership over the star’s image and entitled to tell her what to do with her body. Case in point, this interview on the Swedish network “TV4” where Britney is asked about her “Lolita look.” It’s an awful comparison to make, but the singer gracefully responds that everyone wants to feel strong, confident, and, yes, even sexy in their own skin. She also explains the decisions behind the “edgy” cover. Still, the reporter is relentless on the subject, and it’s painful to watch.

In 2013, GMA exclusively announced Britney’s Vegas residency. While the interview itself isn’t too bad, bar a few questions; after reading her memoir, we can’t help but reexamine some of her answers. In the book, she notes that, initially, the residency gave her a breather from her real life. But the more she was controlled, the more her passion dimmed. In the GMA interview, Britney details how she intends to keep performances “fresh.” However, in the book, she describes how her requests to change the setlist, add new material, or create remixes were consistently denied. She believes that her father feared others seeing her as capable, as it could raise doubts about the necessity of a conservator.

It’s not just Britney’s old interviews we’re re-evaluating. Recently, Justin Timberlake has come under fire for his treatment of his ex and how he built his career on her vilification. In her book, she mentions how he would share details of their physical relationship, but interestingly, she’s thankful that it spared her some awkward conversations. She also reveals his repeated infidelity (although she also confesses to kissing Wade Robson), how he sent her a two-word breakup text, and how he convinced her to have an abortion at 19. JT is yet to respond to these claims. But Britney’s revelations have reignited anger over what many deem to be his exploitation of the media’s misogyny.

We’ve already talked plenty about the media and public’s obsession with Britney’s body. Often, many of her most vocal critics were also the same people asking inappropriate questions about her physique. “Framing Britney Spears” revisits one such instance where a Dutch presenter called Ivo Niehe asks the 17-year-old singer about her breasts, adding that she often seems angered when the topic arises. Niehe has since retorted that the quote was taken out of context and was part of a wider conversation about cosmetic surgery. If so, it seems like an oddly specific way to segue into the subject, don’t you think? As always, poor Brit handles the awkward question with the utmost dignity.

Early in Britney’s career, there was one question that frequently arose. Was it when is her next album dropping? No. Was it when will she next go on tour? No. It was: is Britney, a virgin. Looking back, this question comes up a horrifying number of times. In her book, Britney writes that she “played into that portrayal” as it was seemingly what the public and media wanted. However, she also notes how twisted it is that people were more concerned about her intimate life than her talents as a performer. She also credits Oprah for reminding her that what consenting adults choose to do in the privacy of their own lives is no one else’s business.

By 2006, Britney was in the eye of an unrelenting media storm. So she decided it was time to share her side of the story and implore tabloids to back off. At this point, she was a new mom, pregnant with her second child, and dealing with intense media scrutiny. Then “Dateline” host Matt Lauer incessantly quizzed Britney about her parental fitness, essentially driving her to tears. In her book, she notes how he vaguely insinuated that practically everyone was asking, “Is Britney a bad mom?” Reflecting on the chat, Lauer insisted there was no wrongdoing on his part. But given what we now know, this whole interview just makes our skin crawl even more than before.

When this 2003 interview with Diane Sawyer resurfaced, many of us watched in shock and horror as the host repeatedly patronized, hounded, and vilified the singer. Our outrage increased when Britney revealed that not only had she been blindsided by the interview but that she felt she’d been set up to be humiliated on national television— in her own home, no less. Britney notes that she did not want to bear her soul, share her pain, or be forced to cry in front of Sawyer. She describes the interview as “a breaking point” where even her self-perception changed. Today, this interview serves as a shameful reminder of how the media and public failed Britney and countless other young stars.

Which other interviewers do you think owe Britney a huge public apology? Let us know in the comments.