Much like some people still ship Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, there’s a certain subset of millennials who still go hard for Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. The two pop stars dated publicly in the late 90s and early 00s, breaking up in winter 2002. Of course, their split was at the center of tabloids, with some alleging there was cheating on Spears’s end. (Those claims were never founded.) Nearly twenty years later, there’s still a picture out there of the twosome as the prince and princess of pop—destined to be together in some alternate universe where all-denim outfits are the norm.
But this didn’t happen in the actual world. Timberlake has been married to Jessica Biel since 2012, and the two share a son together, Silas. Spears, meanwhile, is happily dating the very hot 26-year-old model-slash-personal trainer Sam Asghari.
Neither Timberlake nor Spears has said much publicly about each other, especially lately, which is why Spears’s latest Instagram post is worth mentioning. The Glory singer posted one of her now-infamous selfie dancing videos on Wednesday, April 15, and the caption and song choice captured the internet’s attention.
In the clip, below, watch Spears iconically flip her hair to—wait for it—Timberlake’s 2018 song “Filthy.”
And in her caption, she calls out her breakup with Timberlake directly. “I know we had one of the world’s biggest breakups 20 years ago …… but hey the man is a genius !!!! Great song JT ✨,” she wrote.
This isn’t the first time Britney Spears has grooved to Justin Timberlake’s music—she worked out to his hit “LovedStoned/I Think She Knows” in 2018—but her caption is the most transparent she’s been about their split in years. From the jokey tone, though, it appears there are no hard feelings.
In 2016, Spears mentioned in an interview that she’d be down to collaborate with Timberlake, something he then reciprocated that same year. “Sure, absolutely,” he told E! News. “I’m accessible. Give us a call!”
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Will JT respond to Brit’s Instagram with a video of his own dancing to one of her songs? May I suggest “Gimme More?”
It’s been a few days since I first watched Miley Cyrus‘ episode of Black Mirror, but my mind is still spinning. The story is simultaneously fresh and familiar: We’re introduced to a pop star named Ashley O. (Cyrus), whose songs are as bright and whimsical as her neon-purple wig. But underneath the smiley press appearances and sleek bops is a young woman deeply unsatisfied with her life. She desperately wants to shake up her image and sound but feels pressure from her manager-slash-aunt, Catherine, to stay the same. So Ashley’s team gives her pills—illegal ones—to balance her mood and, essentially, control her. Eventually she realizes what they’re doing, but her efforts to break free end in horror.
I can’t say much else without revealing major spoilers. Watch it for yourself to see what I mean. And when you finish, I wonder if you’ll be thinking what I am right now: that Cyrus’ episode feels very similar to the #FreeBritney movement on social media.
For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, #FreeBritney started in April by fans who wanted to advocate for pop singer Britney Spears. At the time, they were widely speculating that Spears was being held without her permission in a mental institution after refusing to take medication requested by her father, Jamie, who’s also her conservator. Spears has since gone on the record denying the claims and telling fans “all is well.”
That may be, but it’s still hard not to think of #FreeBritney while watching Cyrus’ Black Mirror episode.
Getty Images
At the center of the #FreeBritney narrative—I’m calling it a narrative because nothing’s been verified—is a pop superstar very similar to Ashley O. We don’t know how Britney Spears feels about her music or image, but we do know from past interviews that she finds the parameters of her conservatorship constraining. “I don’t feel like [my life] is out of control. I feel like it’s too in control,” she said during her 2008 MTV documentary Britney: For the Record. “There’s no excitement. There’s no passion. It’s like Groundhog Day every day.” My mind immediately recalled this soundbite while watching Cyrus in Black Mirror, specifically when her character looks out the car window at a grungy dive bar she wants to perform in. Instead, she’s selling out stadiums.
Miley Cyrus as Ashley O. in Black Mirror.
Netflix
It’s the freedom of choice that Ashley O. misses—the ability to play where she wants, sing what she wants, and go where she wants. Spears has often expressed a similar yearning for autonomy; she allegedly isn’t even allowed to drive. (In For the Record, her “surprise” for a day is getting to drive her car on the freeway, and the rumored catalyst for #FreeBritney was the fact she was caught behind the wheel of a Mercedes.)
I’m hesitant to discuss the medication component of #FreeBritney because even though it’s believed by some that she takes some kind of mood-stabilizing medicine, it’s never been confirmed. In Black Mirror, though, we see Ashley’s Aunt Catherine use drugs as a vehicle to keep her niece on a straight, narrow, lucrative path. When Ashley expresses a desire to do anything outside her shimmery pop shell, her team doesn’t listen: They just up her dosage. Conspiracy theorists allege the same thing is going on with Spears, but, again, that’s highly speculative.
What does track is Spears feeling like the people around her don’t take her requests seriously. “When I tell them the way I feel, it’s like they hear me but they’re really not listening,” she also says in For the Record, likening her situation to prison. “Even when you go to jail, you know there’s the time when you’re gonna get out.” I have no doubt that Ashley O. has similar feelings in Black Mirror. Both she and Spears (according to the #FreeBritney movement, that is) are confined to the expectations the world has for women in pop: to be affable, beautiful, likable, calm, and, above all, malleable.
What is going on with Britney Spears? This is a question some fans have been asking since early January, when news broke that her second Las Vegas residency, Domination, was canceled. At the time the pop icon wrote in an Instagram caption that her father Jamie’s illness is what caused her to call off the show. “A couple of months ago, my father was hospitalized and almost died,” she wrote alongside a childhood photo of herself, Jamie, and her mother, Lynne. “We’re all so grateful that he came out of it alive, but he still has a long road ahead of him. I had to make the difficult decision to put my full focus and energy on my family at this time.”
What’s transpired since this announcement has been confusing, to say the least. Spears‘ Instagram—which was buzzing with selfies, memes, and fashion-show videos—went silent. Then, on April 3, TMZ reported that she had checked into a mental health facility in late March because she was “distraught” over her dad’s health. A source told E! it was Spears’ decision.
For context: In January, People reported that Jamie was expected to make a full recovery after his colon ruptured. This contradicts the TMZ story, which claimed his condition is “quite serious” and “not getting better.” In short, there have been inconsistencies in the reports. Then Spears posted this Instagram on the day TMZ ran its story:
“We all need to take time for a little ‘me time,'” Spears wrote, alongside a smiley face she styled as “:)” instead of using an emoji. Anyone who frequently looks at Spears’ Instagram feed knows she often uses emojis, which led to speculation that she didn’t write this “me time” post.
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On April 16, a voicemail was sent to Britney’s Gram, a podcast hosted by comedians Tess Barker and Barbara Gray, that speculated all was not well. It came from a paralegal who claims he worked for one of Spears’ lawyers.
But before we get into this voicemail, it’s important to understand Spears’ current legal situation as we know it: She’s under what’s known as a conservatorship, which essentially means she does not have full legal control of her affairs. In 2008, shortly after Spears’ well-documented breakdown, Jamie was appointed as a conservator of his daughter’s estate. The exact nuances and minutia of Spears’ conservatorship aren’t widely available, but the fact that Jamie is her conservator—and has been for over a decade—is common knowledge. Attorney Andrew Wallet has also served as Spears’ co-conservator for 10 years, specifically looking over her finances, but that ended in March 2019.
What the paralegal claims is going on with Spears in the voicemail speaks to this conservatorship and the (alleged) lack of control she has in her decisions. Here is the transcript:
“Hi there. I cannot disclose who I am. I just heard the latest
episode. You guys are on to something. I used to be a paralegal for an
attorney that worked with Britney’s conservatorship. I’m no longer
with them. And what is happening is disturbing, to say the least.
Basically, Britney was in rehearsals for Domination. It came to
Jamie’s attention—Jamie Spears—that Britney was not taking her
medication as prescribed. She was missing a lot of doses and just
full-on not taking them. So they got her to the doctor. The doctor
said, ‘OK, if you don’t want these medications, let’s get you on a new
one.’ She refused to take the new one. So Jamie said, ‘Either you take
this medication or the show’s off and I’m pulling my support and you
can’t do it.’ Britney did not follow Jamie’s instructions, and so he
was true to his word: He pulled the show. He, verbatim, said, ‘Blame
it on my illness.’ That’s when we get the early January Instagram.
Fast-forward a couple of days, Britney’s still not following through
with her medications, and as you guys have mentioned, she is seen with
Sam [Asghari, her boyfriend] driving. It’s a big rule that she broke. Britney has been in the
mental facility since mid-January. Of course, the statement yesterday
said she entered last week. That is not true. She’s been in there
since mid-January, and there is no timeline. Granted, I haven’t worked
at the firm for a little over two weeks now, but there is no end,
particularly in sight, for this stay at this mental facility to end.
She did not want to go. I, of course, am just a paralegal and haven’t
had any contact with her. But from what I understand this was not a
decision she made. At all.”
None of this information has been confirmed, of course. Gray and Barker say in the podcast they vetted this paralegal and believe him to be a credible source—but that’s still not a definitive answer about Britney Spears‘ situation. Everything is speculative right now, which is why you should take all of this with a grain of salt.
That being said, since Gray and Barker posted the voicemail, several things have happened that some fans claim speak to its validity. A hashtag is now all over both Twitter and Instagram, #FreeBritney, accompanied by messages from fans demanding answers.
Paris Hilton, who hung out with Spears in the early aughts, has even used this hashtag:
Luann de Lesseps, from The Real Housewives New York City, also posted about #FreeBritney, though it’s unclear how or if she knows the singer.
The Talk dedicated an entire segment to the movement:
She also posted this message about having faith, which fans claim is tied to #FreeBritney:
The movement has moved beyond social media too. A real-life #FreeBritney rally went down on Monday, April 22, at the West Hollywood City Council:
Entertainment Tonight sent a reporter to cover it:
On April 22, Spears’ younger sister, Jamie Lynn, posted on Twitter defending herself against people accusing her of being silent on the #FreeBritney front. She embedded a video of herself protecting Spears from a heckler back in 2008 and wrote, “10 years ago, who was there?? I have been here long before anyone else and I’ll be here long after. I love my sister with everything I have. So anyone or anything that speaks to the contrary can GTFOH with all the comments about what you don’t understand. Don’t come for me or the ones I love anymore.”
Very few moments in our culture actually achieve transcendence. When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969, for example, the world stopped. As it did when Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. And when Barack Obama became the first Black president of the United States. These were watershed events: moments that changed the course of history, and life, as we know it. They’re documented in academic journals and books. Teenagers learn about them in high school—as they should, because it’s important for them to know who fought for their lives.
But there are two freedom fighters the history books are omitting: Britney Spears and Colin Farrell, who, on one night 15 years ago, did something so radical—so extreme—that American life changed for the better. They attended the premiere of the greatest film of our time, The Recruit.
It happened on January 28, 2003 at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles. On that sacred ground, Spears and Farrell singlehandedly replenished American culture, which had been left barren by From Justin to Kelly and George W. Bush.
Their charity was silent but mighty. The maybe-couple didn’t really say anything on their red-carpet pilgrimage: Instead, they just smiled, stuck out their tongues, and later feverishly made out. That was enough to water the nation’s crops and reenergize the stock market, though. The Recruit went on to gross over $100 million at the box office, too, ensuring that white, straight men—the most underrepresented demographic in film, by far—could keep working in Hollywood. Britney Spears and Colin Farrell’s benevolent caresses did all of that.
The reason behind Farrell and Spears’ one-night mission trip is unknown. It’s unclear how they met or if they even officially dated. Either way, it just took this one moment for Americans to see light at the end of the tunnel.
Thankfully, photographers were on site to capture this groundbreaking exchange. Below, a few pics:
Here, Spears takes a brief break from spreading the peace and enjoys a massage from Farrell.
PHOTO: Getty Images
See Farrell’s bruised knuckles? Battle scars from the fight for justice.
PHOTO: Getty Images
Frankly, it’s incredible that we even have this footage.
PHOTO: Getty Images
I shudder to think what our country would look like had this night not happened. We should all be eternally grateful.
Britney Spears—iconic pop star, painter, and master of Instagram—has just come out in support of Dreamers, the young immigrants brought into the country by their parents and whose status Republicans in Congress are threatening.
In the picture, Spears points to her “We are all dreamers” T-shirt, which is rolled up to reveal some serious abs. (This is Britney, after all.) She posted it with the caption, “We are all Dreamers ✨ Tell Congress to pass the #DreamAct.”
Spears isn’t known for being the most political pop star, but she tends to publicly supports causes and issues close to her heart. She expressed grief over a mass shooting in Texas and sold a piece of original art to benefit victims of a mass shooting in Las Vegas. And of course she cemented her gay icon status earlier this year with a handwritten letter to her LGBT fans.
She’s far from alone in her support of the Dream Act: Celebrities like America Ferrera, Jennifer Lawrence, Rosario Dawson, and Mark Ruffalo all signed a letter urging Congress to pass the bill before the end of the year, according to The Huffington Post. However, discussion of the Dream Act has been postponed until January, and barring congressional action, Dreamers risk being deported as early as March.
Spears is slated to perform on the Dick Clark New Year’s Rocking Eve special (hosted by Ryan Seacrest) on December 31. Let’s hope her presence brings us into a 2018 that is merry, bright and fair to immigrants.
In an Instagram video posted on Friday, Spears proves she’s an artist on and off the stage with a little painting video that seems a little familiar. Remember the iconic Bob Ross’ The Joy of Painting on PBS? It ran for 31 calming, delightful seasons from 1983 to 1994. Ross would walk us through the creation of masterpiece after masterpiece, always encouraging us to paint along with him and commenting on all the “happy little clouds and trees” he’d paint before our eyes. Well, Brit is following in the very quirky artist’s footsteps.
The “Piece of Me” singer posted a very funny and wonderfully bizarre video on Instagram Friday of her painting a canvas, complete with classical music. Her caption featured a beautiful plethora of emojis: “Sometimes you just gotta play!!!!!! ???????????????????”
Brit must’ve been working on this artwork for a while because the video features her in two different outfits: a striped shirt splattered with paint on the collar, and then, later in the video, a flowing white sleeveless top. Painting gets messy sometimes, you know?
We’re all here for having fun creative outlets after work (and this singer has never been one to sit still), so props to her for finding something relaxing. Maybe she and Adele can team up for a craft night: the British singer, after all, has confessed before to a secret love of making pom-poms.
