Britney Spears was just 18 years old when she was catapulted to superstardom in 1999, but 2007 is perhaps the year that is most associated with the star.
Britney filed for a divorce from her second husband, Kevin Federline, in November 2006, and by the start of the new year, she was being relentlessly hounded by the paparazzi as concerns for her mental health began to grow.
In February 2007, Britney checked into rehab for 24 hours, and one day later she shaved her head in front of the media’s cameras.
Britney went on to have another two stints in rehab that year, was court ordered to give up custody of her two sons, and also hit the headlines when she attacked the paparazzi with an umbrella.
As a result, the pop icon quickly became the butt of everyone's jokes, with Britney receiving little public sympathy despite her obvious struggles. She was largely targeted by the media, with Forbes even suggesting “bald-headed problem parent” Britney as a “genuinely scary” Halloween costume idea that year.
The tabloids were even worse, with photos of Britney being plastered on their front pages every week alongside seriously problematic headlines that mocked her appearance and well-being.
But Britney’s fellow celebrities weren’t much better either, with Sarah Silverman recently facing backlash for comments she made about the star during the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, which were held in September of that year.
After Britney had performed at the ceremony, Sarah claimed that the star had already “accomplished everything she’s ever going to accomplish in her life,” and called her children “mistakes.”
Britney’s ex Justin Timberlake was also said to be mocking Britney’s mental health throughout his 2007 tour, reportedly changing the lyrics in popular songs used in his “Cry Me a River” mashup to suggest that she was “crazy” and in need of “rehab.”
But as the world delivered blow after blow to Britney, one of her fellow pop superstars refused to join in.
Following the release of Britney’s memoir, The Woman in Me, earlier this week, a clip of Beyoncé discussing the star in a TV appearance six years ago has resurfaced online.
Beyoncé has subsequently won praise for refusing to take the bait and badmouth Britney after the journalist interviewing her referred to the singer as “a complete disaster.”
In fact, Beyoncé sprang to Britney’s defense and even alluded to the fact that she was surrounded by people who didn’t have her best interests at heart — when the way that Britney’s family treated her and handled her career would not be exposed until years later.
The interview was with Liam Bartlett for 60 Minutes Australia, and the resurfaced clip begins with Beyoncé saying, “I’m 25, and if I really wanted to, I could still be a young woman and do something completely different and have a whole new career, and still have, hopefully, my whole life ahead of me.”
“But you could say the same thing about someone like Britney Spears,” Liam counters, with a video of Britney with a shaved head flashing onscreen.
“Absolutely,” Beyoncé matter-of-factly replies.
“There’s only three months between you and Britney,” Liam continues, which prompts Beyoncé to repeat, “Absolutely.”
“And look at the difference,” Liam goes on. “A complete disaster.”
At this point, Beyoncé takes the time to acknowledge the key differences between her and Britney: “I mean, people handle different things differently, and thank god I’ve been surrounded by honesty. And thank god I’ve chosen to still be around people that I trust — and it’s really difficult, when you’re a celebrity, to know the difference.”
A fan posted this clip to social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside the caption, “That time Beyoncé didn’t fall for the interviewers’ attempt to get her to shade Britney Spears, but instead defended her & basically said Brit didn’t isn’t surrounded by people who have her best interest at heart…,” and it immediately gained traction.
That time Beyoncé didn’t fall for the interviewers’ attempt to get her to shade Britney Spears, but instead defended her & basically said Brit didn’t isn’t surrounded by people who have her best interest at heart… pic.twitter.com/BOABpKGG3W
— Britney Spears Crave (Fan Page) (@britneyscrave) October 25, 2023
One person claimed in the replies, “Beyoncé knew something was up and was praying for Britney. You could feel it in how earnest she answered that question.”
Beyoncé knew something was up and was praying for Britney. You could feel it in how earnest she answered that question.
“Beyoncé has always loved Britney and was not about to fall into that trap. She handled it gracefully and had nothing but positive things to say about her,” another added.
Beyoncé has always loved Britney and was not about to fall into that trap. She handled it gracefully and had nothing but positive things to say about her.
“I never really had an opinion about Beyoncé until now. She’s definitely earned my respect,” someone else agreed. While another mused, “Beyoncé knew Britney was surrounded by garbage before FreeBritney was ever a thing.”
Beyoncé knew Britney was surrounded by garbage before FreeBritney was ever a thing.
Interestingly, Britney herself alluded to the difference between her and Beyoncé’s inner circle in an Instagram post earlier this year, per the Daily Mail.
In the lengthy caption, Britney suggested that when she shares stories about all that she went through under her controversial conservatorship, “people ask more questions,” such as where her mom was in all of it.
“AS IF SHE DOESN’T KNOW !!!!” Britney wrote in the post. “What the fuck do you think Beyoncé’s mom would do if they did that to her daughter ??? She would look at them like they have lost their fucking minds.”
Meanwhile, Beyoncé isn’t the only star to have been on the right side of history with regard to Britney’s difficult 2007, with former Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson also winning praise in 2021 following the release of the New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears.
The documentary included a clip from one of his monologues at the height of the Britney drama, in which he said, “Tonight, no Britney Spears jokes. Here's why: The kind of weekend she had, she was checking into rehab, she was shaving her head, getting tattoos, that's what she was doing this weekend.”
He went on, “This Sunday, I was 15 years sober. I looked at her weekend and I looked at my own weekend, and I thought, I rather have my weekend. But what she was going through reminded me of what I was doing. It reminds me of where I was 15 years ago when I was living like that. I'm not saying Britney Spears is an alcoholic ... but she clearly needs help."
