Britney Spears may be in the honeymoon phase of her marriage after tying the knot with Sam Asghari, but she continues to speak her mind amid her newfound freedom from her 13-year conservatorship. She’s taken aim at her mom, dad, and sister for the abuse she endured over that period of time, as well as some of those around her, including fellow pop star Christina Aguilera, whose silence she said made her complicit. This newest feud, however, is one that we didn’t see coming, as the “Toxic” singer called out Kelly Clarkson for comments she made in the past about Spears’ mental breakdown.
Back in 2007, the original American Idol singer jokingly wondered if Britney Spears’ actions at the time could have been publicity stunts. It was around that time that the Crossroads star got divorced from Kevin Federline and began exhibiting troubling behavior, including shaving her head and attacking a photographer’s car with an umbrella. Fifteen years later, Kelly Clarkson’s comments apparently still don’t sit right with Spears, as she mentioned the talk show host in a caption on Instagram that appears to have been deleted. The caption originally read (per US Weekly):
‘I don’t forget’ … don’t you just wish she would say she’s kidding ??? Clarkson … in a world where bullying has been heartbreaking, I’ve had my share …. Can we get an AWW ✍️✍️✍️ ??? Psss … I’m not kidding … play on friends, play on !!!
Britney Spears seemingly shaded the former Voice coach for bullying, pointing out that she’s shouldered her share of criticism over the years. The post is almost certainly a reference to an interview that 25-year-old Kelly Clarkson did in 2007 for Q100 Atlanta, in which she pointed out that the “Gimme More” singer hadn’t needed to do press for her 2007 album Blackout because of all the publicity she was getting. Clarkson said at the time:
Man, but wouldn’t it be funny if she’s just totally screwing with everyone? Cause it’d be real funny if she were like, ‘Just kidding!’ I mean, think about it. She’s done no press for her album, which I love by the way. She’s done no press, just gets so much press off all this other stuff.
Knowing what we know now about what Britney Spears has been through — and in a culture that has a better understanding of mental health overall — those jokes really haven’t aged well, and it’s understandable that the former pop star would still feel the burn of that suggestion. Fans also dug up an old tweet that Spears shared in 2012 of Kelly Clarkson covering her song “Everytime,” where — just as in her latest post — she said “Awww” in reference to the “Since U Been Gone” singer.
Awww @Kelly_Clarkson this is beautiful girl! http://t.co/sAkmbQy6 XxooJuly 31, 2012
Kelly Clarkson hasn’t responded publicly to the callout. The talk show host recently stepped down from being a coach on The Voice in order to spend summer with her two kids after finalizing a long and painful divorce from Brandon Blackstock. She’s also completely revamping The Kelly Clarkson Show as she prepares to take over the time slot recently vacated by The Ellen DeGeneres Show when it ended its 19-season run. We’ll have to wait to see if this unexpected feud with Britney Spears intensifies or sees any kind of resolution. In the meantime, check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what premieres are coming soon.