Did Britney Spears just put Kelly Clarkson on blast??
On Tuesday, the pop star took to her Instagram with a video of herself showing off a new green outfit. But it was the caption where she seemed to drop a bomb — or at least that’s what fans are thinking! While slamming haters for bullying her online over the years, the 40-year-old referenced “Clarkson” — making it seem like she was lumping the talk show host in with the other trolls. And the Britney Army thinks they know exactly why!
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Condemning bullies, the singer wrote:
“‘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
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??? Psss … I’m not kidding … play on friends, play on !!!”
Ch-ch-check out the post (below):
What does this all mean??
Obviously, we totally understand the Toxic vocalist’s sentiments about bullying being “heartbreaking,” but that’s not really the big takeaway for most fans. Quickly after Brit’s post hit the internet, fans resurfaced an old interview clip from 2007 in which Kelly discussed Britney’s (at the time) recent breakdowns that were regularly making headlines. Speaking to hosts of Q100, Kelly pondered:
“Man, but wouldn’t it be funny if she’s just totally screwing with everyone?”
The male host wasn’t so sure, saying:
“It depends what celebrity you talk about, because I think some celebrities are smart enough, that are capable of doing that.”
As he was seemingly about to claim he didn’t think Britney was “smart enough” to do that, Kelly interjected:
“Cause it’d be real funny if she were like, ‘just kidding!’”
Explaining her stance further, the American Idol winner continued:
“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.”
FYI, this convo happened a year before Britney was placed into a 13-year conservatorship because of her erratic behavior and mental health struggles. At the time, her actions were the talk of the town, but the mental health piece was definitely not taken seriously — perhaps why Kelly thought it was fine to presume it was all just a joke for press. Ch-ch-check out the clip for yourself (below)!
Britney Spears CALLS OUT Kelly Clarkson for saying this about her in 2007 https://t.co/z3ziK56Fzt
— Britney Stan ???? (@BritneyTheStan) June 8, 2022
Hearing that certainly puts Brit’s caption into perspective. She does seem to mention that same “kidding” thing! But is it what the performer was referring to on the ‘gram??
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Well, this particular post seems to have followers extremely divided! Before getting into the possibility of a potential rift, one person tried to help other listeners by providing some background on why Kelly was even discussing Britney in the first place, sharing:
“You mean for defending her while the radio guys kept calling her crazy? Also context, they played a clip of Britney speaking in a fake British accent right before, Kelly asks if she was joking. And as they continue to call her crazy, Kelly tries to steer the convo away/defend her”
Even with that info, fans’ reactions were all over — take a look
“I was trying to think of the clip and this is it. Definitely a dig and a reminder”
“In shock right now”
“I think, in hindsight, the conversation hasn’t aged well. Because it wasn’t a joke, it wasn’t a publicity stunt, it wasn’t funny, she wasn’t kidding, it was her as ACTUAL life, and people were discussing it on the radio as if it were entertainment.”
“Britney is writing her book and reliving ALL these moments!”
LOLz! That book comment does seem to make sense — maybe she really is going through the past and reflecting on it a bit while she writes? After all, her tell-all is expected very soon!
On the other hand, Kelly’s supporters have also clapped back at the speculation of a rift, arguing:
“Get on with your life, Kelly wasn’t meaning it nasty, she said she loved your album. Nobody knew what was going on with you in 2007.”
“It would be a big reach if this was about that since Kelly was actually defending her.”
“kelly is a wonderful person who has always loved britney.”
“it’s funny how britney fans have always loved this quote from kelly for so many years, but then 15 years later britney misunderstands kelly’s intentions and wrongfully calls her out, now suddenly y’all switch up lol.”
“y’all should really watch the whole interview and so should Brittney… Kelly defends her while they keep calling her crazy…”
“Kelly has always defended Britney and has covered her music, has said nice things about her and her music. Britney is taking this interview way out of context.”
Whoa!
Just another Britney conspiracy theory that has people super divided! If you’re interested, hear the full conversation (with the topic of Britney starting at 3:31) and decided what you think Britney meant in her caption for yourself:
What do U think, Perezcious readers? Was this a jab at Kelly? Or maybe Britney was simply trying to quote her statements from the past and fans misinterpreted the reference? Let us know what you think (below)!
[Image via MEGA/WENN & Britney Spears/Instagram]