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A video of TV host Craig Ferguson refusing to mock Britney Spears has gone viral in the wake of a new documentary about the singer’s private life.
The new Hulu documentary, Framing Britney Spears, takes a look at the singer’s chequered career and the #FreeBritney movement that has rallied against her ongoing conservatorship.
The documentary has led to an outpouring of support for the singer, as well as renewed criticism for how Justin Timberlake treated Spears, his ex-girlfriend of three years.
But the film has also seen Craig Ferguson winning praise, after a resurfaced clip from 2007 showed the former Late Late Show host refusing to mock Spears for shaving her head during a publicised breakdown, despite show writers drafting a series of gags for the comic.
After sharing his own experiences of addiction, Ferguson said: “The thing is, you can embarrass somebody to death.
“I’m starting to feel uncomfortable about making fun of these people. Funny comedy should have a certain amount of joy in it. It should be about us attacking the powerful people, attacking the politicians and the Trumps and the blowhards… We shouldn’t be attacking the vulnerable people.”
Never forget when Craig Ferguson refused to make fun of Britney Spears. pic.twitter.com/r8AuiNPW0L
— Britney Fan
(@BritneyHiatus) February 9, 2021
He also claimed he was “convinced” he would be “fired” for refusing to make fun of Spears.
Meanwhile, the singer has seemingly responded to the documentary in a cryptic post on social media.
In a recent Instagram post, Spears shared footage of her performing ‘Toxic’ live from three years ago.
In its caption, she said she is “taking the time to learn and be a normal person”, and brings up how the public’s perception of a celebrity is different to how “the actual person living behind the lens”.
After the premiere of the documentary, Spears’ boyfriend Sam Asghari said he would “continue to support her following her dreams”. He later posted an Instagram story in which he called her father Jamie Spears “a total dick”.
Under the current conservatorship arrangement, Jamie and the Bessemer Trust financial company are legally empowered to make important decisions around Spears’ finances, business projects and personal circumstances.
Jamie Spears stepped back from his duties in 2019 due to health issues, with Jodi Montgomery appointed as a temporary conservator. Britney Spears’ legal team sought to remove Jamie from the conservatorship, but this was denied in court late last year.
As the New York Times reports, a hearing is scheduled for this Thursday (February 11) in Los Angeles, which will likely discuss Jamie and the trust’s role in managing Spears’ estate.
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