Shocked gasps followed Wendy Williams’ comment on Britney Spears’ conservatorship — the backlash was not far behind
Wendy Williams is known for The Wendy Williams Show, but more than that, she is infamous for the controversies she acquired during her long stint as its host. Tact has not been her strongest suit, not when she appeared to dismiss Terry Crew’s sexual assault allegations against a top Hollywood agent, or when she went against publicly breastfeeding being a natural act and called it sexual.
It was this inability to rein in her extreme reactions that earned her massive backlash when the topic was Britney Spears’ controversial conservatorship.
Back in 2021, when Britney fought against her conservatorship and testified against the “bullying” she experienced under her “abusive” father, who only wanted to control her $60 million fortune, the public perception swiftly altered, and soon protests to free the pop star took over the nation. Her father allegedly refused to let her get married, didn’t let her remove her IUD, and pushed her to take lithium. Of the many who now saw Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, in a whole new light, Williams was also one.
In one of the episodes of her show, Williams cemented her position as a supporter of the #FreeBritney movement and touched up the then-unfolding court case to openly – and without holding back anything — condemn the singer’s father (and everyone else responsible for the hell Britney endured all those years) to death.
“How dare you, Mr. Spears, you had me fooled. And you too, Mrs. Spears. Death to all of them.”
That was a strong reaction for the studio audience, who gasped in shock at her words. But it didn’t end there as despite this particular segment getting edited out of the full episode, the backlash still came at Williams, even including staunch Britney supporters who didn’t agree with Williams’ choice of words.
Many pointed out Williams’ hypocrisy here because mere months before this statement, she had been talking about how Britney needs to be “controlled.”
“I think that her father is a good man. I’ve heard that she still needs to be controlled, and she needs to have someone that’s controlling her finances, and controlling who she is friends with and where she goes and what time she’s coming in …”
At this point, #FreeBritney was spreading, with many fighting for Britney’s freedom. Of course, the singer found fresh support from many in the industry after her testimony. Williams’ newfound desire to be in her corner didn’t really sit well with those who remembered her regressive comments about Britney and they definitely didn’t appreciate her attempt of backpedaling when the voices standing up for her grew louder.
Today, Williams is striving to escape a similar hell. The only difference? There is no one questioning her ability to handle the freedom she desires desperately.
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