#WeAreSorryBritney: Why celebrities are apologizing to Britney Spears?

You might already be familiar with the #FreeBritney hashtag that's been going on for years now. But you might be wondering what the new hashtag #WeAreSorryBritney is all about, and why all of a sudden, celebrities like Justin Timberlake and Sarah Silverman are apologizing to her. Well, it's pretty much connected to the recently released New York Times documentary 'Framing Britney Spears.'

The 'Framing Britney Spears' documentary, which aired on February 5, showed past footage that reveal how other celebrities and the media have mistreated the iconic pop star during her rise to stardom.

One example is a 2008 episode of 'Family Feud' where contestants were asked 'Name something Britney Spears has lost this year.'

But aside from the said episode of 'Family Feud' that ridiculed the unfortunate events in the life of Britney at that time, old footage of celebrities making inappropriate remarks or jokes about the 'Ooops I Did It Again' singer have also resurfaced.

One of them was the audio of a 2002 interview of singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake, who Britney dated from 1999 to 2002. In the interview, Justin divulged private details about their sex life.

Plus, he also painted Britney as the villain in the breakup, claiming that she had cheated on him.

In the wake of their breakup, Britney had to face scrutiny over the cheating allegation, and at the same time, deal with people questioning her virginity.

The unearthed interview of Justin prompted Britney supporters to bombard him with comments on social media, demanding him to apologize for the damage he has done.

Justin heeded the people's call and issued an apology over the matter and also about the infamous Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” he got involved in with another music icon, Janet Jackson.

Part of his statement posted on IG reads: “I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right.

“I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.

“I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”

Justin is now happily married to actress Jessica Biel and they recently welcomed their second child Phineas.

Since the airing of the 'Framing Britney' documentary, Britney fans have started the hashtag #WeAreSorryBritney. They have exposed other celebrities or personalities who have mistreated Britney or made insensitive comments about her in the past.

Among other celebrities under fire are stand-up comedian Sarah Silverman, actor Joel McHale, comedienne Kathy Griffin, broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer, former first lady of Maryland Kendel Ehrlich, and singers Shawn Mendes and Katy Perry.

Kendel Ehrlich was quoted in 2003 saying, “…really, if I had an opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would.”

She said this after condemning Britney's image and accused the child star-turned-pop star of setting a bad example to the youth.

The former first lady of Maryland has since apologized for her remarks that she declared were “off-the-cuff and in jest.”

Also, in 2003, Diane Sawyer of ABC's 'Primetime Thursday' interviewed Britney and brought up the remarks made by Kendel Ehrlich and Justin Timberlake's accusation that Britney cheated on him.

At one point during the interview, as seen in the documentary, Britney said through tears, “I'm embarrassed. Can we stop this?”

Sarah Silverman and Joel McHale on the other hand were both criticized for poking fun at the miserable things that occurred in Britney's life in 2007.

Sarah has issued an apology on Twitter, which partly reads: “I was known then 4 roasts. MTV asked me to mini-roast Britney after her big performance…”

“Art changes over yrs as we know more & the world changes.

“I wish I could delete it, but I can't.”

Comedian Kathy Griffin also took a swipe at Britney during her 2016 guest appearance on 'Larry King Now,' suggesting that “she's not all there” and asked the late Larry King if he got “through to her in a way that her doctors couldn't.”

Kathy has already given a statement to The Times to address the issue. Part of it reads: “Truth is, we didn't know what we didn't know in those days.

“I typically described my own interactions with Britney over the years. I first met her when she was 16 years old and she was opening for 'N SYNC on tour.

“I would run into her occasionally over the years, and her behavior did seem to change rather dramatically.”

Kathy also said she was “moved” and “haunted” by the 'Framing Britney' documentary.

Meanwhile, singers Shawn Mendes and Katy Perry are both in hot water for previously making an insensitive reference to the moment when Britney shaved her head while going through a mental health crisis in 2007.

While promoting his album 'Handwritten' in 2015, Shawn played a guessing game with the hosts, where he acted out Britney's head-shaving moment before singing lines from her hit “Baby One More Time.”

Katy Perry, on the other hand, reference Britney's head-shaving incident during an interview with Ryan Seacrest on the Grammys red carpet in 2017.

The “Never Really Over” singer was asked about her musical hiatus at that time.

To which Katy replied, “It's called taking care of my mental health.” She also added, “I haven't shaved my head yet.”

Later that evening when she talked about her new blonde hairstyle with CBS, she made a reference again to Britney by saying, “The only thing I have left to do is shave my head, which I'm really saving for a public breakdown.”

In 2020, Katy already addressed the issue of making thoughtless remarks about Britney.

“Anyone in this intense a spotlight, they understand that the tightrope just gets tighter and smaller and that with one word, one costume malfunction, it can all blow up,” she said.

“I have used that as a mechanism for coping and for my own fear and have said things that have been sloppy or insensitive.”

With all these celebrities and personalities, stepping up one-by-one and apologizing to Britney Spears, it looks like justice has finally been served for the pop star.

Thanks in part to her loyal, caring fans who relentlessly expressed their support for her through the #WeAreSorryBritney campaign, which is part of the even bigger #FreeBritney campaign.

For years, the pop icon has been in a nasty legal battle with her father Jamie Spears, who helms her conservatorship.

According to the California Courts, a conservatorship is when an individual or organization is granted the authority to care for an adult who is deemed unfit to care for themselves and manage their finances.

Since 2008, following Britney's breakdown, her father has been in charge of managing her life, and Britney, who's now 39 years old wants to regain full control of her life.

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Check out also Pinoy celebrities who opened up about mental health issues in the gallery below.