Since the legal conservatorship she was under for more than a decade was terminated in 2021, Britney Spears has largely been keeping out of the spotlight, aside from the occasional fun collaboration or dancing video on Instagram.
However, the pop superstar seemingly felt compelled to speak out after watching Sabrina Carpenter’s performance at the VMAs on Wednesday night.
During her medley, the Espresso singer played homage to Britney when she played a spoken-word snippet of Oops! I Did It Again.
She also apparently sang Britney’s praises while speaking to press on the red carpet.
Reacting to this the following day, Britney shared a candid post on Instagram, beginning by asking her fans: “Did you guys watch the VMAs? I didn’t watch the VMAs, but I did see stuff on my phone from YouTube of Sabrina Carpenter.”
“Why is she kissing an alien on stage?” Britney asked, referring to a specific part of Sabrina’s performance in which she locked lips with a dancer in an extra-terrestrial mask.
However, she quickly clarified: “I adore her. I love her today. I didn’t understand that part. Why didn’t she kiss a girl? Like, that was weird. But I also thought that the whole thing was kind of, like, weird altogether.”
After going on a bit of a tangent about her love of long baths and colouring in, Britney continued: “This Sabrina girl – she said my name on the red carpet! And I thought that was kind of cool. Because I forget I’m famous sometimes… but that was kind of cool.
“This Sabrina girl, Carpenter, she said my name. And I was like, ‘Thanks, that’s cool!’. She made me cool… or maybe not!”
Sabrina Carpenter wasn’t the only guest at this year’s VMAs paying homage to Britney Spears, though.
Megan Thee Stallion gave a tribute to Britney’s iconic I’m A Slave 4 U performance during the ceremony itself, while Addison Rae also gave the Toxic singer a shout-out while speaking to press on her way into the event.