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Britney Spears Slams Ryan Seacrest for Asking If She Was a ‘Fit Mother’ in 2007 Interview
Britney Spears slammed Ryan Seacrest for questioning her abilities as a parent during a 2007 interview.
“Ryan Seacrest asked me questions like, ‘How do you respond to those who criticize you as a mom?’ and ‘Do you feel like you’re doing everything you can for your kids?’ and ‘How often will you see them?’” Britney, 41, recalled about an interview with Ryan, 48, in her memoir, The Woman In Me.
The “Toxic” singer added that the radio interview “was supposed to be about” her Blackout album, though said the American Idol host chose to focus on her parenting instead.
“It felt like that was the only thing people wanted to talk about: whether or not I was a fit mother,” Britney wrote in the book, which came out on Tuesday, October 24. “Not about how I’d made such a strong album while holding two babies on my hips and being pursued by dozens of dangerous [paparazzi] all day every day.”
Following the radio show appearance, Ryan went on to interview Britney several times over the years and she has said she has no ill will against him.
At the time of the interview, Britney was fighting her ex-husband Kevin Federline in a lengthy custody battle over their sons, Sean Preston, 18, and Jayden, 17. Kevin, 45, was ultimately given sole legal and physical custody of their children in January 2008 after Britney was committed to a psychiatric ward that same month.
The “Circus” singer was then placed under her conservatorship in February 2008 and remained in the agreement until November 2021.
Britney also reflected on the conservatorship in the memoir, explaining that she agreed to it “for [her] kids.” She said, “Because I played by the rules, I was reunited with my boys.”
The Crossroads actress regained visitation rights in July 2008 and eventually shared 50/50 custody with Kevin. In September 2019, the DJ obtained 70 percent custody of Preston and Jayden. He and the boys have since moved to Hawaii after they received Britney’s approval.
Not only did Britney discuss the attention she faced regarding her parenting, but she also shared insight into her 2007 breakdown before her conservatorship. She made headlines when she gave herself a buzzcut after employees at Esther’s Haircutting Studio in Tarzana, California, refused to shave her head. Just days later, Britney shocked fans when she attacked a photographer’s car with an umbrella.
“I’d been eyeballed so much growing up. I’d been looked up and down, had people telling me what they thought of my body, since I was a teenager,” she wrote about the public outbursts. “Shaving my head and acting out were my ways of pushing back.”
Britney added that she lost control of her personal, medical and financial affairs when her father, Jamie Spears, was named her conservator.
“I was made to understand that those days were now over,” the “Stronger” singer continued. “I had to grow my hair out and get back into shape. I had to go to bed early and take whatever medication they told me to take.”
She explained that her “conservatorship stripped me of my womanhood” and “made me into a child.” Britney stated, “I became more of an entity than a person onstage. I had always felt music in my bones and my blood; they stole that from me.”
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