Craig Ferguson's 2007 speech about Britney Spears is going viral for all the right reasons

With her new memoir now being released and a documentary also out, Britney Spears is once again back in the spotlight.

There have been many allegations which have stemmed from both of these, not least regarding her relationship with Justin Timberlake.

But one clip has also resurfaced from a few years after the pair's break up.

It's a video from the The Late Late Show, which at the time was being hosted by Craig Ferguson.

It was aired in 2007, which was not long after Spears had her infamous encounter at a salon where she had her hair shaved off in front of paparazzi photographers.

The singer had been facing relentless mockery in the media at the time, and at the start of the show Ferguson said that he didn't want to continue with this.

He said: “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, going after them. We shouldn’t be attacking the vulnerable people.”

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The comedian went on to say: “I think my aim’s been off a bit recently. I want to change it a bit. So tonight, no Britney Spears jokes and here’s why.”

The audience seemed to think that this was all a setup, and he would use this moment to pivot to making jokes about Spears.

Instead, he reflected on his own struggles with alcoholism, and the bad places that it took him to.

Ferguson continued: “The kind of weekend she had, she was checking in and out of rehab, she was shaving her head, getting tattoos, that’s what she was doing this weekend.

“This Sunday, I was 15 years sober. So I looked at her weekend and I looked at my own weekend and I thought, ‘You know, I’d rather have my weekend’.”

Ferguson has since revealed that at the time he feared he would be sacked over the remarks.

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In 2019 he told the LA Times: “I thought, ‘They’re going to fire me for this'.

“And actually the opposite happened, and everyone seemed to be very happy about it.”

The comedian explained that he had 'wanted to put myself in the position of what Ms. Spears had been in that weekend, [to show] that I understood, that I identified with her discomfort'.

“And I because I had done that, other people identified with me too,” Ferguson added

With this period of Britney's life once again drawing attention with her new book The Woman in Me out, as well as a documentary, people are once again watching this clip.

And frankly, being reminded to show a little empathy is no bad thing.

One person commented: "I remember watching that when it was first broadcast and it was shockingly fresh and decent."

Another added: "Loved this, straight from the heart."

While a third said: "King s**t."

If you are concerned about your alcohol consumption, please visit The American Council on Addiction and Alcohol Problems website here.