Perez Hilton Slammed For ‘Performative’ Support Of Britney Spears

Social media users have slammed Perez Hilton after the columnist showed support for the #FreeBritney campaign and expressed regret for the way he treated Britney Spears ahead of her breakdown in 2008. 

The singer told the court the conservatorship is doing her ‘way more harm than good’, arguing that she deserves to ‘have a life’ and ‘be heard’, and adding that the restrictive rules she lives under has made her want to sue her family.

Hilton praised Spears for speaking out following the hearing, writing, ‘It’s official! #BritneySpears has DEMANDED that her conservatorship end. And that it end NOW. And she’s impassioned! Speaking so eloquent about the mistreatment that she claims to have received from her father and her team. Wow. Wow. Wow.’

The positive response from Hilton comes in contrast to his actions and comments of the past, when he drove much of the gossip surrounding Britney’s troubled behaviour ahead of the breakdown that led to her conservatorship.

Twitter users were quick to point out this disparity in Hilton’s public views of the singer, with many slamming his support as ‘performative’.

One person wrote, ‘Turning on the news to see Perez Hilton trying to act like a decent human being talking about Britney’s bravery testifying and how she should be free, when he based his entire career off destroying her and others, the f*cking cheek of him.’

Another Twitter user drew attention to the fact that Hilton appeared to wish Spears dead following the passing of Heath Ledger in 2008, when the columnist featured T-shirts sporting the message, “Why couldn’t it be Britney?” on his website.

They wrote, ‘A reminder that Perez Hilton may be the person who owes the biggest apology to Spears. After the death of Heath Ledger in 2008, Perez posted a meme of Ledger that said, “Why couldn’t it be Britney?”‘

Hilton did apologise for his past behaviour and said that he took ‘full accountability’ during an interview with Sky News following Spears’ court appearance yesterday, admitting, ‘I can’t say I was just young and dumb.’

He continued, ‘I absolutely apologise and carry deep shame and regret.’

The columnist said he and others believed Jamie Spears ‘saved’ his daughter when the singer was originally placed under the conservatorship, saying Spears was ‘really putting herself in dangerous situations’, but that her case has now shown the situation is ‘corrupt’.