The New York Times documentary, Framing Britney Spears , which chronicles the life and trials of a young Britney Spears from the start of her fame to her current conservatorship, has had a huge impact on the world and on all of us who love Britney. The documentary shows how unfairly Britney has often been treated by the media, including in her 2003 Primetime interview With Diane Sawyer , which has lead to many fans calling for Diane to publicly apologize to Britney.
The interview contains many moments that fans believe were cruel or unfair to Britney.
This includes Diane blaming Britney for her breakup with Justin Timberlake, stating, “You broke his heart, you did something that caused him so much pain, so much suffering. What did you do?”
Fans were also upset by a moment when Diane seems to justify a woman wishing violence on Britney.
Diane was discussing the comments made by then-First Lady of Maryland, Kendel Ehrlich, who stated at an anti-violence rally, “Really, if I had the opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would.”
Diane relayed this comment to Britney, and then appeared to justify the remark, saying, “It’s because of the example for kids and how hard it is to be a parent.”
Britney’s response of, “I’m not here to babysit her kids,” did not seem to sway Diane’s line of questioning.
Diane also showed Britney many photographs of herself that she referred to as “highly explicit,” and asked if Britney had thought about how her fans might respond to these pictures. “Am I responsible for them?” Britney asks in return.
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Some fans felt that this line of questioning was misogynistic, as well as unfair.
Since the inclusion of clips from the interview in *Framing Britney Spears*, the discussion surrounding it has been reignited.
While some pointed out that the atmosphere of celebrity interviews and the way the world talked about celebrities was definitely different in the early 2000s, others were not willing to accept that excuse for Diane’s lines of questioning.
Many fans took to social media to call out Diane over the interview.
“I’m sorry, why is Diane Sawyer defending someone who threatened to shoot Britney Spears?” tweeted one fan, while others asked how the journalist sleeps at night.
“It was downright painful watching Diane Sawyer interview a 20 year old Britney Spears,” added another.
Other fans felt that the entire interview was misogynistic and would not have happened if Britney were not a woman.
Fans felt Diane’s questions about Britney’s outfits and love life were sexist.
“Just watched the entirety of the old Diane Sawyer interview. Absolutely disgusting. Misogyny executed by another woman. No wonder Britney seems so lost. We all betrayed her by allowing that narrative,” tweeted a fan.
Others stated that Diane owed Britney a public apology.
One fan spoke out against Diane’s concerns for young girls who were fans of Britney.
“As one of the ‘young girls’ that @dianesawyer was worried about in the early 2000s, I feel like I owe it to @britneyspears to switch up my work music today. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be living my teenage dreams and choose Britney every. single. time,” one fan tweeted.
Others also brought up Diane’s controversial interview with Whitney Houston.
The interview in question included Diane directly asking Whitney if she had a drug problem.
“I think there was a whole genre of ‘hard-hitting’ interview style back — that asked the ‘tough questions’ but looking at it now it seems invasive and brutal and cruel and even a bit bullying,” one fan wrote .
People were not happy.
“I’ve always hated Justin Timberlake. As a HS teacher we took students out in vans on field trips frequently. I let them choose the music, but had a very strict ‘no JT’ rule. Now I know why. But Diane Sawyer, how the hell did we let her attack women for so long?! Party’s over,” shared one fan .
Diane has not yet commented on the inclusion of her interview in the documentary.
While many fans are calling for a public or private apology from the journalist, at the time of writing this article, Diane has not yet made a public statement.
What do you think?
Do you think that Diane should apologize for the interview with then-21-year-old Britney, or do you think her questions were reasonable and fair? Let us know how you feel in the comments below!
