It’s no secret the media has a way of scrutinizing celebrities, which comes as no surprise to fans of Britney Spears, who watched the songstress get torn apart by every publication and news outlet during the 2000s.
However, there was on TV host that wasn’t willing to pick on Britney Spears, and now, the clip of him defending the songstress is going viral.
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The new Britney Spears documentary *Framing Britney Spears” highlights the relentless media torture the popstar had to endure at the height of her career.
In addition to controversial soundbites from her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, a resurfaced interview Britney did with Diane Sawyer had been gaining a lot of traction online.
The interview, which took place when Britney was only 21, featured intrusive and inappropriate questioning.
Diane asked Britney what she did to break Justin’s heart, discussed her virginity and went so far as to defend a woman who said she would shoot Britney if she had the chance.
Throughout Britney’s career, she has been under a microscope. However, the press was especially cruel in 2007.
Of course, 2007 was the year Britney endured a public mental health breakdown, which soon became low hanging fruit for comedians and media outlets. However, there was one late-night host who went against the grain and chose not to poke fun at Britney during that incredibly difficult time.
In a newly resurfaced clip from *The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson* in 2007, the comedian refused to make fun of Britney.
He began his monologue by commenting on the “so-called news outlets” mocking celebrities saying: “I kind of had similar feelings when I used to watch America’s Funniest Home Videos. You’d be laughing at the kid falling over, and then you’d go, ‘Wait a minute, put down the damn camera and help your kid!’ I think we’re kind of holding the camera, and people are falling apart.”
“People are dying,” he continued. “That Anna Nicole Smith, she died.”
“No, it’s not a joke. It stops being funny. I’m starting to feel uncomfortable about making fun of these people,” he laments.
“For me, comedy should have a sentiment of joy in it. It should be about artists attacking the powerful people. Attacking the politicians, and the Trumps, and the blowhards. Go after them. We shouldn’t be attacking vulnerable people,” he explained.
“This is totally a mea culpa; this is just for me. I think my aim’s been off a bit, recently. I want to change it a bit. So tonight, no Britney Spears jokes.”
Many fans have taken to social media to thank Craig for this now infamous moment in late-night TV show history.
