Britney Spears slammed Halsey for portraying her as a “heartless, superficial pop star.” Their new “Lucky” music video — and quickly got it all back.
Following Halsey (who uses she/they pronouns) Music video releasedSpears has threatened legal action against X.
“For obvious reasons, I am extremely upset by Halsey’s video,” Spears, 42, wrote on Friday night. “I feel harassed, violated and bullied.”
“I never thought that an artist like her, someone I respect and admire, would portray me in such an ignorant way, as a superficial pop star with no heart or interest whatsoever,” she continued.
Spears said she deleted Instagram because she is currently experiencing “health challenges,” but she plans to return to the platform to show she “cares.”[s].”
“I’m speaking with my lawyer today about what can be done about this,” she concluded. “It feels illegal and just downright cruel.”
However, just minutes after posting her scathing comment, she quickly deleted it and claimed someone else had written it.
“Fake news!!! That was not me on the phone!!!” She then shared on X“I deleted it because I love Halsey 🌹!!!”
In the music video in question, Halsey, 29, plays a pop star who looks like Spears and even dons the famous crystal-covered “Toxic” bodysuit worn by Spears.
To the general public, Halsey’s character is known as a successful singer that little girls dream of one day being like.
But behind closed doors, they’ve been having relationship problems and undisclosed health issues, which are similar to the “Without You” singer’s real-life situation.
Halsey recently revealed that she’d been diagnosed with lupus, a rare T-cell disease, and at the time shared photos of her receiving IV treatments that closely resemble the footage in the video.
“I shaved my head four times ’cause I wanted to / And then I shaved it one more time because I felt bad,” they sing on the song, which samples Spears’ 2000 hit of the same name.
“I left the doctor’s office with tears in my eyes/I became a single mom at the premiere/And told everyone I was fine for a whole year/That’s the biggest lie of my career.”
Representatives for Halsey and Spears did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
It’s unclear what part of the video Spears took issue with, but many fans suggested she was unaware of the “Closer” singer’s health issues and misunderstood the message.
“Did she see the video? It’s about how Halsey is a star but she’s not that different from a girl,” one X user said. I have written“Is she referring to the line ‘I shaved my head four times’? That was about Halsey shaving her head because of cancer, but maybe Britney took it as a sarcastic remark towards her.”
“That’s a huge misconception because the music video is about Halsey and her battle with leukemia,” said another. Added.
“I can understand why Britney might see it as ‘ironic’ or feel exploitative,” a third person said. Added.
“While there is certainly a reference to Britney and her likeness, I don’t think @halsey meant any ill will. This misunderstanding could have been avoided by explaining/showing the MV to her. Someone should fix this.”
Halsey previously Tweeted He personally approved Spears’ request to sample “Lucky.”
“I wrote her the longest, most emotional letter ever. She was so sweet,” they recalled.
