Britney Spears Goes off on Diane Sawyer About Infamous 2003 Interview

Britney Spears published a lengthy statement on Instagram Monday, taking aim at Diane Sawyer over her infamous 2003 interview with the pop star. Spears also said she “hated” her last touring schedule and might never perform on the road again. The post came a month after Spears’ 13-year conservatorship finally ended. Spears later deleted the post, although PEOPLE published screenshots of her comments.

In the post, Spears said her manager allowed Sawyer to do the interview, which included a surprising question about Spears’ shopping habits. “When did I have a problem with shopping??? When I never left my apartment??? Something I never shared when I had that big breakup years ago was that I couldn’t talk afterwards… I never spoke to anyone for a very long time… I was in shock,” she wrote, referring to her split from Justin Timberlake.

View on X

Spears called it “pretty lame” that her father Jamie Spears and three other men showed up at her door when she could “hardly speak.” Two days later, “they put Diane Sawyer in my living room… They forced me to talk!!! I was a baby… I was almost 22 and didn’t understand… bit I f-ing know now!!!” At this point, Spears included an emoji flipping the middle finger.

“She said ‘a woman or a girl’… I would like to stay now, ‘Ma’am, I’m a Catholic slut!!!’” Spears continued, referring to one of the questions Sawyer asked her. “‘You wanna join me at a mass and I can serve your husband my certificate on shopping for anonymous players???’ I should spend a thousand dollars if I want every day of my life and she can kiss my white a-.”

Earlier in her post, Spears also made it clear that she really doesn’t want to tour again. In the early days of her career, touring was “great,” she wrote, but she was quickly tired out by the constant performing. “I don’t think I ever want to do it again!!! I hated it!!!” she wrote.

Spears is also “embarrassed” for her own family because they condoned her conservatorship, which she claimed included keeping her from carrying cash. She was also “embarrassed” for the State of California for allowing her father Jamie to continue pushing her work when she didn’t want to and keeping revenue for himself. “I’m embarrassed for all of them and I’m sad for them because I know by value and worth now… and they LOST ME!!!” she wrote, before wishing her fans a “wonderful” Christmas.

Spears’ conservatorship came to an end during a November hearing. The conservatorship was established in 2008 to oversee her life and finances and came under increased public scrutiny this year, especially after Spears took the stand and accused her father of abusing his powers as conservator. Although Jamie denied wrongdoing, he asked the court to consider terminating the conservatorship in September. Spears’ last major ended in 2018 and she has not released a new album since Glory was released in 2016. Her most recent single, “Matches,” was released in December 2020 but was recorded three years earlier.