Perez Hilton has admitted that he ‘regrets’ the way he covered Britney Spears after the release of a new Hulu documentary about her tumultuous time in the spotlight.
The blogger, 42, voiced his guilt over how he handled her 2007 breakdown, insisting that he has grown ‘older and wiser’ since the peak of his career when he appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday.
Framing Britney Spears explores the dark side of the 39-year-old singer’s fame – detailing her emergence as a child star, her mental health issues and her father Jamie’s controversial 13-year conservatorship, which launched the # FreeBritney movement.
‘I regret what I said a lot or most’: Perez Hilton voiced his guilt for reporting Britney Spears when he appeared on Good Morning Britain Monday
After receiving criticism from fans, presenter Charlotte Hawkins asked if the columnist regretted the comments he made about the musician over the years.
“I regret most or most of what I said about Britney, because I’m sure Piers [Morgan] would if he was here about things he has said in the past, ‘said the media personality.
The writer claimed to have grown over the years, adding, “Fortunately, many of us are hopefully getting older and wiser.”
Enraged viewers took to Twitter to respond to the TV star’s previous comments, calling her an ‘unsuitable mother’ and showing T-shirts with the imprint ‘why couldn’t it be Britney?’ on his site when actor Heath Ledger passed away in 2008.
Controversial: The release of a Hulu documentary about the 39-year-old singer’s tumultuous time in the spotlight has sparked debates about her treatment in the media (pictured in 2019)
Troubled Past: Framing Britney Spears explores the dark side of the 39-year-old singer’s fame – detailing her rise as a child star and her mental health issues (pictured in 2007)
Candid: The blogger, 42, shared how he handled her 2007 breakdown and insisted he’s gotten ‘older and wiser’ since the peak of his career
They wrote: ‘It went beyond bullying, however. I remember Perez showing and laughing about T-shirts saying, “Why couldn’t it have been Britney?” when Heath Ledger died. That’s more than bullying.
Perez Hilton’s comment about the Britney situation is completely inappropriate when he was the foamy cheerleader.
It’s doubtful this is even a celebrity, but @PerezHilton was trying to sell T-shirts when Heath Ledger died saying ‘Why couldn’t it be Britney? ‘and called her an unsuitable parent.
Serious question … Why hasn’t @PerezHilton been canceled for his s ** t? … PEREZ HILTON owes Britney an apology. WE ARE SORRY BRITNEY.
‘@GMB it makes no sense for everyone to apologize to @britneyspears now that this documentary has been released. This is the problem! I’m just sorry she dealt with so much hate. @PerezHilton was one of the worst! #FreeBritney.
Harsh: Perez (pictured in 2007) previously called the musician an ‘unsuitable mother’ and had tops that read ‘why couldn’t it have been Britney?’ on his site when Heath Ledger died
‘It went beyond bullying’: enraged viewers took to Twitter to address the TV star’s previous comments
‘I remember going to Perez Hilton every day. But when the Britney stories became videos of her crying outside her house pleading paparazzi to leave her alone, I stopped visiting the site.
‘I had been about 17/18 and thought magazines and blogs were destroying her! It’s not enough to hold Justin Timberlake responsible for continuing Britney Spears’ story as a cheating girlfriend he deflowered …
“But let’s not forget how awful Perez Hilton was for Britney during her 2007 meltdown. Because he ridiculed her relentlessly.” (sic)
Elsewhere in the interview, the TV star defended journalist Diane Sawyer after being accused of ‘sl ** – shaming’ of the artist.
Perez – real name Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. – said: ‘Someone who was briefly mentioned in this documentary, Diane Sawyer – a respected journalist, a good woman, but many people portray her as a bad guy.
Accusation: Numerous viewers have accused 40-year-old Justin Timberlake of tarnishing the blonde’s image following their split in 2002 (pictured in 2001)
Cut: Viewers called Diane Sawyer, 75, a ‘sl ** – shamer’ for her interview with the artist, in which she questioned her about the breakup and her ‘revealing’ clothes’ (pictured in 2019)
‘I think a lot of fans and people just want to blame this person and that person, but it’s not that simple. There are real, mental health problems at Britney Spears.
‘We have to hold up a mirror to ourselves because I look back, just like last year, Kanye West had several [mental health breakdowns]Last year, people didn’t turn towards Kanye West with compassion. ‘
Britney divorced fellow songwriter Justin Timberlake in 2002 after a three-year relationship, and accused his ex of cheating on him when he released his hit song Cry Me A River.
And while the Mississippi resident continued to publicly insist that she was still a virgin, Justin suggested otherwise in post-breakup interviews.
Britney was widely seen as the one responsible for the split, and interviewer Diane, 75, took an accusatory tone during a previous discussion, asking her, “What did you do?”
In 2003, Britney sat down for an interview with Diane – who played a clip of Maryland’s First Lady Kendall Erlich and metaphorically said that ‘if I had a chance to shoot Britney Spears, I would,’ a comment for which she later apologized.
The veteran broadcaster seemed to gently justify the harsh and shocking statement – which was made in response to Britney wearing ‘revealing’ clothes, which have been cited as a bad influence on children.
MailOnline recently reached out to representatives for Justin and Diane for comment.
Justin, 40, apologized to his ex-girlfriend on Instagram earlier this month, 19 years after publicly blaming her for their breakup and using his ‘heartbreak’ to promote his music.
In the lengthy post, the Rock Your Body hitmaker said, “I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson, both separately, because I care about and respect these women and I know I’ve failed.”
Legal issues: Britney is embroiled in a legal battle to remove her father Jamie as her curator – a role he’s had since 2008 following her infamous collapse