Are Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera Friends? Inside Their Complicated History of Feuding

Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera met as cast members on the set of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club in the early ‘90s. Though they initially had a friendship, the singers were often pitted against each other as they became pop icons in the early 2000s, which led to a feud. Were Britney and Christina able to bury the hatchet as the years went by?

Why Were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera Feuding?

The pop stars were considered chart rivals as they entered the music scene — Christina with “Reflection” in 1998 and Britney with “...Baby One More Time” in 1999. However, their personal feud didn’t begin until 2003 when Britney, Christina and Madonna performed at the VMAs. Both Britney and Christina kissed Madonna on stage, but Britney’s kiss received more attention as the cameras cut to the reaction of her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake.

"I definitely saw the newspaper the next day. It was like, 'Oh, well, I guess I got left out of that one,’” Christina recalled in a 2018 interview with Andy Cohen.

The feud got heated when, later in 2003, Christina told Blender that Britney seemed like a “lost little girl” during their VMAs rehearsals. In response, Britney told the same publication months later that she “couldn’t believe” Christina said that and claimed the “Genie in a Bottle” singer accused her of not “being real” with her when they ran into each other at a club.

In 2004, Christina told Us Weekly that Britney was “not trailer trash, but she sure acts that way."

Are Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera Friends?

Britney and Christina’s feud cooled off in 2005 when a blog post on the “Toxic” singer’s website claimed she would have “loved” to be “close with Christina again.” The post also revealed that Britney had written a letter to Christina letting her know “how happy and beautiful” she looked.

Christina later apologized for her earlier comments about Britney in 2008, telling The Daily Mail, "When we both started releasing records, it was a funny time for me. It must have seemed as if we were competing with each other, but, in reality, Britney is someone that I used to hold hands with. We were silly little girls together on the Mickey Mouse Club. What a journey it has been for both of us!"

Though the singers never seemed to return to the same friendship they had as kids, Christina continued to support Britney in the following years. The former The Voice judge welcomed Britney to the reality TV competition world when she became a judge on The X Factor in 2012.

Additionally, she voiced support for Britney as the “Gimme More” singer’s 13-year conservatorship came to an end in 2021. Britney called out Christina on social media for not speaking up sooner, but Christina later doubled down on her support and said she’d “love” to talk to her again.

"I would always be open to that," she said on The Enrique Santos Show in January 2022. "It’s a subject that I definitely want to be careful of because I never want to speak out of turn about somebody that I have so much respect and admiration for. But, I’m so happy [for her]."

Why Did Christina Unfollow Britney on Instagram?

However, Christina unfollowed Britney on Instagram in September that year after the “Criminal” hitmaker compared their weights, writing that she “would have looked extremely small” if she had Christina’s dancers back in the day. Britney walked back her comment the next day.

"By no means was I being critical of Christina’s beautiful body, it is what it is !!!" she wrote on the social media platform. "I flew to see her show once and the main thing I noticed was the difference of our people on stage !!! By no means did I even mention Christina, look at my post !!! I was inspired by her show and she is a beautiful woman of power … Thank you @xtina for inspiring me !!!"

Britney continued, "To be honest, I’m not trying to be critical of anybody. What I posted is a projection of the insecurities I deal with all the time as a result of how my parents and the media have treated me … I would never intentionally body shame anybody because I know what it feels like.”

Christina Responded to Britney’s Memoir

On October 17, 2023, Christina responded to Britney’s memoir, which is set for release on October 24. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the “Dirrty” singer said she didn’t know if she would be mentioned in the book.

"Am I hoping? I'm hoping that everything is all good with her and everything's beautiful," she added. "I think the future should be celebrated."