Britney Spears asks fans to respect her privacy after police welfare check: 'Things went a little too far'
Britney Spears broke her silence two days after police were called to her house for a welfare check by concerned fans. In a statement on Thursday, the 41-year-old singer pleaded with fans and media to respect her privacy.
"I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded," Spears wrote, saying police responded to "some prank phone calls."
"The police never entered my home and when they came to my gate they quickly realized there was no issue and left immediately," the pop star continued. "This felt like I was being gaslit and bullied once the incident made it to the news and being portrayed once again in a poor and unfair light by the media. During this time in my life, I truly hope the public and my fans who I care so much about can respect my privacy moving forward. All the love, B."
— Britney Spears ???? (@britneyspears) January 26, 2023
The Ventura County Sheriff's Office went to Spears's home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. on Tuesday night as some fans apparently worried for her safety. Concern among her loyal supporters arose after the "Toxic" singer's Instagram account disappeared. Before deactivating her account, Spears purportedly said in a now-deleted post, "I changed my name to River Red." Some people believed that was a code word for help.
Spears's Instagram has worried some in recent weeks. The social media posts coincided with a TMZ report claiming the entertainer acted erratically at a restaurant. The gossip site posted a video claiming Spears was speaking gibberish and that her husband, Sam Asghari, stormed out. Asghari strongly denied any "manic episode" occurred to TMZ. An employee at the restaurant also apparently told a fan account the report was inaccurate.
Spears was freed from her conservatorship in 2021 after claiming she was suffering conservatorship abuse. The singer's fans were instrumental in orchestrating the #FreeBritney movement which garnered worldwide attention amid her battle against father Jamie Spears.
