Britney Spears’ downward spiral continues post-conservatorship
A judge ended Britney Spears’s infamous conservatorship in November 2021. Since then, Britney has been making lots of news. Unfortunately, the news has been all bad. That’s because much of it has been about Britney instigating nasty spats with her own family, especially her sister and mother.
Indeed, the “free Britney” fans who championed her cause must be having crusaders’ remorse. After all, she seems trapped in a cycle of controversial and worrying incidents that do not bode well for her welfare.
But some of us warned it would be thus. Indeed, the helter-skelter dancing videos and OnlyFans images she keeps posting on social media seem like unwitting cries for help. Sure enough, some fans are calling for a new intervention to help Britney get back on track (or back in conservatorship).
Britney’s Brush with Wembanyama: PR Nightmare for both
Unsurprisingly, Britney made news again on Wednesday. And, again, it wasn’t good. Except that this incident involved NBA draft sensation Victor Wembanyama.
As Wembanyama tells it, putative superstar Britney acted like a crazed fan when she grabbed him for a selfie. That caused his bodyguard to slap Spears, knocking her to the ground. And that scene played out in, of all places, Las Vegas, where Britney was once a headliner. The irony is almost too rich and sad for words.
But Britney is not the only one who comes off looking bad. Because you’d think Wembanyama would be expressing nothing but regret over this incident. Instead, he seems interested only in clarifying that he was unaware of all the commotion happening “down there.”
Of course, at 7’4,” that’s understandable in the moment. But, even a day later, he had yet to offer the simple apology Britney requested.
In any event, kudos to Spears’ husband, Sam Asghari. He rightly condemned the incident and the bodyguard. But he also blamed the San Antonio Spurs for hiring such an unprofessional bodyguard for Wembanyama.
After all, this bodyguard overreacted. It’s bad enough that he failed to recognize Britney. But a professional bodyguard should be able to manage fans and crowd control without resorting to physical violence. A firm “back off!” would have sufficed in this case.
Britney has filed a police report. Not because she was hurt, mind you. Her wounded pride left her no choice.
A PR lesson Wembanyama should learn
Wembanyama’s handlers should make a public show of firing this bodyguard. They should also make a public show of having Wembanyama apologize to Britney. After all, the takeaway now is that his bodyguard will backhand slap any fan who gets too close. But they want it to be how much Wembanyama respects and appreciates all fans.
Everyone understands that his fame requires him to have bodyguards, especially with fans grabbing at him. But that should never require them to assault eager fans the way this bodyguard assaulted Britney.
As things stand, Wembanyama has given the impression that he’s happy to keep his head in the clouds when fans are rushing to meet and greet him. But his brand should be that, despite his height, he’s still down to earth.
Accordingly, Wembanyama should hasten to assure fans that he won’t allow his bodyguards to mistreat, let alone assault, them. He is the biggest celebrity in the world of sports today. He’s certainly the tallest. So he’ll be the most watched and scrutinized, naturally.
That’s why it behooves him to learn from this incident and ensure that everyone around him does too.