Update 1/26/23: Following reports of fans calling the police on Britney Spears, the singer has issued a statement on her social media accounts confirming that the wellness check was conducted, her "privacy was invaded" and that the police quickly realized she was not in danger. "This felt like I was being gaslit and bullied once the incident made it to the news," Spears said. She is asking for her privacy to be respected at the time.
Below, read her complete statement and keep reading for PAPER's original report.
\u201chttps://t.co/EkhHrLwrgf\u201d— Britney Spears \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80 (@Britney Spears \ud83c\udf39\ud83d\ude80) 1674764194
Original 1/25/23:Britney Spears deleted her Instagram account, her main communication outlet. While this is a normal thing for most people to do, her fans called the police to conduct a wellness check.
According to TMZ, fans began calling the Ventura County Sheriff's office around 11PM on Tuesday night requesting a wellness check. Authorities visited her home and determined she was safe, although it's unclear if they spoke to her or if someone else said she was safe on her behalf. The incident reportedly was sparked by Spears posting a photo of a Porsche 911 on her Instagram, which some took as a code for her being in danger.
Despite being freed from her conservatorship, fans have been worried about Spears' well-being due to erratic and long-winded Instagram captions, which some believe to be indicative of her mental state. She recently announced she is changing her name to "River Red" and also posted a dancing video with the caption, "Sharing because I matter and if every person I call TAKES 9 RINGS TO ANSWER you can be certain I might get someone’s attention … all that LOVE !!! GOOD GOD RIGHT BACK AT YA !!! I bet after I post this my security answers after 2 RINGS."
In a recent video taken of Spears without her permission, she is talking to waitstaff in a restaurant and covers her face with the menu. Several outlets said she was acting "erratic" and caused her husband to walk out on her. Spears addressed the video humorously on his account shortly after, joking about pasta.
Spears is still dealing with the remaining concern of the #FreeBritney movement that began in 2020. She was placed under a conservatorship which allowed her father and attorney to control her career and finances after she was held in an involuntary psychiatric hold in 2008. The temporary agreement was eventually made permanent, sparking controversy and a worldwide social movement to reinstate her autonomy.
Since then, Spears' social media behavior has been a cause for concern as she's posted increasingly riskier photos and sometimes nonsensical captions.
Most recently, she responded to claims made by ex-husband Kevin Federline that her children were distancing themselves from her. "As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone," she said in an Instagram caption. "It concerns me the reason is based on my Instagram. It was long before Instagram."
Photos courtesy of Jon Kopaloff