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Perez Hilton has defended speaking publicly about Britney Spears' wellbeing, saying "knowing that word is getting out could... be a good thing."
The celebrity blogger has posted several Instagram videos about the singer's current status, saying it was "very bad."
It comes as fans circulate conspiracy theories such as she's having a mental health crisis, could be dead, has been replaced with a clone and even that those closest to her have edited her into social media posts as a cover for what's happening.
Hilton—whose given name is Mario Lavandeira Jr.—has claimed he has been told what is actually happening to Spears by a friend who he knows "in real life that I trust, that I respect, that works in the industry."
He has now told Newsweek he believed speaking out on behalf of the singer is what she should want.
"I think being mindful with my reporting is a positive. I think Britney and those around her knowing that word is getting out could also be a good thing," Hilton explained.
In one of the videos, he said: "Britney Spears fans have been sharing a lot of theories because we have not seen her in public in a long time. I just dismissed a lot of these theories as silly talk.
"However, I just spoke to a friend of mine, somebody that I know in real life that I trust, that I respect, that works in the industry. That is a professional somebody that I hadn't spoken to in a while, who's very plugged in. We spoke about Britney and my friend shared what they claim is going on. And I believe my friend."
Hilton continued: "Why am I making this video? First of all, for many reasons, I'm not going to repeat what my friend told me... but my friend did share that things are bad."
Hilton told Newsweek, "I hope" Spears would pull through the mysterious situation she finds herself in and admitted his past attitude towards her was wrong.
"I am a lot older now and have realized how wrong I was in the past and have much more empathy in the present," Hilton said.
The blogger had long mocked Spears, especially during her public mental crisis in the mid-aughts.
But he changed his tune years later and was one of many of people called for the end to her 13-year long conservatorship.
The singer was placed in the legal conservatorship by her father Jamie Spears and then lawyer, claiming she was not mentally fit to make decisions for herself.
Since 2008 until it ended in 2021, Spears had no control over finances, medical decisions and career. She has since described the situation as abusive and even claimed her father allegedly was trying to kill her.
Prior to the conservatorship, Hilton was known to be very critical of Spears, including scrawling "I miss rehab" and "loser" over photos of the star, among other criticism.
Despite backtracking on his stance, Hilton has kept those posts on his site, as a "reminder and a warning" to readers, he told Newsweek in 2021.
"I have removed posts before that celebrities have reached out and said, 'That article caused me pain.' Or their reps have reached out," he explained.
"But, typically, I have left my past awfulness up to speak for itself and serve as a reminder and a warning. I am ashamed of my past but I'm not trying to scrub it from the internet or pretend it never existed.
"If I keep all my old posts up, I'm criticized. If I take them down, I'm criticized. I'm genuinely sorry for my behavior over a decade ago and I think my change and growth is obvious. I know I'm a different and better person today."
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more