Diane Sawyer is facing a negative reaction to a 2003 interview she gave to Britney Spears after she was featured in a documentary about the pop star.
The “Toxic” singer is the subject of an unauthorized documentary entitled “The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears”, which investigates the way the media treated her during her early days of fame, as well as her ongoing battle for guardianship with your father.
In one part of the documentary, images of Sawyer’s interview with “ABC Primetime Thursday” are used. At the time, it was heralded as a “barrier-free” look at the singer’s personal life amid her public separation from fellow pop star Justin Timberlake.
People in the documentary observe how the media portrayed Spears as the heartbreaker in the celebrity separation story and used Sawyer’s interview to demonstrate that point.
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“He went on television and practically said you broke his heart,” Sawyer told the 22-year-old singer at the time. “You did something that caused you so much pain, so much suffering … What did you do?”
Diane Sawyer is being questioned in a 2003 interview, featured in Britney Spears’ new documentation.
(Getty Images)
In another part of the interview, Sawyer also asked the star about a death threat he received from former Maryland first lady Kendel Ehrlich, who said during a conference on domestic violence at the time that he would shoot Spears if he had the chance.
“Oh, this sucks,” says Spears. “This is very bad.”
“Because of the example for children and how difficult it is to be a parent,” said Sawyer, apparently defending Ehrlich’s comments.
“Well, it’s very sad that she said that. Ew,” Spears replies. “I’m not here to, you know, look after her children.”
The part of the documentary ends with Spears crying and asking to interrupt the interview after Sawyer asks her about having a particularly difficult year.
Years later, after being painted in a new light for many by the documentary, people are turning to social media to call Sawyer for the interview.
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“Watching Framing Britney Spears and I just want to say that I wonder how Diane Sawyer sleeps at night,” one person wrote.
“The paparazzi, the misogyny, the media and the shame of sluts broke Britney Spears. Everyone involved, from Diane Sawyer to Justin Timberlake and night presenters, should be ashamed,” someone else wrote.
“Diane Sawyer owes Britney Spears a thousand apologies,” a third user observed.
“wow, I want an apology from Diane Sawyer to Britney EXPRESSLY !!!!” someone else wrote.
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“There’s a lot to discuss in this Britney Spears doctor, but it seems like a lot more time needs to be devoted to the part where a politician’s wife says Britney should be TAKEN OUT for the way she dresses and the respected journalist Diane Sawyer says’ well , she is a concerned mother, ‘” added another.
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ABC representatives did not immediately respond to Fox News’s request for comment.