MadameNoire
Source: Denise Truscello/Getty; Jason Merritt/Getty / Getty
In the aftermath of actor Columbus Short claiming Britney Spears’ parents had referred to him as a racial slur during a fling he and the singer had back in 2003, Britney’s parents have now responded.
If you recall, Short wrote about his brief entanglement with Britney in his 2020 autobiography, Short Stories. In the book, Short claimed that while working as a backup dancer for the singer — after being pursued by Britney for some time — the two shared an intimate night together while on a trip in Rome. After their hookup, his book recalled Britney crying on the phone while speaking with her parents, and Short overhearing them ask her on the phone, “Why are you f*cking that n*gger?” After doing an interview with Inside Hollywood recently where he spoke on the situation further, the whole story made headlines last week. Even though Short never detailed whether it was Britney’s mother or father who had said the slur, Page Six shared information surrounding how each of the singer’s parents have addressed the allegation.
“I want to be very clear,” Lynne Spears, Britney’s mother, said to the outlet in a statement. “Those terrible words are not remotely in my vocabulary. I would never say that to anyone, much less my daughter. Ever.”
Relatedly, the publication additionally reported that a source close to the singer’s father, Jamie Spears, said on his behalf, “Jamie was not there, and not involved. In fact, during this time period, Jamie was not involved in Britney’s business at all.”
Even though Short’s anecdote is a serious claim, he told Inside Hollywood that he didn’t hold any malice towards Britney then or now. Speaking on the incident, he told the host, “I wasn’t shocked when it happened — look where they’re from…. Like that’s how they speak. I wasn’t shocked, and I wasn’t hurt by it, I was just like, ‘Wow, this is — wow. Okay, I know who I am around here.’ It was a very interesting thing.”
Overall, despite whether Short’s claim against her parents is true or not, it seems like the actor is still willing to have the singer’s back. Speaking on Britney in particular, the Scandal star added in his recent interview, “I think she is a really sweet person that was tormented — in a position on a high level that I can’t imagine. I liken it to Princess Diana. She was the pop princess of the world… She was trying to find something — trying to find her way.”
