Craig Ferguson may be no Chris Crocker, but the Peabody-winning television host recently went viral for defending Britney Spears during an opening monologue from 2007.
In the old Late Late Show clip, Ferguson asks for sympathy and understanding for the pop singer as she publicly went through a rough patch. From shaving her head to checking into rehab, the “Toxic” singer became the subject of jokes and grabby headlines for all forms of media.
“I’m starting to feel uncomfortable making fun of these people,” he said. “Comedy should have a certain amount of joy in it. It should be about us attacking the powerful people, attacking the politicians and the Trumps and the blowhards, going after them. We shouldn’t be attacking the vulnerable people.”
Ferguson continues: “I think my aim’s been off a bit and I want to change it. So tonight no Britney Spears jokes. This woman has two kids. She’s 25 years old. She’s a baby herself. She’s a baby.”
Twitter user @BritneyHiatus shared the clip on the social media platform on Monday, which then went viral. They captioned the video, “Never forget when Craig Ferguson refused to make fun of Britney.”
The resurfacing of Ferguson’s speech comes as fans voice their support for the singer, who is currently battling to free herself from court-imposed conservatorship, with the #FreeBritney movement. The video also went viral after a new doc about the singer, titled The New York Times Presents Framing Britney Spears, debuted on Hulu and Fox on Feb. 5.
See Ferguson’s monologue below.
Never forget when Craig Ferguson refused to make fun of Britney Spears. pic.twitter.com/r8AuiNPW0L
— Britney Fan 🌹 (@BritneyHiatus) February 9, 2021