Months following Britney Spears' appeal for privacy due to fans reportedly calling the authorities to her residence, another police wellness check was conducted on the "Toxic" singer in the wake of a recent social media post that garnered negative attention.
On Tuesday, the Grammy-winning pop sensation shared a video on Instagram featuring her dancing and twirling with what appeared to be kitchen knives in each hand. An edited caption for the video clarified, "I started playing in the kitchen with knives today !!! Don’t worry they are NOT real knives !!! Halloween is soon !!!"
The post quickly gained viral status across various social media platforms, causing some users to express concern for Britney's well-being.
According to NBC News, authorities initiated a wellness check on the star due to the escalating concern among fans. An inside source conveyed to the outlet that "this is overblown. [Spears] was expressing her freedom as she continues to do." To be fair to the "Gimme More" singer, such dance videos have been a common sight on her Instagram for years, although the knives were a new addition. In a caption for a subsequent Instagram post on Wednesday—this time without knives—Spears stated, "Lighten up about the knives I’m copying Shakira !!!" This reference was in relation to Shakira's recent Video Vanguard performance at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, during which she incorporated knife dancing.
Captain Dean Worthy of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office told Billboard, "The Sheriff’s Communications Center received a call from the Los Angeles Police Department SMART team — that’s their Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Team — and they asked us if we would go to Ms. Spears’ residence and perform a check for well-being. This was on the heels of a tip they got not from a fan, but from an individual who is close to Miss Spears and knows her on a personal level that asks that we check her."
Captain Worthy continued, "We sent one of our sergeants named Sergeant McConville. He’s worked in that area for years. He knows Ms. Spears from prior encounters at the residence. He responded to the house, went through the first security gate. Upon arriving at the second security gate, he was contacted via the intercom system by [Spears’] head of security, who relayed to Sergeant McConville that that she was absolutely fine, that she did not wish to speak with the officer, or have him come in the house, but he was with her and there was absolutely nothing wrong. Her safety was not in jeopardy, from others or self-harm."
Captain Worthy also highlighted that Spears' attorney deemed this situation "an overreaction for her expressing herself on social media." After corroborating with "two independent people that closely know [Spears]" and confirming her sound mental state, "we did our due diligence to check her well-being and we did not believe that she was in any harm whatsoever," Worthy concluded.
This incident evokes memories of a similar occurrence in January. Following the deletion of her Instagram page, concerned fans alerted the police to her home, leading to the determination that nothing was amiss. In response to the impromptu police visit, Britney wrote in a note, "This felt like I was being gaslit and bullied once the incident made it to the news and being portrayed once again in a poor and unfair light by the media. During this time in my life, I truly hope the public and my fans who I care so much about can respect my privacy moving forward. All the love, B."
This recent interaction with law enforcement comes after Britney Spears parted ways with husband Sam Asghari, who filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Despite the tumultuous events, Spears has remained active in the music scene this year. In July, she collaborated with will.i.am on "Mind Your Business," which reached No. 8 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. Additionally, her 2002 film "Crossroads" is set to be re-released in theaters for two days only: October 25th and 28th.
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