“I would never say that to anyone.”
Lynne Spears says she never referred to Columbus Short as the N-word back in 2003.
In a statement to Page Six, the former school teacher responded to Short’s allegation that the racial slur was used by one of Britney Spears’ parents in a phone conversation he overheard nearly 18 years ago.
“I want to be very clear,” Lynn stated. “Those terrible words are not remotely in my vocabulary. I would never say that to anyone, much less my daughter. Ever.”
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Although Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, hasn’t publicly addressed Short’s claim, a source close to Jamie told Page Six, “Jamie was not there and not involved. In fact, during this time period, Jamie was not involved in Britney’s business at all.”
In his 2020 autobiography, “Short Stories,” Short — who worked with Britney at the time as a dancer and producer — claimed he heard one of the singer’s parents call him the N-word on a phone call shortly after he allegedly slept with Britney while they were in Rome in 2003.
“I was next to [Britney] while she was on the phone with them crying while she had it on speaker,” Short wrote, claiming that he then heard one of her parents ask, “Why are you f——- that n—–?” However, Short didn’t specify if it was Lynne or Jamie who allegedly used the racial slur.
“Britney looked at me so apologetically, knowing I’d heard it,” Short added. “I shook my head and didn’t say anything, because what was there to say?”
The “Scandal” star elaborated on the alleged conversation during a recent appearance on Jazzie Belle’s YouTube show, “Inside Hollywood.”
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“I wasn’t shocked when it happened. Look where they’re from, they’re from Louisiana,” Short said. “The way it came out was so effortless, like that’s how they speak. I wasn’t shocked and I wasn’t hurt by it, I was just like, ‘Wow, this is … OK … I know who I am around here.'”
“Because they have Black bodyguards doesn’t mean behind closed doors they don’t use that word,” Short added, who choreographed Britney’s 2004 Onyx Hotel Tour.
Following the alleged incident, the “Stomp the Yard” actor said he “felt like maybe [Britney] was using [him] to piss them off for some reason.”
“I think she is a really sweet person that was tormented in a position on a high level that I can’t imagine,” Short continued, comparing Britney to Princess Diana. “She was the pop princess. Britney couldn’t go nowhere — her world [was] completely controlled in this bubble. There would be times that she would act out, and I don’t blame her. She was trying to find her way.”
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“I love Britney to this day… I feel bad for her,” he added. “I wish the world knew the Britney I knew.”
This comes amid the ongoing drama surrounding Britney’s conservatorship as the singer’s lawyers continue their efforts to have Jamie removed as co-conservator.
The court-mandated conservatorship — put in place after Britney’s two hospitalizations back in 2008 — came under scrutiny once again with the recent release of the “Framing Britney Spears” documentary. It is also the cornerstone of the #FreeBritney movement, in which fans believe Britney is being controlled against her will.
Britney’s conservatorship was recently extended to September 3, 2021. The next hearing is scheduled for March 17.
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