"I wish I could delete it but I can't," she said. "But you are posting it for people to see. So r u trying to be kind or right?"
Sarah Silverman has responded to backlash over a resurfaced video of her roasting Britney Spears back in 2007.
In the wake of the documentary "Framing Britney Spears," fans have been reenergized in calling out mistreatment of the pop star over the years; Now Silverman's speech at the MTV Music Video Awards from over a decade ago has been thrust in the spotlight as an example of it.
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View StoryIn the clip, the comedian takes the stage after Spears' opened the show with her infamously-panned performance of "Gimme More."
"25 years old and she's already accomplished everything she's going to accomplish in her life," said Silverman at the time. "It's mind-blowing. And she's so grown-up. She's a mother, you know? It's crazy. It's weird to think that just a few years ago on this very show, she was this, like, sweet, innocent little girl in slutty clothes riding around with a python."
The camera then cuts to stars such as Adam Levine and Jamie Foxx laughing in the audience. At the time, Britney had just finished a highly-publicized stint in a rehab facility and was in the midst of a custody battle with ex Kevin Federline over sons Sean Preston and Jayden.
"Have you seen Britney's kids?" Silverman continued at the awards show. "Oh my god, they are the most adorable mistakes you will ever see."
She then referenced Britney's anatomy to end the bit.
um @SarahKSilverman girl what is this explain yourself x https://t.co/7I2na4tk6a
— joshua (@joshcharles_21) February 7, 2021 @joshcharles_21
In a Twitter reply to a Britney fan posting the resurfaced clip, Silverman wrote, "MTV asked me to mini-roast Britney after her big performance. While she was performing I was having diarrhea & going over my jokes. Had no idea she didn't kill. Unfortunate. Art changes over yrs as we know more & the world changes."
"I wish I could delete it but I can't," she said in a follow-up post. "But you are posting it for people to see. So r u trying to be kind or right?"
The "Saturday Night Live" vet did receive some backlash days after the event as well.
"The joke that everyone was upset about -- me calling the kids 'adorable mistakes' -- was the most innocuous joke," Silverman told Us Weekly at the time. "It never occurred to me that would be deemed hurtful or over the line. I don't want to get into feuds with girls half my age. I'm in it to be funny and not for the drama. It's embarrassing."
I wish I could delete it but I can’t. But you are posting it for people to see. So r u trying to be kind or right?
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) February 8, 2021 @SarahKSilverman
Fans have been calling out other celebrities too after the debut of "Framing Britney Spears" on Friday.
Justin Timberlake was criticized for the narrative around his breakup with Britney, while Diane Sawyer found herself in the hot seat after a resurfaced interview from 2003 revealed she grilled the singer over her role in the breakup and how she sets an example for children.
"You broke his heart. You did something that caused him so much pain, so much suffering. What did you do?" Sawyer asked Britney, who was 22 at the time.
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View StoryThe veteran TV host then appeared to defend Maryland's first lady who said she would like to shoot the hitmaker for being a bad influence.
With Britney rightfully shocked at the revelation, Sawyer said, "It's because of the example for kids and how hard it is to be a parent."
Meanwhile, Craig Ferguson received praise for refusing to mock Britney amid her public breakdown in a resurfaced 2007 monologue from "The Late Late Show."