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Rachel Zegler ‘so sorry’ for dramatic reading of Britney Spears row with sister Jamie Lynn

‘West Side Story’ star received criticism for appearing to make light of the row between Spears and her sister

Roisin O'Connor
Tuesday 18 January 2022 09:42 GMT
Jamie Lynn Spears gets tearful as she discusses Britney on Good Morning America

Rachel Zegler has apologised after receiving criticism for her dramatic reading of the ongoing feud between Britney Spears and her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears.

Over the past few weeks, the pop star and her estranged sibling have posted a series of messages to each other over Twitter and Instagram, each accusing the other of making false claims about their behaviour.

Jamie Lynn is currently promoting her new memoir, Things I Should Have Said, with Britney taking exception to remarks her sister made in a recent interview.

This week, Zegler shared a dramatic reading of one of Britney’s messages to her sister, delivered as if she were auditioning for a film role.

The message parodied by the 20-year-old West Side Story star included a comment where Britney denied Jamie Lynn’s allegation that she locked her younger sister in a room with her while holding a knife.

“Taking Britney’s trauma and turning it into a self-tape is weird ass behaviour,” one fan of the pop star tweeted.

“How do you see a person relive their trauma in public and your first thought is to treat it like a script for a fake audition?” another asked.

“Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Britney and am rooting for her always,” Zegler wrote in an apology posted to Twitter on 17 January.

“While I meant no disrespect whatsoever, I should have thought about how this could be perceived, and I’m so sorry for upsetting or disappointing anyone.”

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She added: “This is not a situation to be taken lightly, and we should all be lifting Britney up in this pivotal time. Thanks for hearing me out, and a big thank you to all who held me accountable.”

Zegler is scheduled to appear on The Graham Norton Show on Friday 21 January.

Britney’s most recent post on 15 January appeared to suggest that she hopes to reconcile with her sister.

Writing that she believed Jamie Lynn when she said her book is “not about” Britney, the pop star said she loves her sister “unconditionally” and that she deserves “a beautiful life”.

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