John Mayer is the latest music artist to share his reaction to the documentary Framing Britney Spears, which premieres in Canada on Friday on Crave.
"I almost cried five times,” the singer told Andy Cohen. "To see the sadness in this human being... I mean, I was on the edge of tears five times, because if you understand what this business/industry/lifestyle does to a person…
“To go through this and come out the other side OK, is to have infinite grace for those who struggle with it.”
Framing Britney Spears, directed by Samantha Stark, examines the pop star’s rise to superstar status and the mental health breakdown that led to the court-approved conservatorship she has been under since 2008.
Mayer opined that what Spears went through is different from what a male artist would have.
“I have a very strong feeling that a lot of these things that happen to female performers is endemic to being female,” he explained. “So I watched it with such grace for someone who got much more maligned by the inhuman experiment of fame than I did. And I go, ‘Why did I get through that? Why did I find my way through that obstacle course? What was afforded to me stylistically?’ The stylistic difference of being an outlaw.
“If you're a man, you're an outlaw. If you're a woman, you're kind of crazy. And when I watched that through that lens, my heart just ached the whole time.”
MORE: Framing Britney Spears Arrives In Canada
Following the documentary’s U.S. debut, music stars were among those sharing reactions on social media.
“Never has one person been so used and abandoned by every facet around her,” Kacey Musgraves wrote in an Instagram Story. “My heart goes out to her … Wish she could get a re-do.”
Paramore singer Hayley Williams opined: “No artist today would have to endure the literal torture that media/society/utter misogynists inflicted upon her. the mental health awareness conversation, culturally, could never be where it is without the awful price she has paid.”
Singer Courtney Love included a broken heart emoji in a tweet in which she shared the message: “We Are Sorry, Britney.”
Liz Phair said Framing Britney Spears “stung.” She tweeted: “A) men controlling finances 10yr+ of a grown woman who earned her own money. Are moms put in charge of adult pop star sons who show erratic behaviour?- no B) ‘90s solidarity: appalling slut shaming when what was happening was taking back the narrative.”
Spears’ ex Justin Timberlake publicly apologized to Spears in response to criticism sparked by the doc, which includes an old clip of Timberlake talking about his relationship with Spears and admitting he hired a lookalike for his 2002 “Cry Me a River” video.
“I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” Timberlake wrote, in a message he shared on social media. “I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears…
“I care deeply about the wellbeing of the people I love and have loved. I can do better and will do better.”
Framing Britney Spears premieres Feb. 26 on Crave, part of the same parent company as this website.