Britney Spears apologizes to Alexa Nikolas over ‘traumatizing’ encounter
Don’t hold it against her.
Britney Spears apologized for once yelling at Alexa Nikolas after the “Zoey 101” alum shared that the incident with the singer was “traumatizing.”
“Although I have apologized to you personally just by ‘instinct’ my heart at the time didn’t know how incredibly good my family was with the ACTING LANGUAGE!!!” Spears wrote in a lengthy post to Twitter on Thursday.
Spears explained that she was visiting her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, on the set of “Zoey 101” when she was nine months pregnant with “hormones raging like hell.” The singer, 40, said her sister ran to her in tears and claimed she was being bullied, so she stood up for her when their mom was “silent.”
“My sister was literally like my daughter growing up…so I apologize for my ignorance for yelling at you when I obviously had no idea what was really going on !!!” Britney wrote, adding, “Jesus Christ…I was pregnant and let’s be HONEST all these moms and dads…’THE WATCHFUL WHITE OWLS’ who hide behind the scenes observing their child stars..referring to my mother who should have immediately stepped in and took over the situation…and I told my 9 month pregnant self to sit down, relax and have a Sprinkles cupcake.”
Britney also shared that she was inspired by Nikolas for coming forward about Nickelodeon’s toxic environment, referencing her own struggles with her conservatorship, which came to an end in November 2021.
“What was done to me is frankly beyond it all…the way you spoke gave me strength and inspiration but I do write you this message today because I am sorry for ever hurting your feelings!!! You should tell Nickelodeon to kiss your ass!!!” Britney said.
Nikolas responded by accepting Britney’s heartfelt apology, telling the pop star she loves her.
“Love you so much. Seriously I’m crying. Thank you. SO much,” Nikolas tweeted back. “This type of kindness right now is making me melt. You deserve the best in this world. You are my biggest inspiration and honestly always have been. ❤️❤️❤️❤️”
This week, Nikolas recounted the “traumatizing” encounter where Nickelodeon staffers told her she was going into hair and makeup when really they brought her to Britney who proceeded to yell at her for allegedly bullying her younger sister.
“It wasn’t OK because I was a 12, 13-year-old. But in retrospect, knowing the dynamic that was in place for her, I think, of course, that’s what ended up happening,” Nikolas said on Tuesday’s episode of Christy Carlson Romano’s “Vulnerable” podcast. “And I think, like, oh my God, poor Britney. She is in a horrible situation there.”
“Nikolas continued, “And she was like eight months pregnant, so she was hormonal, too,” she added. “And I remember she was rubbing her belly while she was yelling, and it was like she was trying to calm herself. And you could just tell, it was very unhinged in a way that felt… like someone was manipulating her.”
The child actress recalled feeling unsafe and unprotected yet she was forced to calm down and continued shooting.
“I remember looking around and going, ‘Wow, nobody cares about what’s happening to me,” she had said. “I don’t feel protected, and I don’t feel safe. I’m scared, and now I have to go back on set and pretend that nothing happened and have to be around those who did it to me.”
In August, Nikolas, now 30, protested Nickelodeon’s “unsafe” work environment. She also claimed Nickelodeon exec, Dan Schneider, would sit in on her costume fittings, among other accusations of inappropriate behavior.
Nikolas’ protest came after “iCarly” star Jennette McCurdy, came forward about her own abuse she experienced from the network in her bombshell memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died.”
