There was a terrible incident involving Britney Spears this week. Britney was in Las Vegas, at the Aria Hotel. She saw San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama at the hotel, with his security. Britney decided to go up to Victor and ask him for a photo. She walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder (that’s her version) and one of Victor’s security guys backhanded her in the face. Britney has filed a police report and both she and Victor issued statements on Thursday:
Recent No. 1 overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama has already reached his first NBA drama, and it involves Britney Spears. The San Antonio Spurs phenom confirmed that he was involved in an incident Wednesday that allegedly saw a member of his security team slap the pop icon at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas, according to the Associated Press. Per TMZ, Spears filed a police report that identified Spurs director of team security Damian Smith as the person who backhanded her, with conflicting reports on whether the matter will be subject to a criminal investigation. There are also photos showing a person identified as Spears walking up behind Wembanyama and Smith.
Spears reportedly wanted to ask Wembanyama for a photo as they were walking into a restaurant and tapped him on the shoulder, which allegedly resulted in the slap. Spears then went to her table, where Smith approached her to apologize, which she accepted. Wembanyama somewhat corroborated the account while speaking with reporters Thursday, though he claimed that Spears grabbed him instead of tapping him on the shoulder and said his security “pushed her away” instead of slapping her:
“Something did happen, a little bit, when I was walking with some security from the team to some restaurant. We were in the hall. There was a lot of people, so people calling me, obviously. There was one person who was calling me, but we talked before with the security. I couldn’t stop. That person was calling me, ‘sir, sir,’ and that person grabbed me from behind,” Wembanyama said. “I didn’t see what happened because I was walking straight and didn’t stop. That person grabbed me from behind, not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind. I just know the security pushed her away. I don’t know with how much force, but security pushed her away. I didn’t stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy the nice dinner.”
He added that he didn’t know the other person was Spears until hours after the incident: “I didn’t know for a couple hours, but when I came back to the hotel … I didn’t forget about it, but I thought it was no big deal, and then the security of the Spurs told me it was Britney Spears. At first, I was like, ‘You’re joking.’ But yeah, turns out it was Britney Spears. I never saw her face. I just kept walking straight.”
Spears later released a statement via Twitter in which she pushed back on Wembanyama’s claim that she grabbed him and emphasized the force with which she was hit.
“Traumatic experiences are not new to me and I have had my fair share of them. I was not prepared for what happened to me last night. recognized an athlete in my hotel lobby as I was heading to dinner. I later went to a restaurant at a different hotel and saw him again. I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success. It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. I am aware of the players statement where he mentions “I grabbed him from behind” but I simply tapped him on the shoulder. His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face.
Spears also noted that she was swarmed by a group of 20 fans the same night and didn’t have her security team hit any of them. She requested a public apology from Wembanyama, the Spurs and their security: “This story is super embarrassing to share with the world but its out there already. However, I think it’s important to share this story and to urge people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect. Physical violence is happening too much in this world. Often behind closed doors. I stand with all the victims and my heart goes out to all of you!!! have yet to get a public apology from the player, his security or their organization. I hope they will…
TMZ reports that the Vegas police are taking this seriously and they might pursue charges, not against Victor, but against this security guy. Like… I realize that there are a lot of fans who don’t know how to act right and it can get really scary for celebrities and athletes. I get that there is a genuine need for people to have security around them in public areas. But when your security guy is backhanding women who merely tap you on the shoulder? That’s wrong. It should not be normalized, this casual violence.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Britney Spears announces her new Las Vegas residency at The Park Theater,Image: 391719211, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon
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- Britney Spears announces her new Las Vegas residency at The Park Theater,Image: 391719219, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Judy Eddy / Wenn / Avalon
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- 173935, Britney Spears at the 4th Hollywood Beauty Awards at Avalon Hollywood. Los Angeles, California – Sunday February 25, 2018. Photograph: © PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000,Image: 534741262, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Britney Spears attends the premiere of “Once Upon A time …in Hollywood” in Los Angeles on Monday, July 22nd, 2019Photograph: © PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 536715318, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Victor Wembanyama (Metropolitans92),Image: 783581554, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: JB Autissier / Panoramic / Avalon
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- Victor Wembanyama (Metropolitans92),Image: 783610183, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: JB Autissier / Panoramic / Avalon
There was a witness who backs Britney’s version who saw what happened. What kind of crazy security does the NBA hire for their players? Britney was right when she said that she was swarmed going into the hotel and that none of her security hit anyone who approached her.
I agree with Britney.
I do too.
Britney has been in the public eye since she was young and is used to being approached. And I don’t think she would ever touch someone inappropriately.
Absurd. She is not mentally stable. She ran up to him calling in a british accent like a weirdo. Girl ain’t right.
There goes his career as security guard. No one is going to want that kind of liability as an employer. Guys been watching too many “Russian Mafia” movies. That ain’t how things go down in the real world my man.
There were multiple witnesses.
The cops who responded to ARIA reviewed security camera footage showing Smith push Britney’s hand away … and then her hand, not Smith’s, struck her face.
He did go to her table and apologize afterwards – but honestly…
The amount of hands I’ve slapped away (from strangers touching my arm, shoulder, hand or waist) makes it very difficult for me to believe anything other than you shouldn’t touch people you don’t know.
Period.
I don’t care if you’re 5 feet or 9 feet tall. Sometimes people use bad judgement…and land themselves in the find out phase.
According to the police report, Spears’ own security person told police what the other bodyguard did was a standard response for security personnel.
I played it on 0.25 speed on YT and to me it seemed like he was aiming to slap away her arm but then also hit her face.
I totally agree, @ANGRYJAYNE.
Britney has had a rough ride with her childhood of working to support her family and various other adults. She’s broken free from an illegal conservatorship and clearly she’s been damaged by her past. I have sympathy for what she’s gone through—that shouldn’t happen to anyone!
Here, she mishandled the situation. She embellished (lied?) about this situation for sympathy and got the police involved. Once she was able to come in tapping range, Damien Smith reacted properly. Security footage (unlike TMZ’s) shows this, multiple witnesses and Britney’s security agreed. DS apologized. Then BS blew this up later and demanded an apology from Victor, Damien (again) and the Spurs, plus she involved the police. In the TMZ video from a bystander, she uses a fake accent when she curses VW out—as a foreigner I’m familiar with this treatment. What happened was unfortunate, but she needs anger management therapy. She placed herself as a huge victim and could have cost DS his job and lots of people have gone after VW. She owes them an apology.
Precisely @AngryJane. She hit herself in the face when the guard smacked her hand away.
And on another note, when are we going to address that Brittany most definitely weaponizes her tears.
Victor Wembanyama is 7’4”; Britney Spears is 5’4” (2 ft. shorter). I find it hard to believe her wingspan/reach allowed her to tap his shoulder unless she was standIng practically inches next to and behind him, which is too close. She likely startled the guard, who immediately reacted. As an entertainer, she should know better than to touch him – she’s a stranger to him. Hopefully, she didn’t think as a celebrity, she had the automatic right to touch him. Britney Spears constantly generates controversy – whether it’s her mental health, irrational behavior, or her family. Her life is unstable (usually custody of children goes to the mother – not the father). Many celebrities intentionally make controversy whenever they are about to release new music. Ironically in light of her past history, people automatically assume she’s innocent. Her so-called gaunt appearance has been there numerous times throughout the years; “gaunt appearance” is consistent with drug use, not from an alleged slap. I hope cameras were present.
Read the report and watch the video. She should have never approached him from behind like this: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/britney-spears-victor-wembanyama-security_n_64a85521e4b03d308d94d03c
The recording revealed Britney Spears lied. The Las Vegas police closed the case. One website slowed down the video. She ran behind Victor and tapped him; you immediately see the guard’s arm sweep up to protect his client and that thrust Britney’s own hand back at her. He did not slap her. He probably didn’t see her face first – just her arm which he thrust away from his client. What is crazy is she knows that guards protect their clients; why would she touch him and never met him?
Wow, Kimster, you sound super-invested in this story.
It’s harsh for you to say “Britney Spears lied,” when she’s precipitously reporting something she actually ‘felt’ in the heat of the moment, even though it was her hand rather than the security guard’s that hit her. Does the TMZ tape show her reaching up to tap Wembanya’s back? – Yes. Was her spontaneous action to get Mr. Wembanyama’s attention ill-considered? – Yes. Does she acknowledge it herself when she says the whole incident is “super embarrassing?” – Yes. Did both parties’ security report that Spears and the security guard found one another after the incident and apologized? – Yes.
Do you sound malignant when you point out that “usually custody of children goes to the mother – not the father,” when her birth family members had clear financial incentives to exert control over her in a conservatorship? – Yes.
My only take away from this incident is it’s time to turn on ESPN and watch ‘Wemby’ in a rare sold-out Summer League game. Because ‘the incident’ has been fully resolved.
Thanks @KIMSTER
That’s exactly what doesn’t sit well with me.
She didn’t deserve any apology from the guard- but got one, and she certainly doesn’t deserve any acknowledgement from the kid who’s back she grabbed/touched.
Then to top it all off she twists it all around in a public plea to treat all people with respect?
What?
Dang, that’s terrible for Britney. I’m sure she was absolutely traumatized given her own status and issues.
Not sure how recent the first picture is but she’s looking very gaunt. I hope she’s well.
What gets me is apparently nobody looked back to see if she was OK. That’s so callous.
Exactly Shawna. I don’t need eyewitnesses (although I’m glad there are), how tall is that basketball player? We all know Brittany is petite – there’s no way she could reach his shoulder and grab at him! IF that basketball player was a gentleman, he’d have gotten on the phone immediately and apologized – with Flowers! He’s Not a gentleman and it’s safe to say neither is the caveman who backhanded Brittney…
Agreed. Most people would be horrified if their staff hit a fan and apologize asap.
I just keep thinking – what would have happened if this had been a fan who got slapped by security? Has this happened before? VW’s claim that he “never looked” to see who was being tackled by his security seems pretty coached.
A lot of this coverage seems to be in the vein of “Oho, little did he know that he had actually slapped another star!” As if that’s what is egregious, not the fact that a security official put his hands on someone. This stinks.
He cares so little about people other than him. Mr. Important didn’t even look to see if the person was okay. If he’s like this at 19, imagine what he’s going to be like at 30.
Not to minimize any kind of violence from his team, but this young man is 19 years old, not from the U.S., and was recently drafted by an NBA team with all the chaos that entails. I think he could understandably be a little overwhelmed by crowds.
Didn’t realize he wasn’t American. Thanks for that.
I can tell you as a San Antonio local, this guy’s celebrity is NOT capable of being underestimated. The AT&T Center filled up 20,000 seats just for the DRAFT. The buses changed their signage to say “Bonjour Wemby”. I’m not saying he has the right to be a diva, but given the massive fame he has already – and not just here; for at least six months I’ve been hearing national news stories on how many teams were dying to pick him up across the NBA – I can gaurantee he gets approached in public all the time. I wouldn’t be surprised if he deals with issues like that on a daily basis. It probably gets frustrating to deal with people trying to put their hands on you all the time.
This is NOT coming from the perspective of a Spurs fan who just wants to defend the new star, btw. The Spurs have been dead to me since they released the team therapist who complained about a player exposing himself to her in a session, and covered for him.
This is interesting (and awful for Britney). The casual violence meted out to a person who is obviously not physically threatening (she’s small). It really seems as though some people don’t see other humans as worthy of basic decency
The German fan who stabbed tennis star Monica Seles in the back at the French Open was not seen as a threat until it was too late. Britney of all people should know not to approach a famous person from behind in an uncontrolled area like a hotel lobby. She had her own security, she could have sent one of her team over to his security to arrange a meet.
How dare you make sense?
Please. Trained security know how to handle crowds. Let’s not blame the victim for getting smacked upside the head.
His security clearly has some misogyny running through their veins if they thought this was the right way to handle it. If this jerk puts no thought into backhanding a petite white pop legend how does he treat other women? Not well, I’m sure. I hope this ahole gets charged.
@ MipMip
(If this jerk puts no thought into backhanding a petite white pop legend how does he treat other women? )
I’m sorry what ?????
What is this BS right here what dose her be “petite” and “white” have to do with anything. Your comment is coming off resist as h*ll.
@ Coco
I thought the same thing after reading that comment. I guess petite White women deserve more care and attention since they are so fragile. I wonder if it was Lizzo in this situation, how different the reactions would be.
@Dutch:
Good point!
@pk and @Coco, I think MipMip is saying “the private security guard made a choice to strike someone of relative privilege; would he have been even more violent with someone else?” In other words, MipMip is saying that Britney got the *least* of that guard’s wrath. I’m not agreeing or disagreeing but, operating in good faith, I do think MipMip is striving for intersectionality with their observation.
Having seen the video posted to TMZ (take with the necessary grains of salt), Wembanyama had one bodyguard who was walking to his right and slightly behind him as they made there way through a cluster of people at what I believe was the entrance to the restaurant. Britney looks like she three other people. She quickens her pace, brushes past her party, extends her arm and starts waiving her arm. You see the bodyguard extend his arm, move it in a circular motion to move her hand and/or block her advance. I can’t tell if Wembanyama stopped or slowed down at the point but it’s possible given the location. It’s clear the bodyguard only touched her hand. Britney hand either flew back into her face or she kept walking into the block attempt.
@Jenn: How does the bodyguard know that the person approaching his client is “a person of relative privilege”? Is that code for “white”? I mean, Britney Spears doesn’t wear her bank account balance like a tattoo.
Yes, I meant what Jenn said.
If this guy had no qualms about smacking a small white woman in public then I can only conclude that he treats women behind closed doors much worse. By being petite, blond and white Britney is what white supremacists want women to be and women with that societal privilege have a certain level of protection re public violence from men. This didn’t seem to stop that guy.
Now it’s come out that he smacked her hand which hit her in the face. That’s a different scenario.
Regardless my point was that this guy was way too casual with his violence to a woman, in public. He’s probably not a good guy. It most certainly was not that black women deserve anything less. I was simply acknowledging her privilege and the fact that that didn’t seem to stop him.
My original reply did not show up.
Short version: Jenn is correct. I was making a comparison between the way men act in public vs private. We see it with Will and Kate all the time. When Will treats his wife of 12 years with disgust, contempt and bullying it is hard not to draw the conclusion that he is a hundred times worse in private.
In a similar vein, a man who didn’t hesitate to publicly smack* a woman of ALL the societal privilege of Britney Spears probably treats women even worse behind closed doors. And yes, being white petite and blond IS part of Britney’s privilege in this country.
*turns out this is not exactly what happened so my initial statement *may* not apply.
Maybe this is partly a(n) (over)reaction to realising they failed at their jobs by allowing someone to get that close to him?
No one should be physically attacked and I don’t agree with what happened if it happened the way she said it did. But I also wish that white people would not think it is okay to touch a black person without our permission. It reeks of white privilege and think how her people would have treated a black guy who tapped her on the shoulder. Respect our personal spaces. If she wanted a picture, she could have just asked his people to grant her one.
Indywom, I totally agree with what you said. If the reverse situation were true, I’m not sure the reaction would be the same. If Britney was backhanded, that isn’t right (the other side says she was pushed away), but I don’t think anyone should be tapping (other side says grabbing) Victor without his permission. Since he’s a huge Black athlete, it doesn’t seem as bad for him as it would have looked for Britney. Plus in Europe, there’s a lot of negative stories about what happens to POC in the US. Victor has the right to his own space and to feel safe.
“Plus in Europe, there’s a lot of negative stories about what happens to POC in the US”
You know this guy is French right? You know there’s literally riots in France right now over a black teenager that was murdered, right? GMAFB.
Yes, Laura, I am very aware of that. And it doesn’t change the fact that tons of people have gotten tons of stories about how Black people are treated in the US and BLM. Please read the international news.
Respectfully, there are horrific stories justifiably reported on international media about racism in the United States, but the situation is no different in Europe despite less amplification of some of those stories. The things I’ve heard from African refugees fleeing to Italy would make your ears bleed (not criticizing Italy in general, I love it, I am just saying, racism is universal, and I’m not sure the geopolitical aspect has particular relevance to this story). But that’s just my opinion.
@Laura Not that it changes your ultimate point, but the teenager was not black, he was brown (Maghrebi). We are the biggest minority group in France and are not considered nor consider ourselves black. We are a distinct category who share many issues, but also have our unique ones that apply to us only, so it is a notable difference.
@ML The absolute audacity you have for saying that about the US and Europe, like the majority of European countries aren’t incredibly racist? Can the US be a terrible place for POC? Of course, no one is disputing that. But so is Europe, and some would say even more so.
How tall is he? How did she get past his security to just lightly tap him on the shoulder?
@ ML, yes there is racism in the US, but I have read countless stories of those fleeing from the Middle East and certain African countries that choose the perilous path to immigrate on boats, many of which are death traps. Fleeing from war, famine and the victimization of humanitarian causes.
I have read countless stories that boats have started to sink, close to the coast, and local people purposely DO NOT intervene!! They are willing to allow immigrants to die, children, women and babies, and they turn their backs to them!!
So @ ML, before you start sh@##ing on America, why don’t you look at your own country and the countries across Europe.
1. My own country is the US of A.
2. Victor is from France and in the US. The Britney incident took place in the United States.
3. At no point did I say that racism does not exist in Europe. I’m a bit concerned that I do think that had he done exactly what Britney did and their roles were reversed, there would be a different response here. VW has the right not to be touched and BS is a 40 year old who should know better and there’s no way she couldn’t have tried to arrange a meeting more privately. She doesn’t know him.
4. “ If Britney was backhanded, that isn’t right (the other side says she was pushed away), but I don’t think anyone should be tapping (other side says grabbing) Victor without his permission.”
5. What is happening in Lampadusa and Greece and elsewhere is horrific. What is happening in Central America: Caribbean/ Mexico is equally horrific. It shouldn’t be happening anywhere.
Everyone has the right to their own space and not be touched but we cannot go around hitting people that tap you in the back. What if that was a child? Security needs better training
@Naye – He’s 7-4, if they were both standing, Britney would need a stepstool to tap him on the shoulder.
@Khadijah:
He may not consider himself a Black man, but if he’s going to play here in America, he needs to change is thinking for his own safety. He needs to find a level headed mentor to help navigate the culture.
@ML: You made some good points that needed to be said. The only thing I personally disagree with is the description of VW as a “huge Black athlete.” He’s a tall kid, that’s it, and with a baby face no less at 19 yrs. old. I just disagree with Black people always being described as larger than life, thereby presenting them as potential threats or invulnerable (P.S.: I know that’s not what you were doing in your post). Conversely, one often sees White people described as “small” or “petite” even when they are not frail-looking or if they’re just of average size. Case in point, once an elderly married congressman in the U.S. publicly described having a physical relationship which resulted in the woman bearing his child as a “youthful indiscretion.” How old was he at the time of these deeds? He said he was 41 years old. Yeah. So, I think language matters.
@Reggie: Khadija meant the boy who was killed in France is Maghrebi, not the basketball player Wembanyama. Your “he may not consider himself black” is really bad, btw. Check yourself. Minorities are not interchangeable.
“Let that backhand slap be a lesson learned?” Wow, way to sound like a man who keeps his wife in check courtesy of his fist. Honestly, this is chilling, and not a comment I would expect on a celebrity gossip site. I’m sorry, but I do not believe ANYONE should be expected to learn lessons via violence. It seems that this bodyguard isn’t even good at his job if Spears got this close in the first place. In any case, it is disappointing to see people here condone and support violence against women.
Absolutely. We do not “tap on” (or grab, or otherwise touch) other people. It demonstrates an entitlement to someone else’s body and autonomy and communicates in so many words that their bodies are not their own. Don’t. (Now, in Britney’s case I have to wonder if her own personal boundaries are f*cked due to having her own autonomy stripped for so long… but I digress.)
I’m a white senior citizen, and I would not tap or grab anyone of any color, unless it was a true emergency. R-E-S-P-E-C-T others’ boundaries, especially a famous person who may be subject to harassment or crazies. It’s really poor judgement to come at ANYONE from behind; yikes!
Britney should keep her hands to herself. And this isn’t a case of “violence against women.” It’s a reflexive action when some stranger starts touching your charge—the person you’ve been tasked with protecting. Few would be this outraged if it happened to a rando, but god forbid Britney make a stupid move—touching someone, heck anyone!, without their permission—and all come to her damsel, fragile, defenseless rescue. Wembanyama does not owe her an apology. The security guard? Sure, if he’s sorry he “backhanded” her, but there was no injury except to ego, she “crossed the line” first, and there should be no charges brought. Britney has got to get over the fact that not everyone knows who she is or will extend her liberties because of her former relevance to an older, white generation.
If this was Lena Dunham instead of Britney Spears the reactions would be very different.
She shouldn’t have touched him without his permission, period. No one should physically touch another person without their permission.
What I meant was, that people defend Britney because she is Britney. If someone like Lena Dunham approached VW that way and got her hand slapped away, people would not defend her actions – esp. sharing an apparently exaggerated version on her social media. They would call her out on her BS – rightfully. But Britney gets a pass from people.
According to the security tapes (Lordy, there are tapes), Britney reaches to touch/tap (whatever) and the security guy Swatted her hand away. Her own hand (recoil) is what hit her face. The security guard went over and apologized right away. Maybe its Brittney’s turn to just simmer down and think because SHE caused this and now she’s blaming everyone else. She needs to get over her darn self. Not everyone knows who she is.
So she slapped herself. And people will still come running to her defense, saying the mean old man caused her to assault herself and should be punished, because Britney would never blow an incident like this out of proportion or need to apologize for her her own part in humiliating herself.
That is not what the eye witness said. Did you see the tapes yourself?
I’ve watched the videotape and at no time does it show her inadvertently slapping herself. Under the circumstances she should have spoken to Victor’s security guy first but I will wait until the results of the investigation and more videotape are released before assigning blame to either party.
I’ve seen the video TMZ posted and it’s hard to tell if she hits herself by accident or if the bodyguard smacked her face while he was swatting her hand away. She did come charging up to the player from behind and touched him. Personally, I think both were in the wrong. Both the security and Britney shouldn’t be touching anyone.
Well according to the police Renae was right about what happened.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37974501/no-charges-filed-britney-spears-wembanyama-incident
@Coco: As you say, Renae may very well be right about the narrative of the incident, but I think she deserves a special extra credit for the “Lordy, there are tapes” reference.
@ Debbie
Yes she dose😂😂
This 100%.
She’s all of 5’3 and 110 lbs.. I have seen her only a few feet from me and she is TINY. Unless she was charging full speed at him in a threatening manner why the need for such vicious actions? I feel so bad for Britney. She’s been through so damn much and the world is so cruel. I hope she recovers from this and isn’t traumatized.
What do her height and weight have to do with it? Short, skinny people can still carry weapons. They can be strong. What she did was threatening. She’ll be fine. No doubt that was a shock, but she wasnt harmed. Hopefully now she’ll remember to respect for others the bodily autonomy she deserves and was denied for so long.
Wow. Well said.
Whew some commenters have a lot of excuses for a man who thinks it’s okay to hit a woman. It’s giving victim blaming for real.
If his security was any good, she would never have gotten close enough to touch him. Or more likely one of the team saw it was Britney and let her approach. With all the cameras and people in Vegas, the story should be very easy to confirm.
“If his security was any good, she would never have gotten close enough to touch him.” Interesting point. It would be great if some professional bodyguards weighed in on what went wrong.
Agree. People shouldn’t hit anyone without decent reason tbh, woman or not. What’s the issue with the security guard just putting himself between them rather than any form of violence? Seems like it’s second nature for this person, which is scary and not okay.
I think we can agree that under certain circumstances it’s permissible for a man to strike a woman. Like self defense. Like a security guard. It’s his job to protect his client. What if a woman came up on Beyonce like that? Should her security just be like “oh, it’s a tiny white woman. She’s OK. Let her at the Queen!”
Beyonce’s security would have never let someone get that far.
Wembanyama’s shouldn’t have either. He’s entitled to his personal space and it doesn’t even seem like he really saw what was happening so I won’t discuss him. Not so sure about his security team though.
This isn’t violence against women — this is protecting an individual from someone who happened to be a woman.
Las Vegas casinos are noisy, crowded, bright, and overwhelming for normal people. I’ve seen celebrities at those casinos, and they get absolutely mobbed. Spears is famous herself and had other options to meet Wembanyama — there was no reason for her to be pushing through people to try to touch him.
It’s also pretty intense how so many of these same people quickly defended Britney when she was accused of throwing a cell phone at her maid. So many said the maid was lying and was just a poor Latina woman trying to make a quick buck. It’s ridiculous that people’s sympathy only depends on WHO the victim is.
I don’t know anything about Britney and her maid. I do know when a man (who we will assume is bigger than Britney because he is security for a man over 7 feet tall) backhands a woman in the face it is unacceptable. I am assuming there was another way to come between them, to stop Britney from “touching him in the back” his version or “tapping him on the shoulder” her version. BUT – when people bring up something completely unrelated it’s called WHAT ABOUTISM… and in this instance (and most others) it’s disgusting.
@ Eating Popcorn
This isn’t “what aboutism”…it’s hypocrisy. Whatever.
Plenty of stories around of famous people being protected by fans who get too close without the use of casual violence. This was just plain wrong. If this athlete had been “grabbed” his instinct would be to look around. As he claims he didn’t I’m inclined to believe that it was a tap on the shoulder that he mistook for a bump you get when in a crowd, and that’s why he didn’t look around. But whatever. Violence by said athlete’s minder is a crime and I sincerely hope the police chase it up.
I’ve rooted for Britney for years. She should not have been slapped. We need to see unedited video footage because there are many questions.
He said he was grabbed from behind not tapped on the shoulder. One witness account said she was speaking in a British accent, which seems odd and then yelled “This is America” after the incident.
The security guard used excessive force. Britney had no right to touch his person in the first place. She’s had years of experience being in a secured entourage and should not have crossed boundaries to begin with. This feels very Karenish.
Yeah you would think Britney of all people would know not to just go up and touch someone like that. How did she even get that close to him if he had security? Also, she was with a group of people and had her own security. No one told her NOT to do that? If this was a non-celeb who got hit by security, this wouldn’t even make the news. It’s only because it’s Britney. The whole talking in a British accent and yelling “This is America” is very odd. What does that even mean? I wonder would a non-celeb have gotten an apology from security? Probably not. Everyone just keep your damn hands to yourself. I also wonder how she was able to “tap him on the shoulder”? She’s short, he’s extremely tall. Was she wearing 9 inch heals or something?
I am SHOCKED at the number of people acting like this is her fault / she deserved it / she’s overreacting. Just shocked.
@ Cakes
I never said it’s her fault, or she deserved it or she’s overreacting. The truth is if this was some fan who touched Britney and her bodyguard hit their hand away or whatever happened, you all would be blaming the fan. In this situation, yes both Britney and the security guard should have known better. It’s an unfortunate situation. Some of you are saying it’s “violence against women”. Come on. This would have happened regardless if it was a male or female. The security guard was rough but it’s their job to protect their client.
She wasn’t slapped. He didn’t use excessive force. He blocked her contact with the person he was protecting.
This is not about a white woman touching a Black teen. Fans, particularly young ones, approach athletes all the time and I would hope one would never get backhanded. Touching him on the back or shoulder doesn’t justify getting hit down to the ground. His team knew they were wrong because they privately apologized. Now they want the story to blow over because it’s terrible PR.
It’s not the athletes fault but it’s terrible PR.
Agreed
@Jess
Why are you making stuff up Brittany was not hit down to the ground.
Ehhh…nice try here boys, but while Britney has a lot of mental health problems, she’s not known for creating wild stories for attention and drama for the hell of it. She’s pretty quiet these days outside Instagram.
It’s possible the truth is somewhere in the middle, but for a wealthy celebrity to state something this major publicly against another figure is…uncommon. But there’s also another conversation to be had about the allowances for unnecessary force men in positions like security and police are given socially. All they had to do was firmly stop and remove her. If they can’t, they shouldn’t be security. 🤷🏻♀️
I hope Britney is ok. 💕
I’m also wishing VW lots of success
Sounds like maybe the best outcome is a learning experience. Maybe the security team should evaluate their protocols as well?I hope they can both come together to work this out and B will be at a game watching VW win someday in the future. Oooh!! And maybe he could go to one of her concerts!
Yeah, this is where I am too given we don’t know full details and it wasn’t even Wembanyana who slapped her. Wishing well and success for both.
Wembanyama*
All of this. Sounds like we don’t know all the details.
His security slapped back because he didn’t know who she was. This is how security mostly treats randos; they push, hit, shove and use other bodily force. This was just caught on camera this time, and this time, a famous person was affected.
Agree. That’s exactly what this was.
I’m a Black woman. And while I get the sentiment of what some folks are saying on this thread about yt folks not knowing how to keep their hands to themselves (which is VERY true) I don’t think tapping someone on their shoulder in a loud environment (which is what she said it was and WHY she tapped him on the shoulder) is beyond the pale. Additionally – how did she get that close to begin with if he had security?? The whole point of a security guard is to make sure no one can get that close. So it sounds to me like this bodyguard is sh*tty all around at his job.
I do want to point one glaring thing out – IF this had been a Black woman instead of Britney Spears I do think the response would be VERY different. Just look at how Meghan Thee Stallion has been treated and she was SHOT.
And what about Chris Rock? Is the gender the issue here? The race? The white woman privilege? Or just “violence” in general with no room for context? Because plenty of people think Chris Rock, who did not touch anyone, deserved to be slapped. HARD.
I think there is a significant difference from a celebrity approaching another (which does in fact happen a lot at high profile events or locations because the assumption is everyone’s been vetted), and one person (Rock) repeatedly and consistently harassing someone (Jada) for *years* and continuing to do so (with the spotlight on them at one of the most prominent media events in the world, after having been asked not to), and the resulting slap in the latter.
Even if one would argue Britney is in the wrong here, it is not comparable.
This is such a false equivalency. CONTEXT MATTERS. These two things are in no way comparable. And to compare the two cheapens what happened to Jada Pinkett Smith and why Rock was slapped in the first place.
Completely different situations. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
So much cognitive dissonance. So f’ing much. Someone who doesn’t touch someone but insults his wife deserves to be slapped–not by the wife–but by the someone else, versus someone who does touch someone against their will does not. Those straws y’all are grasping are really out of reach, aren’t they.
Anyway, I don’t really care.
Well, the only things these two incidences have in common (given what we know of this incident which is not clear yet) are slaps.
And while a public slap is not my choice of reaction, yes, I’ll admit that years of harassment on an international level versus trying to get a picture (possibly inappropriately, possibly not, since they are still investigating, and I’m not sure how well versed security guards are in defending boundaries versus safety, maybe someone else who knows more can tell me) isn’t going to get the same reaction from me, particularly as the altercation itself wasn’t between Britney and Wembanyama. That’s just me.
I’m pretty sensitive about being touched but I don’t consider being tapped on the shoulder inappropriate, Certainly not an assault and not worthy of being backhanded by a man, If she had grabbed him they could have just pulled her away. As others have said, how did she get that close? I agree his security team is somewhat lacking.
Just because you don’t consider a tapped on the shoulder inappropriate doesn’t mean others don’t.
Of course not. Thanks for stating the obvious. I still don’t think she deserves to be be backhanded.
Is no one questioning how the hell such a short woman was able to reach his shoulders? Do you know how tall he is ??? Something with this story does not make sense.
She could reach his shoulders because she has arms. SMH. People here are really looking for any reason to blame the woman who got smacked.
@ MipMip
Oh please this has NOTHING to do with gender. Do you know how tall HE is ???? No way would she be able to tap him on the shoulder. No way.
As a non american it baffles me what counts as self defence in the us and what some people think is reasonable force. I hope Britney is ok. I would be equally horrified if this had happened to someone else too.
Yeah, in America we have “stand your ground laws” in some states, so you can shoot someone dead for simply being on your property. A kid stealing a beer can get gunned down with no remorse- it’s really sick what people think is normal & justify. America feels like The Squid Game & everyone is cool with it.
This surprised me. I’ve never heard of any celeb security slapping anybody.
She should sure for assault.
If a security guard saw a 5’2” woman tap the very tall man they’re protecting on the shoulder, were able to calculate their reaction and chose to backhand her in the face, that is terrible. It sounds like that may not be exactly what happened.
I know people are very quick to defend Britney and I get it. But please, this is very likely not a case of violence against women.
Multiple things can and probably are true here. The details are what I’m interested in, when they come out.
This right here. She chose to get the police involved, so let’s wait and hear what they have to say after investigating.
#TeamBrittney
It shouldn’t be necessary for a security team to back-hand a petite woman. I am sure they have methods of keeping their charge safe without physically harming anyone who gets too close. One of those methods being to keep them from getting so close in the first place, but I guess in a place that crowded it would be very challenging.
That said, I also don’t think Brittany should have tapped him on the shoulder or touched him at all. I’m sure she meant well, but she should have considered whether it was crossing his boundaries to do so. As a very famous person herself, I would think she would get that. But she certainly didn’t deserve to get hit or shoved for it.
First where was Britney’s security? and why would they let Britney get hit?
Secondly why is Britney blaming Wembanyama for what happened ? When he didn’t even know what really happened to later and why is she demanding an apology from him, and not the security guard who hit her?
While I’ll always believe there are 3 sides to every story, your story, my story, the story. I personally would not touch someone (unless close friend or immediate family) from behind, I freak out when it’s done to me, and I certainly wouldn’t attempt to touch someone famous *Disclosure: The only person I know of here is Britney. Were where Britney’s *people* tho?
His security team did a piss poor job “protecting” him from fans, managing the public furor over his presence & his reputation. He should fire them & hire guys who will do a better job not putting him at risk, or others.
They are not his personal security team they are security for his basketball team. Where was Britney security team?
This doesn’t make sense. There is no way that Brittney Spears was alone. Wouldn’t Brittney have her security there too and wouldn’t Brit’s security talk to Victor’s security and say “hey, BRITTNEY SPEARS is here and she would like to talk to Victor and can we make that happen”? And being Brittney, I don’t think that she would have came up to him from behind. She knows herself how she would react if someone did that to her.
THIS. None of this makes sense. But Britney isn’t known for having all of her marbles intact, so I suspect she just wasn’t thinking. Her people should have been thinking though. She needs to employ some better ones for letting this get to where it went. Also – as someone who has worked as a family violence prosecutor for over 20 years, from what I have read thus far, this is in NO WAY something people should be comparing to very real acts of violence against women. You belittle the true victims of crime when you do so. If video emerges of the incident that shows differently, then I stand corrected and I apologize. But as of now, she was an entitled, out of place white woman attempting to touch a black man from behind and without notice.
Agree. Also, why is she demanding he apologize? He didn’t do anything. That’s between her and the security guy. Now her crazy fans are on his IG saying the most f*cked up sh*t to him. They do realized he’s a teenager right? Wow what a great welcome to America he has gotten.
I’m 5’5 and Britney is shorter than me. I’d have to probably have to get a running start to touch his shoulder. My son plays college ball and been around 7’1 to 7’3. I don’t personally buy the shoulder thing.
Yeah, I wondered how she could have tapped his shoulder because of the height difference. I just saw that the LVPD said no charges will be filed. I just think there’s probably way more to this story.
We’ve swung so far with Britney in that people wildly and blindly come to her defense now. I think nuance is so key in situations involving her along with always knowing multiple things can be true. Britney was victimized and mistreated and abused, AND Britney likely has major issues that may impact her in different ways. Much love to Britney always.
I agree. I will always root for Brit.
The security guard pushed her hand away and her own hand is what hit her in the face. Her security detail confirmed this is what happened and stated it’s a typical response from a security guard. So she wasn’t backhanded and there won’t be any charges.
Why did she call the cops? I saw the video and you can clearly see she was not assaulted. He pushed her hand away while she was trying to touch the guy from behind. She literally ran up to him. If someone did that to Britney, her security would have body slammed them. I’m sorry but this is such a Karen move on Britney’s part. I’m glad there is video because it clearly vindicates the security guard.
If you watch the video on TMZ, it’s clear that the guard slaps her hand away. Whether or not it’s her hand or his that inadvertently hits her face isn’t as clear.
What it does show is her moving pretty quickly up behind Wembanyama and his security to reach out and touch him. Given how fast that happened, the guard seems to react reflexively; it’s not like he had time to take a minute and assess — he was just trying to move someone’s arm away from the person he was guarding.
The police looked at footage and say that Britney hit herself in the face.
Did Britney not know she hit herself in the face? This story became huge in less than 24 hours and all for what? Nothing happened. People wanting the security guard fired and arrested…saying he’s a woman hater and how this is violence against women. This is how a person’s life gets ruined. People on the internet running around saying stuff that isn’t even true. Good to see the truth come out. Some of her fans are insane. They are on Wembanyama’s IG saying how he disrespected their Queen and so much other ridiculous stuff. I actually feed bad for him. He didn’t do anything and wasn’t even a part of this mess yet Britney wanted HIM to apologize. Yeah ok. Now he’s got her insane fans after him.
It looks like they got bottlenecked at the entrance to the restaurant. VM said before they went to the restaurant the bodyguard told him to keep moving to prevent from being swarmed. I think bodyguard’s move was a combo of removing her hand from him and creating some space around him in a place where they were slowed/stopped.
I was at a music show once with many different people performing.
The aggressiveness of one singer’s (who only had 1 hit as far as I can tell) bodyguards was ridiculous. I didn’t even want to get to him, but wanted to get to the toilet that he was in the way of.
He was supposed to be backstage, so no idea why he was over there. Maybe wanting some attention.
Here we don’t really have singers that are so famous that they need that many bodyguards afaik, so I thought it all ridiculous.
Rush to judgement. Remember Richard Jewell 1996 Olympics? He was also a security guard whose life was ruined by false allegations. I think it was Nancy Grace who fanned those flames. He lost his job only later to be exonerated.
this article need an update to reflect the facts
I read the TMZ article and saw the video and the only thing that’s embarrassing is the way Britney behaved. She ran up like a headless chicken (Dutch expression) from behind to the guy and tries to touch him. Her hand gets swatted away. Duh. It’s the man’s job to do that and he reacted instinctively because she moved so fast. It’s not like he assaulted her. She wasn’t hurt. Her ego was bruised, that’s all. What did she expect. It’s really rather dumb on her part. “Allegedly” she also called out in a British accent to Victor and “allegedly” she shouted “this is America for you” with a couple of f-bombs afterwards. As a European, the most “American” thing about the whole situation, to me, is that she was even considering pressing charges. Her hurt ego must have obscured her use common sense.
I just watched the video. You can hear the smack. It would be hard not to hear it. The security guard blocks her hand but then quickly smacks his hand back while he continues to walk forward.
She probably unconsciously or not felt entitled as a white celebrity because the typical citizen wouldn’t run at a guy with that much security. And if the roles were reversed and he was running toward her, he would have been judged much more harshly, which is F-ed up. But, whether you agree with me or not, she is still quite naive and has the social awareness of someone in their late teens. My insight comes from working as a licensed mental health counselor.
Also, I’m unsure which pictures people are looking at where she appears gaunt. Are they the pictures of her in the black dress or sparkly dress above because those pictures are like at least seven years old?
The Rookie plays for the San Antonio Spurs. It was their Security team with him yesterday. They work for the Team not him. They aren’t his Security. He literally just came off a plane from France. The Security Guard didn’t slap Britney. He pushed her hand back and she hit herself. Britney is too short to touch Victor’s shoulders. She touched his back. He said she grabbed his back but touching his back is same. Also English isnt his first language. The Team’s Security reached out to Britney and apologized. I think Britney assumed the Security were his and that’s how its being reported but nope. They are employed by the team. They arent his employees. The rookie was asked what happened but he really had no idea. Most players as rookies are kept under wraps before rge first season so that they can be told what to expect. Again this young man just flew in.
Totally blown out of proportion. White girl privilege… watch the video it was a swat. And she felt entitled to touch him.
Imo Britney’s spontaneous decision to get close to this young man and touch him was not a wise one.
But same reason she was closer to him than advisable is the one proving she could not ‘grab’ him: The height difference.
A good security person must prevent. For sure training does include crowd management while being alert, and avoid more than react to others’ physical proximity. It’s the guard’s fault that Britney got as close, and a real threat would have ended badly. Use eyes for watching, and that hand to block or indicate to move away before slapping anyone. What happened to the good old: ‘Tiny blond in a crop top approaching at your 12’?
Manners are also an issue here: You’re in public. Crowds, fans and press are going to be a must, and someone might even be pushed towards your client. You don’t have the discretionary right to dispense smacks here and there.
Well your wrong
First, the security never slapped her and he brushed her hand away and she slapped herself.
The politics confirmed that is what happened after watching the video and her security said he handled the situation the right way.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37974501/no-charges-filed-britney-spears-wembanyama-incident
After seeing the video I’ll call her Karen Spears from now on.