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Britney Spears has stepped forward to support fellow pop star Justin Bieber, who recently faced criticism after sharing promotional photos for his latest album Swag II.
On September 5, Bieber, 31, unveiled a series of black-and-white images to announce the surprise release of the record, a follow-up to Swag. In the pictures, he appears shirtless in jeans layered over sweatpants while holding his one-year-old son, Jack Blues Bieber, whose face was turned away from the camera. Bieber shares the child with his wife, Hailey Bieber.
The photos sparked mixed reactions online, prompting Spears to repost one of the images to her Instagram account on September 9. Alongside the picture, she wrote: "Shame on those who judged my home in my pajamas !!! I'm in love with this picture !!! So so beautiful !!! 📷: @lilbieber."
Bieber, who frequently shares glimpses of fatherhood with Jack while obscuring the toddler's face, had also uploaded family moments earlier that week. On September 8, he posted photos of himself and Jack kayaking, both facing the water with their backs to the camera.
Spears' defence of Bieber comes at a time when she has been reflecting on her personal struggles.
In a since-deleted Instagram post from August 24, she spoke about the challenges she faced during her marriage to Sam Asghari, particularly the years when she was estranged from her sons, Jayden James and Sean Preston. She described that period as the most difficult of her life, marked by feelings of isolation and coping mechanisms that helped her endure the pain. Spears also suggested that her marriage to Asghari often felt more like a distraction than a genuine partnership, as it coincided with a time of deep emotional turmoil.
Her marriage to Asghari lasted just over a year, ending when he filed for divorce in August 2023. The proceedings were concluded in May 2024. Through his representative, Asghari emphasized that their relationship had been genuine, noting that they had been together for seven years and that he continues to hold affection and goodwill toward Spears despite their separation.
