Britney Spears Sets The Record Straight On Catholic Church 'Backlash'

Singer Britney Spears is responding to backlash that she tried to get married to her husband Sam Asghari in June.

The couple first met on the set of her "Slumber Party" music video in 2016, while the "Overprotected" singer was still in the middle of her 13-year conservatorship, which ended in November 2021. Sam had popped the question two months earlier and the two tied the knot in June in the backyard of her L.A. mansion.

Last week, the pop princess alleged that she tried to get married in a Catholic church, but the church denied that she had even asked to get married there. Keep scrolling for the full story!

In a since-deleted Instagram post, the "Oops!... I Did It Again" singer posted a photo of a couple getting married inside a Catholic church. "This is where I originally wanted to get married during COVID !!!!" Britney explained.

"I wanted to go every Sunday ... it's beautiful and they said it was temporarily shut down due to COVID !!!" she wrote. "Then 2 years later when I wanted to get married there they said I had to be catholic and go through TEST !!!!"

"Isn't church supposed to be open to all ???" she asked. As Page Six pointed out, Britney was raised Southern Baptist but also studied Kabbalah.

A day after Britney shared the post, TMZ spoke to the St. Monica Church, where many thought the photo had been taken. A representative for the church said that they checked their records and said that they have no records that Britney Spears ever asked to get married there. They also said they had no records that she even visited the church.

That being said, they did admit that Britney probably wouldn't have been allowed to get married there anyway, as at least one spouse has to be Catholic to be married inside of a Catholic Church.

The church also told TMZ that the picture Britney originally shared was a screenshot from a live stream of a wedding and not a photo that she took herself. The church said that they identified the couple in question and said they knew for a fact that Britney had not been in attendance at their wedding, which makes Britney's response a bit interesting, as she claims that she didn't share a photo of their church!

On Monday, August 8, Britney responded to the controversy directly, sharing a photo from St. Peter's Basilica in Italy, not a church in L.A.

"There was a lot of backlash saying I never asked to get married at the church I pictured," Britney began, explaining that she had hired the same wedding planner who had done Madonna's wedding and left all of the wedding planning up to him.

"I’m writing this because the church said I never asked … I hired a wedding planner who has done Madonna’s wedding and plenty more," she wrote. "he was extremely expensive and yes my first request was to get married in that church pictured … it was the only picture I had and sent to him through my phone at my house."

According to Britney, six weeks after she made the request, she was told that she was not allowed to get married there due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, not because she wasn't Catholic, although that might have also been a reason why she was turned down.

"I was told 6 weeks later … I could not get married there !!!" Britney continued. "During the 2 years of Covid, I also wanted to go there … I was told no due to the pandemic … it’s not a big deal, but I don’t like being called a liar when their church says I never asked !!!"

Britney concluded, "Pssss … the church I pictured is the St. Peter’s Basilica in Italy … not the Santa Monica Church ???."

Plenty of fans took to the comments to support Britney's side of the story. As one fan wrote, "Stop doubting Britney! She’s under a pressure cooker of stress, navigating her freedom & trauma. Britney- we love you!!! ❤️."