Britney Spears' Social Media Manager Addresses 'Inaccurate' Conspiracy Theories and 'Nasty Comments'
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Britney Spears' Social Media Manager Addresses 'Inaccurate' Conspiracy Theories and 'Nasty Comments'
"In terms of being supportive of Britney on her social media, the best thing you can do for her is just be nice ... Don't bully her. She doesn't deserve it," Cassie Petrey wrote of Britney Spears on Tuesday
Britney Spears' social media team is setting the record straight about who controls what she posts — namely, claiming it's the singer herself.
Crowd Surf cofounder Cassie Petrey addressed the rumors — many of which are outlined in a lengthy Jan. 22 Twitter thread by fan account @BritneyHiatus — on Tuesday, beginning by saying she "absolutely adore[s]" Spears' fanbase and knows their comments are because her fans "truly love her. Which is why it's been so easy for me to overlook some of the nasty comments that have been thrown my way over the years."
Petrey went on to allege that she has seen "a lot of inaccurate theories out there" about how the pop superstar's social media operates, claiming, "Britney creates her own posts and writes her own captions for Instagram."
Adding that Spears, 39, is the one who requests any edits to her videos that are then carried out by her social media team, Petrey said the "Sometimes" songstress has the final say on whether "she wants to post it or not."
Britney Spears/instagram Britney Spears
In the thread on @BritneyHiatus, one tweet read, "For months, people have speculated about Britney's Instagram and social media as she would often post concerning or cryptic messages to her fans like these," alongside a series of images that depicted art of people locked away or wanting to get out — leading some to believe Spears was planting hidden messages over how she feels about her conservatorship battle.
"She has stated many times that she creates the posts, but people continue to believe conspiracy theories over what Britney says over and over again," Petrey wrote in her Tuesday post. "Britney is not 'asking for help' or leaving secret messages in her social media. She is literally just living her life and trying to have fun on Instagram."
A rep for Spears did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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Another circulating theory is that Petrey was hired by Lou Taylor, Spears' business manager.
"I was not hired by Britney via Lou Taylor ... that's not how I met Britney and her team," Petrey said, in part. "This is another example of assumptions being made rather than understanding true facts."
Petrey also responded to rumors over Spears' involvement in posting about repealing New York law 50-A at the same time Crowd Surf did, and accompanying the singer on a vacation with her boyfriend, Sam Asghari.
"Britney was told about 'Repeal 50-A' and she decided she wanted to post it. Nobody forced her to push any narrative she didn't want to. Again, more assumptions with zero facts," Petrey said.
She added of the vacation claims, "I have never been to Hawaii with Britney Spears, and didn't take any of the photos on her trips. I have my own life, and I'm perfectly capable of having a vacation without a client. Britney has never paid for me to go on any vacation with her."
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Petrey went on to say that her "work on Britney's social media does not involve her conservatorship in any way," adding, "That's a court and lawyer thing. Since when do digital marketing people have anything to do with things that courts and lawyers handle?"
She also shot down conspiracies over "two women liking the same book" (The Four Agreements) and a "not true" theory about someone getting hired to be Spears' social media manager, saying, "Nobody has ever been asked any interview questions like that."
Petrey concluded by telling Spears' fans, "In terms of being supportive of Britney on her social media, the best thing you can do for her is just be nice. That's all she really wants. Don't bully her. She doesn't deserve it."
"She's having fun creating posts and sharing images that she likes. That's it. There's not some secret agenda to it," Petrey continued. "She's just having a good time, and I hope this helps people see it for what it actually is."
