PopUps: Chris Crocker's Iconic 'Leave Britney Alone!' Vid Turns 10
Yes: You've been living with the phrase "Leave Britney alone!" for a decade now.
On September 10, 2007, Chris Crocker uploaded a distraught video of himself to YouTube, in which he explained he was concerned Britney Spears was headed towards an Anna Nicole Smith fate, who died in February of that year. His clip, where he screams the now iconic "Leave Britney Alone!" was in response to backlash from Spears' performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Since achieving e-fame, becoming one of the biggest memes and Internet celebrities of the early 00s, Crocker has gone on to appear on reality TV, appear in music videos and even had a stint in gay porn.
Crocker took to social media on the anniversary of his video to reflect on becoming a meme and Internet celebrity. Read his full message below and watch his infamous video below that.
10 years ago on this day, I defended my favorite pop star against the media. While I'm known to do comedy: This was the one video that I was serious in. That year, my mom was battling addiction & became homeless after serving for our country in Iraq. The struggles in my home life and family life made me defensive over any woman going through a hard time. The internet and YouTube was a very different, less LGBT friendly place at the time. Nothing I said in the video was listened to. I was mocked for my femininity. I was called every gay slur in the book. Talk show hosts questioned if I was a man or woman, after playing the clip. I knew there was no way people would take me serious. So I decided that I would play up to the joke everyone thought I was. Realizing that telling them about what had actually triggered my emotional reaction (What my mom was battling) wouldn't be of interest to anyone. So I gave them a cartoon of what they assumed I was, in my public appearances afterward. But the truth is and always was about standing up for someone and not standing idly by when you see someone being hurt by others. In the 10 years since this video- A lot of LGBT Youtubers are celebrated for who they are. I often wonder if I had started videos later, if I would've been treated differently. But what I will say is this: Even if I got a public beating for standing up for what's right: Im happy I did. And I'll always love @britneyspears