Howard Stern declares his support for Britney Spears after years of mocking her: ‘I’m #FreeBritney now’

In an unexpected turns of events, Howard Stern has joined the Free Britney Spears movement after years of criticising her.

The controversial radio show host has been one of the most vocal critics of the hitmaker over the years, however, his views about the pop star have started to change.

Despite previously calling her a ‘train wreck’ and once she ‘still thinks the earth is flat’ – the radio personality has stated that he believes she should be in charge of her own life.

Speaking on his SiriusXM show, he said: ‘I think I’m Free Britney now, I think I’m full on Free Britney. Ozzy [Osbourne] bit the head off of a bat in a business meeting. He’s in charge of his own finances.’

When Britney – who has spent years under her father Jamie Spears’ conservatorship – joined the ‘X Factor’ panel back in 2012, Howard claimed Britney would be a ‘train wreck’ on the show.

Giving his verdict on the panel – which also included Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid, he said: ‘I think we’re going to tune in to see her, to see if she can function through the thing.

‘As far as any real criticism, I think Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid will do that … I think Britney will sit there and eat a lollipop and wear a sexy outfit. I’ll tune in to see what kind of train wreck she is, absolutely.’

The Toxic singer found herself back in the spotlight following the release of a New York Times documentary, Framing Britney Spears, which explored her controversial conservatorship.

Framing Britney Spears was released at the beginning of the month, and explored the mum-of-two’s conservatorship, which began in 2008.

The episode also focused on her attempts to legally remove dad Jamie Spears from the court order, in a bid to regain control of her own life.

Fans and famous pals have rushed to publicly support the Circus star since the premiere, including Sam Smith, Miley Cyrus, Khloe Kardashian and Hayley Williams.

After a US release on Hulu, Framing Britney Spears is now available to watch in the UK on Sky Documentaries, and NOW TV.

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