Revisiting Christina Aguilera And Britney Spears’ Feud: How It All Started

Before the reported feuds between recent music artists such as Rihanna and Ciara, Azealia Banks and Iggy Azalea, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, and others, there was this big feud between Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. In the late 1990s until early 2000s, fans of both music heavyweights pitted one against the other for years for the title of the ultimate pop princess.

Of course there were other pop princesses such as Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore thrown into the mix. But the most long-running rivalry by far was that between Spears and Aguilera.

It’s easy to pit Spears against Aguilera because, as E! News pointed out, “any two female musicians of the same genre and relatively similar sound” are bound to be compared to each other. While fans might think that their “feud” started when they’ve already established their musical careers, the publication hinted that the seed of their future rivalry might have been already planted way back their “Mickey Mouse Club” days.

And it may have something to do with their fellow Mouseketeer Justin Timberlake. “Even back then, he had swag,” Aguilera told James Corden during a Carpool Karaoke appearance. “There was me and Britney — well now, you know — there was a thing back then.”

But it was really that unforgettable Madonna kiss that officially started the rivalry, according to E! News. In the 2003 VMAs, Madonna kissed Spears first before kissing Aguilera, who “was instantly reduced to sloppy seconds status.”

It also didn’t help that during the video editing the camera quickly focused on Spear’s then recent ex, Justin Timberlake, to show his reaction. As a result, Aguilera was edited out.

“It was weird. And you know why they cut away for it? They cut away to get Justin [Timberlake]’s reaction,” Christina Aguilera said, later revealing on SiriusXM that she’s still wondering about that editing decision. “I definitely saw the newspaper the next day and it was like, ‘Oh, well I guess I got left out of that one.’”

And then the trading of statements started rolling. “Every time I tried to start a conversation with her — well, let's just say she seemed nervous the whole time,” Aguilera told Blender in its December 2003 issue. “She seems to me like a lost little girl, someone who desperate needs guidance.”

Spears had to report and did it on the same publication a month later. “A lost girl?” Spears said. “I think it's probably the other way around. I can't believe she said that about me.”

And then it got personal. “It looks like she got it at QVC,” Aguilera commented about Britney buying her own ring and proposing to her backup dancer Kevin Federline. “I know Britney. She's not trailer trash, but she sure acts that way.”

Then it became a battle of music competition shows. In May 2012, Spears became a judge of “X-Factor” at a time that Aguilera would return as a judge of the rival show “The Voice.”

Thankfully, the feud seemed to have died down last year when Aguilera hinted that she’s ready to reconcile. On March 8, 2018, which was the International Women's Day, the singer posted photos of powerful women on her Instagram account with a “Can't Hold Us Down” theme. The photos included Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Cher, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, as well as a 2002 picture of her and Spears.

As expected, people still can’t unanimously decide who the better pop princess between Aguilera and Spears is. In a long-running Quora thread where the earliest post was in 2013, people praise Aguilera for her amazing vocals and Spears for her catchy music, captivating stage performance and voice that’s easier on the ears.