John Mayer talks having kids, watching 'Framing Britney Spears,' appreciating his exes' music and his friendship with Shawn Mendes.
John Mayer is getting emotional about Britney Spears. The GRAMMY-winning artist joined friend and host of SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live, Andy Cohen, on his radio show Monday morning, where he appeared as the surprise co-host, taking calls from SiriusXM subscribers.
The pair also touched on Mayer's personal life and the latest in entertainment news, including the Framing Britney Spears documentary.
Mayer revealed that he "almost cried 5 times" while watching the revealing doc, empathizing with what fame does to a person.
"I almost cried five times during that," the singer revealed. "To see the sadness in this human being, I almost, I mean the end, I mean, I was on the edge of tears five times, because if you understand what this business, slash industry, slash lifestyle does to a person. To go through this and come out the other side OK, is to have infinite grace for those who struggle with it."
Mayer credited his ability to navigate the industry mostly unscathed to being a man.
"I came out OK... I have a very strong feeling that part of that is because I'm a man. And I have a very strong feeling that a lot of these things that happen to female performers is endemic to being female. Why do so many men emerge going, 'Learned my lesson. Yes I got dinked in the head, but I'm back baby'? So I watched it with such grace for someone who got much more maligned by the inhuman experiment of fame than I did. And I go, 'Why did I get through that? Why did I find my way through that obstacle course? What was afforded to me stylistically'? The stylistic difference of being an outlaw. If you're a man, you're an outlaw. If you're a woman, you're kind of crazy. And when I watched that through that lens, my heart just ached the whole time.”
Mayer isn't the only celebrity to have a strong reaction to the Times documentary. Cohen tweeted in support of the pop star shortly after the doc aired.
"🌞 Good morning!🌞 have a great day! And: #FreeBritney," Cohen wrote.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Khloe Kardashian and Valerie Bertinelli also expressed their disgust at Spears' treatment over the years.
"#FramingBritneySpears is a gut punch. So many horrible men/leeches in her life," Bertinelli wrote alongside a full list of all the men to whom she's referring.
The documentary even elicited a public apology from Spears' ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake.
"I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right. I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism," Timberlake wrote on Instagram. "I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed. I also feel compelled to respond, in part, because everyone involved deserves better and most importantly, because this is a larger conversation that I wholeheartedly want to be part of and grow from."
Timberlake too went on to note the privilege men are afforded in the industry.
"The industry is flawed. It sets men, especially white men, up for success," the statement continued. "It's designed this way. As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this. Because of my ignorance, I didn’t recognize it for all that it was while it was happening in my own life but I do not want to ever benefit from others being pulled down again."
Watch the video below to see why the doc's director thought it was so important to tell Spears' story.
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