60 Minutes Australia slammed over ‘disgusting’ celeb interview

60 Minutes Australia is facing a major social media backlash over a tell-all interview with a controversial celebrity on this Sunday’s program.

60 Minutes Australia is under fire from Britney Spears’ legions of fans, after teasing a tell-all interview this Sunday with the pop star's estranged ex-husband, Kevin Federline.

Federline, father of Spears two teenage sons, has been in the headlines recently after he posted secretly recorded videos of Spears arguing with their children.

“This isn’t even the worst of it. I hope our kids grow up to be better than this,” Federline captioned the video – but later deleted the posts when fans rushed to call out the invasion of Spears’ privacy.

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The preview teased candid videos of KFed and Britney.

“Pop princess Britney Spears is facing another family feud,” 60 Minutes trumpeted alongside a teaser for the “explosive exclusive interview” with Federline posted to social media this week.

The teaser shows clips from Britney’s iconic music videos alongside candid footage of she and Federline when they were a couple, as well as a new sit-down interview with K-Fed himself.

Kevin Federline sits down with 60 Minutes.

“I was mortified for her, I really was. I still feel bad for her,” Federline is shown saying.

“It was amazing … until it wasn’t,” he continues, before revealing that the couple’s sons Sean, 16, and Jayden, 15, have not seen their mother in “a couple of months.”

Federline with he and Britney’s son Jayden (left), and his half-brother Kaleb (right).

But Nine’s decision to platform Federline – particularly given his recent public actions against Spears – has not gone down well on social media, as fans flood the program with thousands of angry tweets. Many called out 60 Minutes for using music and vision from some of Britney’s own hits to promote the interview:

#KEVINFEDERLINEISTRASH I am an Aussie who is deeply ashamed of what @60Mins has become. A once well respected journalistic story breaker it has become televised gutter sensationalism with the truth being in scant supply. Disgraceful #60minutesofshit

— Karren Weston (@WestonKarren) August 31, 2022

Britney Spears is not a machine, a product or a property of anybody. She is A HUMAN. Please respect her as a human. You hurt her too much. Stop 🛑 it NOW. She’s been hurt 😞 by bad people for so long. The media do it better. Don’t give any platform for people to hurt her @60Mins

— #BritneyThailand🇹🇭 (@britney7685) September 1, 2022

How dare you @60Mins. Britney had her life &kids stolen from her from a den of snakes because she’s a wealthy woman. Kevin has the gall to act like a good parent but he knew what as happening & even threatened to audit her estate to get more money. SHAME! #JusticeForBritneyhttps://t.co/3aChouhZGW

— td (@tofreedomnow1) August 31, 2022

This is disgusting! People get on Britney for her innocent videos she post on social media but what about this not only is Kevin a horrible person for doing this but the way @60Mins is promoting it “Britney is facing another family feud” you guys are HORRIBLE! #BritneySpearshttps://t.co/VWLmN98gv9

— Stephen🌹🚀 (@luckySGM) August 31, 2022

We need justice for BRITNEY ✨ @60Mins It's a shame what they're doing! #JusticeForBritney#BritneySpearshttps://t.co/gmbNyqtqFV

— Ro Burgos (@Ro_BurgosF) August 31, 2022

This is the tackiest, trashiest thing I have literally ever seen. You guys are an absolute joke. https://t.co/Uspf6JqKIM

— Naley (@Naley___) September 1, 2022

Take Britney Spears' music out of this promo IMMEDIATELY
Put his no-hit wonder BS songs over it instead. Trashing her name, but using her music, tf? @60Mins#KEVINFEDERLINEISTRASHhttps://t.co/aUI5mcshv0

— Eve (@MissCx64) August 31, 2022

Using clips of Britney and her music to promote this sh*tshow is beyond disgusting. https://t.co/00eartuQy8

— Conor (@conormckenna101) August 31, 2022

The fact that this channel is supporting someone who couldn't even look straight to the camera while talking trash about the mother of his sons says a lot... We won't be watching and hopefully you guys can leave a comment showing how wrong this is #JusticeForBritneyhttps://t.co/owoxoBoZmh

— Britney-Online.net (@BritneyOnline) August 31, 2022

The story is the same on 60 Minutes’ Facebook page, where the most-liked comment under the teaser, from author Renee Eaves, reads: “He pushed a woman to complete breaking point and is clearly doing some hideous things to bring her down right after she has been freed from the prison life she was living. Why why why, is any media outlet giving this a **hole air time.”

“Why would anyone waste their time on him? He’s been sponging off her for yrs and is just as bad as the rest of her family,” reads another of the top comments.

Federline’s interview comes as newly-married Spears is enjoying her first career success since being freed from her conservatorship: the Elton John duet Hold Me Closer, her first new musical release since 2016, is topping charts worldwide this week.

Spears recently wed longtime partner Sam Asghari. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty

And in contrast to Federline’s TV tell-all, Spears surprised fans earlier this week when she uploaded a 22-minute audio file to YouTube, in which she spoke at length about the trauma of living under the conservatorship and explained why she was telling her story in such a low-key way.

Spears revealed that she’d had “tons of opportunities” to share her story, including an offer from Oprah Winfrey. But she says she thought it was ‘kind of silly” to get paid to open up about her hardships.

Britney’s riding high in the charts right now – with a little help from Elton John.

“For me, it’s beyond a sit-down interview,” she said.

“I’m sharing this because I want people to know, I’m only human. I do feel victimised – and how can I mend this if I don’t talk about it?”

“I have an amazing song right now with one of the most brilliant men of our time, and I’m so grateful. But if you’re a weird, introvert oddball like me, who feels alone a lot of the time, and you needed to hear a story like mine today to know that you’re not alone, know this: My life has been far from easy, and you’re not alone.”

Channel Nine has been contacted for comment.

Originally published as 60 Minutes Australia slammed over ‘disgusting’ celeb interview