Britney Spears quits Instagram again on 20th anniversary of her iconic hit Toxic

Britney Spears has quit Instagram again in a move that has coincided with the 20th anniversary of her iconic hit Toxic.

The 42-year-old has deleted her account on the social media site just days after she announced she was never making music again, and had quit the industry for good. Britney’s 43 million followers were hoping the pop icon would mark the milestone anniversary of the release of her number one track, but they were left disappointed when they realised she had decided to lay low for a while.

Earlier this month, she revealed in a since-deleted post that she wouldn’t be returning to the recording studio to make music - instead, she was happy working behind the scenes, and penning tracks for other artists. “When I write, I write for fun or I write for other people !!! I’ve written over 20 songs for other people the past two years !!! I’m a ghostwriter and I honestly enjoy it that way !!!"” Britney explained.

READ MORE: Justin Timberlake completely wipes Instagram after Britney Spears controversy

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She had responded to a report that Charli XCX and Julia Michaels had been asked to write songs for Britney's alleged new album, but the mother-of-two called the claims “trash”, and dubbed the women “random people”. In her tell-all memoir The Woman In Me, Britney revealed she was taking time to focus on herself, and wouldn’t be making new music for a very long time. “Pushing forward in my music career is not my focus at the moment. It’s time for me not to be someone who other people want; it’s time to actually find myself,” she wrote.

She previously spoke about quitting the music industry after being released from her controversial conservatorship in 2021, and said her refusal to make music was an act of defiance against her family, including dad Jamie Spears. However, one year later she released the track Hold me Closer, a collaboration with Elton John, but has yet to record any new music, with her last album Glory released in 2016.

It’s not the first time she’s deleted her account on Instagram. Back in October, ahead of the release of The Woman In Me, Britney erased her Instagram account, bidding a temporary farewell to her fans by telling them in a post that she would “see you in hell”.

Her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, who faced fierce criticism following the release of Britney’s memoir, has also deleted all traces of his Instagram posts. The Cry Me A River hitmaker was forced to disable comments on his social media after Britney revealed she had an abortion while they were dating, as he didn’t want her to have the baby. Now, he’s deleted all his previous posts, as fans speculate he’s retreating from the public eye to focus on making new music and a possible US tour.

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