Columbus Short claims Britney Spears’ parents used a racial slur to describe him amid short romance

Columbus Short says Britney Spears’ parents referred to him with a racial slur amid a brief romance he shared with the singer in 2003.

The actor-dancer-choreographer, 38, detailed the situation in his autobiography Short Stories, as he was among Britney’s group of backup dancers and choreographer, and eventually engaged in a brief fling with the Toxic singer, 39.

The Scandal actor said he overheard the slur as she was on a chat with her parents on a speakerphone call.

‘I was next to [Britney] while she was on the phone with them crying while she had it on speaker,’ Short said.

He said he heard Spears’ parents asking her, ‘Why are you f***ing that [N-word]?’ and that the singer was embarrassed by her parents’ words.

‘Britney looked at me so apologetically, knowing I’d heard it,’ Short said. ‘I shook my head and didn’t say anything, because what was there to say?’

The Kansas City native, who’s been seen in films such as Stomp the Yard, Cadillac Records and Armored, said that Spears aggressively pursued him ahead of the November 2003 release of her album In The Zone.

Britney ‘was on me like white on rice, and would not leave me alone the entire night,’ Short said. ‘Britney had her eyes on the prize and wasn’t about to stop until she got what she wanted.’

In his book, Short wrote that they consummated the romance during a trip to Rome.

‘I really tried my best, but this girl put on the full-court press,’ he said. ‘We ended up being intimate that one time. I never slept with her again after that, though.

‘This was a dangerous sexual alliance for every reason under sun, and I think that the worst part of it was that I was making the rumors an actual reality.’

Short said that ‘her parents were NOT happy’ about the tryst, and that his relationship with Spears crumbled after he upset her with a response during while they were playing truth or dare.

‘I was fired not too long after that, and Britney changed her number so I couldn’t contact her,’ Short said. 

Short’s revelation comes amid a turbulent time for the pop singer amid her ongoing conservatorship court battle with her father, Jamie Spears; and the release of an unauthorized Hulu documentary titled Framing Britney Spears, examining her career, conservatorship and how she’s been portrayed in the media.

Speaking with Inside Hollywood earlier this month, Short said he ‘wasn’t shocked when it happened’ when he took other factors into account.

‘Look where they’re from … they’re from Louisiana,’ he said. ‘The way it came out was so effortless, like that’s how they speak.

‘I wasn’t shocked and I wasn’t hurt by it, I was just like, “Wow … because they have black bodyguards doesn’t mean behind closed doors they don’t use that word.’

He said he felt Spears might have used him to upset her parents ‘for some reason.’

He continued: ‘I liken it to Princess Diana. She was the pop princess. Britney couldn’t go nowhere – her world [was] completely controlled in this bubble. There would be times that she would act out, and I don’t blame her. She was trying to find her way.

‘I love Britney to this day … I feel bad for her. I wish the world knew the Britney I knew.’

Both of Spears’ parents ever denied using the term in separate statements they released.

Her father Jamie’s team said, ‘Jamie was not there, and not involved. In fact, during this time period, Jamie was not involved in Britney’s business at all.’

Her mother Lynne said, ‘I want to be very clear. Those terrible words are not remotely in my vocabulary. I would never say that to anyone, much less my daughter. Ever.’