Britney Spears is weighing in on this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.
The pop princess who used to rule the awards ceremony in the late ’90s and early ’00s took some notes on the ceremony after watching some clips on YouTube.
“Did you guys watch the VMAs?” she asked her 42 million Instagram followers on Thursday. “I didn’t watch the VMAs, but I did see stuff on my phone from YouTube of Sabrina Carpenter.”
Spears then had some questions about the “Espresso” singer’s performance.
“Why is she kissing an alien onstage?” she asked before saying that she loves and adores the singer.
“I didn’t understand that part. Why didn’t you kiss a girl?” the “Toxic” singer asked.
On Wednesday night, Carpenter kissed a dancer dressed up as a female alien during her live performance of the song “Taste.” The smooch referenced her on-screen kiss with actress Jenna Ortega for the song’s music video.
Fans will remember when Spears famously kissed Madonna during her “Like A Virgin” performance with the “Material Girl” and Christina Aguilera during the 2003 VMAs.
It turns out, Carpenter’s entire performance was a subtle nod to the legendary Spears.
The performance started with the singer sitting atop a swing, which reminded viewers of Spears’ music video for the song “Lucky,” as she sang her hit “Please Please Please.” During the transition to “Taste,” the stage turned into an outer space theme and featured Spears’ interlude from her 2000 hit “Oops… I Did It Again.”
Spears may not have completely understood the homage to her heyday, but she did notice that Carpenter gave her a shoutout on the red carpet.
“I thought that was kind of cool. I forget I’m famous sometimes, because I’m a mom, I’m kind of old,” she said to the camera. “But that was kind of cool. That’s cool. She’s really cool.”
Carpenter wasn’t the only celebrity to honor Spears on Wednesday night.
The ceremony’s host, rapper Megan Thee Stallion, sported the same”Slave 4 U” outfit Spears wore during her 2001 performance, complete with a live yellow snake.
Singer Tate McRae paid tribute to the Princess of Pop by wearing a sheer lace sleeve mini dress, which resembled Spears’ 2001 look.
While Spears didn’t watch the entire awards show, her influence was definitely in the room of New York’s UBS Arena.