Remember when everyone was obsessing over Tiger King in 2020? What a weird time that was. The Performance Had a Secret 'Tiger King' Connection
See? It's really true that everyone Britney's ever crossed paths with on the job has nothing but good things to say about the pop star, and surely Banana - who's reportedly grown to more than 100 pounds and 15 feet by now - would agree. And even when the director told them to take five, she kept practicing her steps." I remember when I got there, there was a whole bunch of people on the stage, and they're all rehearsing. "She was scared of snakes, and this thing was right around her neck, and she had to dance with it on live television in front of millions of people. "She seemed like she was a really hard worker and very determined," Hano told MTV News in 2016 of watching the pop phenom during rehearsals for the show. But guess what? She was actually nameless before her big break! In fact, according to the snake's handler, Britney herself named the python Banana after her albino yellow color. While she didn't appear around the pop princess' neck until the track's second pre-chorus, Banana the python became an overnight sensation thanks to her big moment on the VMAs stage. No! Never!"īanana the Python Didn't Have a Name Before the Show "It's insane! Why did I do that?" she said to E! News on the set of her music video for Glory lead single "Make Me." "Hell no! It's so dumb. I was, but I was just so excited that I was like, 'Whatever!"Īnd that's not all: a couple months earlier, she flat-out called the decision to perform with the snake "so dumb." I'm totally scared of snakes but I was completely fearless," she admitted in an interview with BBC Radio 1's Scott Mills while performing in London at what would be the final Apple Music Festival in September 2016.
"I think it was great but I wouldn't do that now. However, it wasn't until 15 years later - while promoting 2016's Glory - that she revealed she actually has a fear of snakes! Britney Actually Had a Fear of Snakes at the Timeīritney's performance is best remembered for one indelible image: a giant albino Burmese python draped over her shoulders as she writhes around stage to the song's iconic chorus. Surely, PETA was less than thrilled to see Britney kick off the iconic performance sharing a rotating cage with a giant cat and its handler. "We asked her not to do it because the animals-under the bright lights, and with all the noise and just the training that goes into making these cats behave-is stressful for them, but also very cruel, so we asked her to not have the animals onstage," said PETA spokesperson Jenny Woods at the time. When PETA caught wind that the pop star was planning on showcasing live animals during the jungle-themed number, the controversial animal rights organization publicly sent her a letter asking her to reconsider the decision. To no one's surprise, Brit's performance caused controversy before she ever even took the stage at Lincoln Center. PETA Asked Britney Not to Use a Live Animal Onstage Before the Show To mark the (actually unbelievable) milestone, we've rounded up five wild facts about Spears' most exceptional moment on the VMAs stage.
It may be hard to believe, but that perfect moment in pop culture history turns 20 this year - on Sept.