Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz Recall 'Vacant' Britney Spears' 'Glee' Appearance Two Years Into Her Conservatorship

More than ten years after Britney Spears appeared on Glee amid her conservatorship, costars Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz finally spilled the tea on what it was like with the pop star on set.

On the latest episode of their "And That's What You REALLY Missed" podcast, the Glee alums remembered being so excited that Spears was going to be part of the show back in 2010, with her coming to film for two days in August of that year.

"We find out Britney is coming onto the show, and we can't believe it," McHale, who portrayed Artie Abrams, recalled. "But it was also a little bit of, 'Is she going to come? Is she not going to come?' We weren't totally sure she was going to show up."

Ushkowitz, who played Tina Cohen-Chang on the hit series that ended in 2015, agreed, going on to address the "rocky waters" Spears was navigating at the time after being placed under conservatorship in 2008 — following a series of bizarre incidents, including her shaving her head and attacking paparazzi with an umbrella.

Spears did end up showing up to set, and according to Ushkowitz, she was "very quite and very nice," but also "very nervous."

Aside from the obvious nerves, Ushkowitz pointed out that something else seemed to be a little off with the troubled star — whose conservatorship was terminated in November 2021.

"[She was] a little — if you will, in the nicest way possible — a little vacant," said Ushkowitz. "I mean that in the kindest way because at that point she must have been going through so much."

The former co-stars speculated what may have contributed to Spears seeming a bit off, referencing the "huge team around her" on set. Praising the "Toxic" songstress for being fully invested in the performance, McHale and Ushkowitz alleged that it seemed like her team had full control of her.

"She was really trying," said McHale. "She really wanted to, like, 'Oh, let me do it again.'"

"[She] had ideas — it was great — and then she would get whisked away," he continued. "Somebody from her team or something would take her away, and she'd come back and be again, for lack of a better word, a bit vacant."

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Ushkowitz also shared her awkward interaction with Spears, noting: "When we would ask a question, it felt like you were talking around her and people were answering for her all the time."

The co-hosts said the overall consensus of their cast was that Spears really wanted to "be participating" in the episode, but "she was not given the chance to participate in the way that she wanted to."

Spears' estranged dad, Jamie Spears, served as the conservator of her estate up until he was removed in September 2021, with the Grammy-winning artist accusing him of abusing his power in the position.

Just Jared reported on the Glee alums' podcast episode.