Britney Spears calls Janet Jackson her girl crush in Instagram tribute

Britney Spears has called Janet Jackson her "girl crush this month" in an Instagram tribute posted on Thursday, Oct. 15.

The post on her @britneyspears account centred on a photo of Jackson. The caption ran several lines and focused entirely on praise. It quickly picked up attention from followers.

Spears wrote that at 13, her "mouth dropped open" any time a Jackson music video came on TV. That memory opened the message and set the tone for the rest. Billboard reported the full wording on Oct. 16.

She continued: "She's not trying to be sexy ... She just is ... She can't help it ... She has always been god to me." Spears added that Jackson is "not just a singer," as noted by Complex. The language was personal. It read like a fan note.

She described Jackson's ability as "incredibly mysterious, so dark with a vibe that sucked you in immediately, and then this haunting simple angelic tone." That contrast sits at the heart of the tribute. Mystery first, then softness.

Spears signed off the October message by calling Jackson her girl crush for the month. It was a short closing line. It gave the post its headline.

Jackson noticed. She reshared Spears' post on her Instagram Story, the short-lived photo and video feature that sits apart from the main feed. She added a red heart emoji and a kissy-face emoji. No words were needed.

The moment connects two artists with long histories on the same US singles chart. Jackson has scored 10 No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100, the weekly ranking of the most popular songs in the United States. Spears has earned five No. 1s on that chart to date.

The Oct. 15 post on Instagram was date-stamped Oct. 15, 2026, and had collected 76,000 likes. The same tribute text, starting with the line about being 13 and seeing a Jackson video on TV, had also appeared in an April 10 post on the @britneyspears account. The October version brought it back to a wider audience.

What makes this stand out is its simplicity. There was no announcement attached. There was no release date or project tease. For fans, this means a small, warm exchange to follow, one pop star to another, in public and without fuss.