Britney Spears reportedly is still “hurt” by the way that Justin Timberlake recently took another one of his digs at her, even after she apologized for things she wrote about him in her memoir and attempted to reduce the hard feelings that persist between them.
The two ex-lovers, who dated between 1999 and 2002, “seemed like they were both moving forward” from past hurts stemming from their very public breakup, a source told Us Weekly. “But when he made fun of her apology it triggered her,” the source also said.
As Timberlake began releasing new music in January, including his comeback single, “Selfish,” Spears took to Instagram to apologize for “some of the things” she wrote about him in her 2023 memoir, “The Woman in Me.” The “Baby One More Time” singer further tried to “make nice” with her ex by praising his new songs, as the Daily Beast reported. On March 15, Timberlake finally releases a new album, “Everything I Thought It Was. It’s his first in six years.
“I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song ‘Selfish.’ It is soo good,” Spears said.
A few days after Spears’ post, Timberlake appeared to respond, but not very graciously, people thought. During a performance in New York City, he appeared to dismiss accusations that he mistreated her when they were together or after they broke up in 2002. Onstage, Timberlake flippantly said to his audience, “I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize … to absolutely (expletive) nobody.”
The NSYNC alum then launched into singing his 2002 hit, “Cry Me a River,” which could also be triggering for Spears.
In her book, Spears wrote that the video for “Cry Me a River” unfairly painted her as a villain after the end of her and Timberlake’s extremely public relationship.The video features a devastated-looking Timberlake invading the home of his unfaithful ex-girlfriend, who bears a resemblance to Spears. The “Toxic” singer said it bolstered the impression that she cheated on Timberlake and turned her into a “harlot who’d broken the heart of America’s golden boy.”
Back in 2021, Timberlake publicly apologized to both Spears for the times that his “actions contributed to the problem” of sexism or misogyny directed her. His apology came after a New York Times documentary on Spears set off a wave of criticism of Timberlake for how he treated his ex-girlfriend after their breakup, the New York Times reported.
The documentary, “Framing Britney Spears,” looked at how the couple’s breakup was framed in the media as being Spears’ fault, partly because of the “Cry Me a River” video, the Times said. But Timberlake had taken other digs at her in the aftermath of their breakup, including when he joked with radio hosts who asked if he had sex with Spears and he replied, “OK, yeah, I did it,” evoking cheers.
But Timberlake’s apparent feelings of remorse appeared to dissipate after Spears published her memoir, probably because he faced further backlash after the book revealed that she had a secret abortion she didn’t want because he, at age 19, was “so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.” Spears also described Timberlake cringingly attempting to soothe her in the aftermath of the abortion by singing to her. Moreover, she described a moment when Timberlake comes off as “oblivious and entitled,” as one critic said. This is when he runs into the R&B singer Ginuwine and greets him by saying, “Oh yeah, fo’ shiz, fo’ shiz. Ginuwine! What’s up, homie?”
Spears fans don’t believe she owed Timberlake any apology, but she still attempted one last month when his news music was coming out. Timberlake’s apparent response to that apology was to go onstage and mock her attempt.
“Britney was annoyed after his onstage statement,” the source told Us Weekly.
Similarly, it’s become difficult for people in Spears’ inner circle to hear his digs against her, Us Weekly reported.
“Those close to her wish Justin was more of a stand-up guy and would have just moved on because what he did really hinders her recovery,” the source said.
With this reference to Spears’ recovery, this source asserted that the singer’s well-known mental health struggles began around the time that her relationship with Timberlake ended.
The pop star’s “turning point for her mental issues started when (Timberlake) broke up with her so many years ago,” the source said. Spears “thought they’d be together forever and have children,” the insider continued. “So when he broke up with her, it shook her world.”
