Justin Timberlake’s ‘Apology’ Has Britney Spears Fans Pissed
Justin Timberlake reacts during Day one of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links on September 26, 2019 in St Andrews, United Kingdom.
Justin Timberlake has no apologies to give to anyone. While performing in New York City on his birthday yesterday (January 31) the “Selfish” singer was captured on video telling the crowd in between songs that he’d like to take a moment to apologize. After taking a brief pause, JT continues to say “to absolutely f—ing nobody.” Some fans in the clip cheer the singer-songwriter on, but once the video was uploaded to social media, Britney Spears and Janet Jackson fans alike took the timing of the apology to be a sarcastic, shady gesture.
As we recently reported, just two days prior to Justin’s “apology,” Spears actually apologized to him on Instagram in a post that has since been deleted. The “Womanizer” singer posted a clip of JT’s late-night show performance with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots with classroom instruments. In Spears’ post, she praised JT’s musical and comedic abilities. She started off by apologizing “for some of the things I wrote about in my book. If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about I am deeply sorry…” Spears revealed in her memoir, The Woman in Me, that she had an abortion while pregnant with the *NSYNC alum’s child. Spears wrote, “Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.”
With today being the 20th anniversary of Justin and Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl performance, folks online are outraged at the timing of JT’s “apology.” Though Timberlake previously publicly apologized to both women years after the incidents, his cheeky apology this week has people pissed off. One person wrote: “CONFIRMED: Justin Timberlake is still a misogynistic piece of f—ing s—. I don’t understand how y’all think this is ‘cool’ to publicly attack a woman for 20 years.” Another person shared a reaction video with the comment: “Jessica Biel watching Justin Timberlake bring up Britney Spears on stage for the 20th consecutive year.”
Another fan slammed him by saying, “Justin Timberlake takes ANOTHER shot at Britney right before singing Cry Me A River. “I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely f-ing nobody.” He is such a pompous douchebag, even after Britney was kind to him & apologized without actually needing to. #RespectBritney.” Another person wrote: “i wonder if justin timberlake would’ve done this if his new single wasn’t flopping. he’s such a piece of s—.”
Timberlake hasn’t addressed the shady apology, but he posted a snippet of a new song for his upcoming album. Titled “Interlude,” he writes in the caption: “It’s my birthday and nobody can tell me what to do so here’s a snippet of my favorite interlude on my new album EITIW sorry not sorry to my team see you guys tonight.” Now, Britney is responding to Justin’s “apology.” She wrote in an Instagram caption Thursday: “Someone told me someone was talking s— about me on the streets !!! Do you want to bring it to the court or will you go home crying to your mom like you did last time ??? I’m not sorry !!!”
Justin Timberlake’s 14 Greatest Music Videos Ranked
Justin Timberlake is one of the most legendary men in pop music. The Aquarian crooner was born on January 31, 1981, and boasts a fantastic music library. He isn’t called the “Prince of Pop” for nothing, Justin comes from a musical family. Growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, his grandfather introduced him to music from country music artists like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. Performing as a child, Timberlake sang country and gospel music. At eleven years old, he appeared on the television show Star Search, performing country songs under the name “Justin Randall” (Randall is his middle name). With broadening exposure to different music genres, JT was listening to rhythm and blues musicians from the ’60s and ’70s, like Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye. He would also have listening sessions with his father of the Eagles and Bob Seger.
From Mickey Mouse to World Famous
In 1993, Justin landed the gig as a Mouseketeer on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, along with future famous castmates Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, JC Chasez, Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell. After Mickey Mouse Club, Timberlake recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group, put together by Chris Kirkpatrick and financed by boy band manager Lou Pearlman, which eventually became *NSYNC. The boy band formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995, and began their career in 1996 in Germany. Timberlake and Chasez were the group’s lead vocalists. Their self-titled debut album was successful in Europe and later debuted in the US with the single “I Want You Back.” The band released four albums, with over 70 million records worldwide, becoming the fifth-best selling boy band in history. They performed at the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show.
The rise of JT’s own stardom and the general decline in popularity of boy bands led to *NSYNC’s hiatus in 2002. Moving onto his solo career, he partnered with Pharrell Williams. He released his debut studio album, Justified, that same year. He then
released his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds four years later. By 2013, he released The 20/20 Experience, with a second part of the album releasing later the same year. His fifth album, Man of the Woods, released in 2018. Five years later, the singer-songwriter announced his sixth album, Everything I Thought It Was, would be released in March.
To commemorate the former *NSYNCer’s amazing career, we’ve compiled our favorite music videos of his career. See how your favorites ranked below:
Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.
