In A Sad Twist, Britney Spears Apologizes To Justin Timberlake

By Emily Richardson | Celebrity | January 29, 2024 |

By Emily Richardson | Celebrity | January 29, 2024 |

Last week, Justin Timberlake released “Selfish”, the lead single off his upcoming album, Everything I Thought It Was. Immediately, Britney Spears’ loyal stans got to work: they pushed Brit’s “Selfish” (a song off the deluxe version of her 2011 album, Femme Fatale) to the top of the charts. Out of spite. It was awesome.

But I guess our beloved pop princess felt bad about her fans raining on Justin’s parade. So, this morning, Britney took to Instagram to apologize to her ex for what she wrote about him in her memoir. She shared a clip from Justin’s recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and wrote this in the caption:

I wanna apologize 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…

NO, BRITNEY, NO! Justin’s actions were offensive (see: throwing you under the bus to launch his solo career, repeatedly cheating on you, slut-shaming you, pressuring you to get an abortion you didn’t want). All you did was tell the truth in your best-selling memoir. And that’s your God-given right as a celebrity. She continues:

I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song “Selfish” It is soo good and how come every time I see Justin and Jimmy together I laugh so hard?

Ps “Sanctified” is wow too

“Sanctified” is Justin’s second single. He debuted it over the weekend on SNL. Here’s a screenshot of Britney’s apology post (she went private on Insta):

Justin only ever publicly apologized to Britney once, back in 2021. It was after the release of the New York Times doc, Framing Britney, when audiences were reminded what a slut-shaming douchebag he was in the early 2000s.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, Justin wrote that he “fell short” and benefitted from institutional racism and misogyny. He also apologized to Janet Jackson, for hanging her out to dry after she accidentally revealed her nipple during their performance at the 2004 Super Bowl:

I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond. I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right. I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.

I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and know I failed.

I also feel compelled to respond, in part, because everyone involved deserves better and most importantly, because this is a larger conversation that I wholeheartedly want to be part of and grow from…

Thanks, Justin Timberlake’s PR team! Last fall, after Britney released her memoir, Timberhate was at an all-time high. But Justin did not publicly comment on Britney’s allegations. Instead, a “source” (his people) told Entertainment Tonight that he and wife Jessica Biel “just want everyone to grow and evolve instead of continuing to bring up the past.” Ew.
That same week, Justin was forced to turn off his Instagram comments because of all the hate he was getting.

After laying low for a couple months, Justin performed his anti-Britney hit, “Cry Me A River”, at the opening of a luxury hotel in Vegas. As the opening bars played, he turned to the audience, and said, “No disrespect.” But, um, he still did the song. So. Yeeeah.

Thanks to the patriarchy and years of abuse at the hands of her shit-bag father, Britney has been conditioned to please the men in her life. So I’m not surprised she felt compelled to apologize to Justin. Still, it’s sad to see. Despite what Justin believes, he is not the victim here. And he sure as hell doesn’t deserve Britney’s kindness after all he put her through.