Were bridges burned? Justin Timberlake made quite the statement on stage before he sang his hit single “Cry Me a River,” which many fans still believe was inspired by his breakup from Britney Spears. During JT’s “One Night Only” concert in New York City on Wednesday, January 31, the 43-year-old recording artist reportedly said, “I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely f**king nobody.”
Many of Britney’s fans took this as a shot at her, since the 42-year-old Princess of Pop recently posted a public apology about her memoir, The Woman in Me.
“I wanna apologize for some of the things I wrote about in my book,” Britney wrote via Instagram on Monday, January 29. “If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about, I am deeply sorry.”
@jtimberlake you’re pathetic, bullying Britney is what you did to build your career, cuz otherwise without her you wouldn’t have one 🤣 & you still continue to do it. #canceljustintimberlake #JustinTimberlake #BritneySpears #JusticeForBritney pic.twitter.com/RXX0YqQfpO
— David Versace (@DavidVersace17) February 1, 2024
Not only did she apologize for her book, but Britney even shouted out Justin’s new music, saying that she’s “in love” with it.
“I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song ‘Selfish.’ It is soo good. ‘Sanctified’ is wow too,” Britney concluded in her caption. Shortly after posting her statement, the “Womanizer” artist switched her Instagram account to private.
The internet exploded after Justin released his song “Selfish” earlier this month. Many pointed out that Britney’s own song with the same title was seeing a spike in streams as of late. She released her single “Selfish” in 2011.
“Selfish by Britney Spears becomes the first song from Femme Fatale to earn more than 200k streams in a 24 hour period [sic],” a fan account tweeted earlier this week. “You’re a fool if you think we’re gonna let him win,” another fan tweeted, adding, “Streaming Selfish by Britney Spears, cause it’s the ONLY SELFISH that matters [sic].”
Britney’s memoir — which was released in October 2023 — unpacks the recording artist’s decade-long conservatorship and her personal relationships, including her past romance with Justin. In one portion of the book, the “Circus” singer revealed that the “Mirrors” artist wanted her to get an abortion for an unknown pregnancy. However, Britney admitted she wanted to have the baby but went ahead with the abortion because Justin wasn’t ready to be a father at the time.
The abortion revelation sparked outrage among readers, with many fans turning against Justin. He never publicly responded to the criticism, however, nor addressed Britney’s claims about him from her book. As for the “Gimme More” hitmaker, she released a statement shortly after releasing her book to clarify that the memoir wasn’t intended to hurt anyone.
“My book’s purpose was not to offend anyone by any means,” Britney insisted. “That was me then … that is in the past!!!! I don’t like the headlines I am readying … that’s exactly why I quit the business 4 years ago!!! Most of the book is from 20 years ago …. I have moved on and it’s a beautiful clean slate from here!!!! I am here to establish it that way for the rest of my entire life [sic]!!!!”