Britney Spears apologises for ‘some things’ she wrote in memoir as her fans troll Justin Timberlake

Pop star Britney Spears has apologised to her ex and fellow musician, Justin Timberlake, for what she wrote about him in her memoir, The Woman In Me.

The much anticipated memoir, released in 2023, explored her rise to stardom, her relationship with her family, her romantic life, and the 13-year conservatorship she was placed under in 2008.

Spears was under a conservatorship for 13 years. (Getty)

Timberlake and Spears dated for three years between 1999 and 2002.

Within the book, she wrote a candid account of the time Timberlake urged her to get an abortion when she found out she was pregnant and that he made her look like a “harlot who’d broken the heart of America’s golden boy” when they eventually split up.

She has since apologised, writing in a post on Instagram that she is “deeply sorry” to Timberlake for any “offence” caused, while praising two of Timberlake’s latest songs.

In the post on Instagram on 29 January, Spears shared a clip of Timberlake, 42, performing a medley of his hits using classroom instruments alongside TV host Jimmy Fallon.

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Timberlake appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote his new single “Selfish”. As part of the medley, he also performed his earlier hits including “SexyBack” and “My Love” and “Suit & Tie”.

“Cry Me A River”, his song about Britney Spears, was notably absent from the musical assortment.

The 42-year-old “Toxic” took a moment in her post’s caption to apologise for some of the content in her October memoir, The Woman In Me.

“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,” she wrote.

“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 l laugh so hard,” she questioned.

Britney Spears shares message on Instagram and praises Justin Timberlake’s new song:

“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… I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin… pic.twitter.com/NmPcRd4XUC

— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 29, 2024

After Timberlake released “Selfish” on Friday (26 January), Spears’ fans responded by streaming her song of the same name, an album track taken from her 2011 album Femme Fatale.

Britney’s “Selfish” initially hit the number one spot on US iTunes, with Timberlake’s song lagging behind. At the time of writing though, Timberlake’s song is at number four, and Britney’s is at number six.

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake in 2002. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
In the UK iTunes chart, Britney’s song is at number 12, and Timberlake’s is sitting at number seven.

In her memoir, Spears wrote about how Timberlake’s song ‘Cry Me a River’ and its subsequent music video, which included a Britney Spears-lookalike, vilified her in light of the breakup.

“I felt there was no way at the time to tell my side of the story,’ she wrote in her memoir. “I couldn’t explain, because I knew no one would take my side once Justin had convinced the world of his version. I don’t think Justin realized the power he had in shaming me. I don’t think he understands to this day.”

In The Woman In Me, Spears also revealed that she became pregnant with Justin Timberlake’s baby during their relationship, which lasted from 1999 to 2002.

However, she opted to get an abortion, as Timberlake had said that he wasn’t ready to become a father.

“It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated,” Spears wrote.

“But Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young.”

She described the abortion as one of the most “agonising” things she had ever been through, explaining: “If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.”

After sharing her recent video apologising to Timberlake, as well as a number of pictures appearing in a sheer bodysuit, Spears has made her profile private so only her most loyal fans are able to see what she posts.

Britney Spears and the LGBTQ+ community

Spears was very open about her personal life in the memoir, including paying tribute to the LBGTQ+ community for their support of her over the years.

She wrote: “For me, it’s all about love – unconditional love. My gay friends were always protective of me, maybe because they knew that I was kind of innocent. Not dumb, but way too kind. And I think a lot of the gay guys around me took on a supportive role.”

Spears is known for being an LGBTQ+ ally, previously accepting the Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Awards. After accepting the award, she said: “I feel like our society has always put such an emphasis on what’s normal and to be different is unusual or seen as strange. But to be accepted unconditionally and to be able to express yourself as an individual through art is such a blessing.”