Is Justin Timberlake Taking Back His Apology To Britney Spears?
Justin Timberlake's remark during a one-night-only show in New York City on Wednesday caused a stir online.
In a video originally posted by Instagram user @gilbertohoraa, Timberlake made this remark while transitioning to his next song during the show: "I would like to take this opportunity to apologize... to absolutely f*****g nobody!"
The uploader followed up his post with another Story, sharing how much the artist disappointed him for "acting like he is still 16 years old."
While Justin didn't mention anyone in his mini-speech, Britney Spears' fans assumed it was a straight-up dig at the pop songstress because he sang "Cry Me a River" as well, which has long been rumored to be about Spears.
According to Dazed, Timberlake allegedly got the idea for the song after a phone call with his ex-girlfriend, Spears.
The "Mirrors" singer previously apologized to the Princess of Pop after the New York Times documentary "Framing Britney Spears" was released in February 2021.
At the time, he took to Instagram to post an apology following the accusations of racism and sexism in his treatment of his former girlfriend, as well as Janet Jackson.
"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 is right," the former NSYNC band member said.
He continued, "I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism."
Meanwhile, Spears' fans have been tweeting about their disappointment in the "Trolls" star in the wake of the viral video.
"CONFIRMED: Justin Timberlake is still a misogynistic piece of f*****g s**t. I don't understand how y'all think this is 'cool' to publicly attack a woman for 20 years," one claimed on X, formerly Twitter.
"Justin Timberlake just really wants us to know he's a horrible person, hey? He's shown us, blatantly, at last, a dozen times. And yet, he keeps doing it. There's no redemption for him. What a joke," another wrote.
Timberlake's controversial remark also comes days after Spears praised his new song, "Selfish," and apologized for "some of the things" she wrote in her 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 in a post featuring a clip of Timberlake singing on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."