Justin Timberlake isn’t shading ex-girlfriend Britney Spears by singing “Cry Me a River.”
When taking the stage on Wednesday, December 13, to rejoice the opening evening of the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, Timberlake, 42, declared “no disrespect” earlier than performing the 2002 tune.
He gave the impression to be referencing Spears, 42, who referred to as out the tune in her memoir, The Lady in Me, which was launched in October.
In her e book, the singer mentioned her previous relationship with Timberlake — the 2 dated from 1999 to 2002 — at size. Spears claimed that they cheated on one another all through their romance. After their cut up, Timberlake seemingly alluded to infidelity by Spears in “Cry Me a River.” When the tune’s music video was launched, followers have been fast to note that the actress employed to play Timberlake’s love curiosity resembled Spears.
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake: A Timeline of Their Ups and Downs
Alexa, play “Cry Me a River” by Justin Timberlake — after which, cue up “Everytime” by Britney Spears. Timberlake and Spears referred to as it quits twenty years in the past, however followers are nonetheless invested of their rocky romance. The previous boy bander and pop princess met within the early ’90s whereas filming The Mickey Mouse Membership. In […]
“I felt there was no means on the time to inform my aspect of the story,” Spears wrote of the tune. “I couldn’t clarify, as a result of I knew nobody would take my aspect as soon as Justin had satisfied the world of his model. I don’t assume Justin realized the facility he had in shaming me. I don’t assume he understands to at the present time.”
Justin Timberlake performs onstage in the course of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas Star-Studded Grand Opening Celebration on December 13, 2023. Bryan Steffy/Getty Photos for Fontainebleau Las Vegas
Spears additionally addressed their cut up in The Lady in Me, claiming that Timberlake broke up together with her in a textual content message. She wrote that she felt like a “harlot who’d damaged the center of America’s golden boy,” noting she was “clinically in shock” and “devastated” after the cut up.
“I used to be comatose in Louisiana, and he was fortunately operating round Hollywood,” Spears wrote. (Elsewhere within the memoir, Spears revealed that she had an abortion after discovering out she was pregnant with Timberlake’s child.)
After The Lady in Me hit cabinets, a supply informed Us Weekly solely that Timberlake was “disenchanted” with the content material in Spears’ memoir.
“Justin thought Britney may discuss their ups and downs in additional basic phrases — not air out their very private, soiled laundry,” one supply shared in October. A second insider famous that Timberlake “regrets that he harm Britney” all these years in the past.
“He was younger,” the second supply added. “He thinks Britney has each proper to inform her story and hopes they’ll transfer on now.”
Timberlake, for his half, addressed his launch of “Cry Me a River” in his 2018 e book, Hindsight.
“I’ve been scorned. I’ve been pissed off. The emotions I had have been so sturdy, I needed to write it,” he wrote. “I translated my emotions right into a type the place individuals might pay attention and hopefully relate to it. Individuals heard me they usually understood it as a result of we’ve all been there.”
