Next to Prince Harry’s Spare, no celebrity memoir promised quite so many shocking revelations and Justin Timberlake’s response to Britney Spears’ Woman in Me book has certainly got fans talking.

Justin Timberlake’s True Feelings About Britney Spears’ a.bo.r.t.i.o.n Story Revealed

Justin and Britney were together from 1998 to 2002 when they both were rising to fame and together became one of the biggest couples in show business. As revealed in the 2022 documentary Framing Britney Spears, Justin leaked that “Britney wasn’t a virgin” following their split, leading to hurtful headlines and reports about the “Gimme More” singer. It took nearly 20 years after their split—and the demands of fans around the world—for Justin to issue a considerable apology to the star.

He finally took to Instagram in February 2021 to share his thoughts, writing in part, “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 specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”
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Now, as she prepares for the launch of her tell-all book, Justin Timberlake responded to Britney Spears’ Woman in Me memoir. Here’s what we know.

Justin Timberlake responds to Britney Spears’ Woman in Me

Justin Timberlake responds to Britney Spears’ Woman in Me

Justin Timberlake hasn’t issued an official response to Britney Spears’ Woman in Me book but sources said that he’s keeping his distance. “Justin will always be supportive of Britney and all of her endeavors, but he’s trying to distance himself from her upcoming book,” a source told Us Weekly. “It’s not something he’s focusing too much on in terms of anything she might discuss when it comes to their former relationship.”

Ahead of the huge bombshells revealed by People before its launch, the *NSYNC star was said to be somewhat dreading its release. “Justin’s not going to be happy,” a source told Us Weekly, hinting that Spears “goes after him hard.” But “it’s not Britney’s intention to skewer anyone,” added a third source. “She’s just going to relay the facts from her perspective.”

Indeed, that aligns with what other sources revealed. “[Justin]’s very curious what she’ll reveal from their relationship,” one source explained to Page Six. “It’s eating at him.” Another said that the book isn’t a “takedown” of anyone. “This is Britney finally getting a chance to tell her empowering story,” they said, “and it’s nothing more than that.”

Sources told Entertainment Tonight that Justin’s main focus is his family. “Justin has been focusing on his own family and trying not to concern himself with Britney’s memoir,” the source says. “In recent years, Justin has tried to be supportive of Britney from a distance. They dated so long ago, but he still has respect for her. Justin and Jessica just want everyone to grow and evolve instead of continuing to bring up the past.”

By far the biggest revelation in The Woman in Me, Britney revealed that she was pregnant with his baby during the relationship, but they decided to get an a.bo.r.t.i.o.n. “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,” she 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.”

The pop icon admitted that she “agreed not to have the baby” but seemed to have some regrets about the decision they made more than 20 years ago. “I don’t know if that was the right decision. If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it,” she revealed. “And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.”

On the topic of Justin, Britney also revealed how they shared their first kiss. Alongside Justin, Britney joined The All-New Mickey Mouse Club when she was 11 years old in 1992. She described it as “honestly a kid’s dream — unbelievably fun, particularly for a kid like me. But it was also exceptionally hard work: we would run choreography thirty times in a day, trying to get every step perfect.” She shared a dressing room with Christina Aguilera and looked up to the older cast members like Keri Russell, Ryan Gosling, and Ryan Lucca.

Though she disclosed that behind the scenes, there was a start of her relationship with co-star Justin Timberlake. “[Once] at a sleepover, we played Truth or Dare, and someone dared Justin to kiss me. A Janet Jackson song was playing in the background as he leaned in and kissed me.”

Justin Timberlake’s pro-choice stance

Justin Timberlake’s pro-choice stance

Justin has been vocal about his pro-choice views over the years. In 2008 while supporting presidential candidate Barack Obama, he said that “nobody should be able to say what you can do with your body,” adding, as a joke that he gives then-girlfriend, now-wife Jessica Biel “the right to choose where we go to eat all the time. The funny thing is what the woman chooses is usually right.”
In 2022 when the Supreme Court repealed the Roe v Wade decision that protected a.bo.r.t.i.o.n access, Biel tweeted: ““I am enraged. What happened today is not only a disgusting step backward for women – undermining our ability to make decisions for our own bodies… but it’s also dangerous,” she wrote. “You didn’t ban a.bo.r.t.i.o.n, you banned access to SAFE a.bo.r.t.i.o.n. #BansOffOurBodies.”

Britney Spears’ Diane Sawyer interview

Britney Spears’ Diane Sawyer interview

Now free from her conservatorship, Britney has also taken aim at those she claims exploited her over the years. In a since-deleted Instagram post from December 2021, the “Gimme More” singer criticized her dad Jamie and the manager who facilitated the now-infamous interview with Diane Sawyer—along with Sawyer herself. “Do we dare forget the Diane Sawyer interview in my apartment almost 20 years ago?” Britney wrote.

“What was with the ‘You’re in the wrong’ approach?? Geeze… and making me cry???” Britney went on to blast the veteran journalist for asking questions about her shopping habits, sex life and more. “Seriously though… I lived in my apartment for a year and never spoke to anyone… my manager put that woman in my home and made me talk to her on national television and she asked if I had a shopping problem!!! when did I have a shopping problem?” She continued: “I should spend a thousand dollars if I want every day of my life and she can kiss my white ass.”

Britney, who was 22 at the time, was asked invasive questions about her “big breakup” from Justin. “You broke his heart. You did something that caused him so much pain, so much suffering. What did you do?” Diane asked during the interview. All these years later, Britney reveals she was still “in shock” about her split from Justin and had not spoken “to anyone for a very long time” after their breakup in 2002.

“Something I never shared when I had that breakup years ago was that I couldn’t talk afterward,” she wrote on Instagram, adding, “I was in shock… pretty lame of my dad and three men to show up at my door when I could hardly speak… two days later they put Diane Sawyer in my living room… they forced me to talk!”

Britney’s dad, however, claimed that he was “completely uninvolved” in the planning of Britney’s Diane Sawyer interview. “Mr. Spears has no idea what Ms. Spears is talking about,” Jamie’s lawyer, Alex Weingarten, said in a statement to PEOPLE on December 13, 2021. “Jamie never set up any interview with Diane Sawyer and was not present for any such interview. He had nothing to do with Britney’s career at this point and was completely uninvolved in this interview. Jamie loves Britney very much, wishes Britney nothing but the best and hopes that she continues to seek the help that she needs to stay safe and healthy.”

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.

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