In 1999, because their professions skyrocketed, Timberlake and Spears verified they were still dating.
“With him, it’s still the exact same as I felt two years ago. But it is a deeper love now than when I was younger,” Spears gushed to The Observer at 2001. “Like, we have gone through so much together and we’ve known each other since we were 12 years old. We know each other inside and out.”
That same year, the”Oops! … I Did It Again” songstress affirmed Timberlake was the one who chased her.
“He asked me out. We were doing a radio show, which was before’…Baby One More Time’ came out… He knocks on the door and would be like,’Could I view Britney? “And [my assistant] Felicia [Culotta] didn’t understand who he was and she was like,’No. And I was like, ‘No! It’s Justin! ”’
Denim outfits in the 2001 American Music Awards — their relationship came to a conclusion in early 2002.
“Sure,” Timberlake sarcastically responded during the 20/20 interview when asked if Spears, who formerly said she planned to wait to have sex before marriage, nevertheless had”good morals.”
During a radio interview that same year, Timberlake replied,”OK, I did this,” when asked when he”f–ked” Spears.
Amid allegations that Spears cheated on Timberlake, she seemingly reacted in her 2003 ballad,”Everytime,” singing,”I may have left it rain / Please forgive me My weakness caused you pain And this song’s my sorry”
2021’s”Framing Britney Spears,” that explored the pop star’s conservatorship battle with daddy Jamie Spears and the #FreeBritney motion, featured older clips of Timberlake and Britney’s post-split interviews and press coverage. Fans then bombarded the”SexyBack” crooner’s social media pages, asking him to apologize for using her to launch his solo career.
Scroll through to get a deadline of Spears and Timberlake’s ups and downs:
1992
Spears and Timberlake were united by Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera, Keri Russell along with his prospective’NSync band member JC Chasez as cast members on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club in the early’90s.
“I had been in love with her from the start,” he told GQ magazine in 2006. “I had been infatuated with her from the minute I saw her”
2002
Timberlake and Spears divide in 2002 and reports surfaced that she was unfaithful to him.
When asked about adulterous rumors by Walters at the time, Timberlake said,”We are not perfect. I don’t judge anybody. It is just young love. It is just young love. It was a really intense relationship, that’s for certain.”
During precisely the same interview, Timberlake performed a tune called”Horrible Woman,” which included the lyrics”So, you had your opportunity to become my fan / I guess you had something more undercover / And you know that ain’t cool / So let’s bypass the drama, phone your momma.”
2003
It has been long speculated by fans that Spears composed”Everytime” about Timberlake. “And every single time / I find you in my dreams I see your face, you’re haunting me / I think I need you, baby”
2003
Spears got visibly emotional while being questioned by Diana Sawyer concerning the split from Timberlake in 2003.
“You did something which caused him so much pain… so much discomfort. What did you do?”
“I was mad for a short time. We both are really young and it had been sort of waiting to occur. I will always love him… he’s such a fantastic man,” she replied.
When asked if she”betrayed” the connection, Spears, who confessed she was shocked by the”Cry Me a River” video, replied,”I’m not technically saying he is wrong, but I am not technically saying he is right “
2021
The Tennessee native, who wed Jessica Biel in 2012, apologized to Spears — and Janet Jackson for its infamous 2004 Super Bowl episode — via Instagram later”Framing Britney Spears”??? dropped.
“I have seen the tags, messages, comments, and concerns and I wish to respond. I’m deeply sorry for the days in my life where my activities contributed to the issue, where I talked out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right. I understand that I fell short in those minutes and in a number of other people and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism,” he wrote in February 2021. “I especially wish to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both independently, because I care for and respect these women and I know I did also feel pressured to respond, in part, since everyone involved deserves better and above all, because this is a larger conversation that I wholeheartedly need to be a part of and grow from.”
After admitting that he was a guy in a”privileged position” of power, Timberlake concluded,”I understand that this apology is a first step and does not absolve the past. I want to take accountability for my own missteps in most this and be part of a world that supports and amuses. I care deeply about the wellbeing of these people I love and have loved. I will do better and I will do better.”
