Justin Timberlake was allegedly concerned ahead of the release of Britney Spears’ memoir The Woman in Me, unsure of what his ex-girlfriend would reveal about their relationship and ensuing breakup. It turns out his supposed worries were valid, as Spears made some bombshell revelations, including that she got an abortion in 2000 because the *NSYNC star wasn’t ready to be a dad and that he broke up with her via text. Given the recent excitement over *NSYNC’s reunion and fans’ hopes for a new album or tour, how are Timberlake’s bandmates feeling about all of the allegations?
Britney Spears is finally getting to speak her truth, with The Woman in Me discussing some major moments in her life, including her 13-year conservatorship, her relationship with her family and stories about her career and past romances. Justin Timberlake is facing some harsh criticism for his past actions, and TMZ reports that the other members of the boy band are there to support him.
The timing of Britney Spears’ tell-all is pretty inconvenient, not just for Justin Timberlake, but for JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick too, as the past month has seen *NSYNC “come back to life” with the release of their first new music in two decades. But the boy band members reportedly have nothing but love for the Reptile actor, with a source saying they’ve known Timberlake for 25 years and would still be interested in performing with him again.
Justin Timberlake has been laying low since stories from his past with Britney Spears began to recirculate amid The Woman in Me’s release October 24, and insiders say he has “quietly” removed some club appearances that were scheduled for early next year. However, plans are still in place for the solo artist to release a new album and go on tour next summer.
*NSYNC’s release of “Better Place” for the Trolls Band Together soundtrack got fans’ hopes up that the boy band might be planning a reunion tour, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Some longtime fans feel the comeback is pretty disappointing if the Trolls 3 single is the only thing that comes from it, and one has to wonder if getting the band back together would be a better move for Timberlake at this point than a solo venture.
In addition to Britney Spears writing about her abortion and bad breakup with Justin Timberlake, The Woman in Me also talks about her first kiss with her Mickey Mouse Club co-star — which apparently happened with a Janet Jackson song playing in the background. She also alleges that Timberlake cheated on her during their three-year relationship and blames a run-in with her ex-boyfriend at the 2007 MTV VMAs for triggering a panic attack ahead of her notoriously panned “Gimme More” performance.
This isn’t the first time Justin Timberlake has faced backlash for his past with the “...Baby One More Time” singer. Following the release of the documentary Framing Britney Spears, which spotlighted the horrible way Spears was treated in the aftermath of their breakup, the boybander issued an apology to both his ex-girlfriend and Janet Jackson — who took the brunt of the fallout from the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show “wardrobe malfunction” — admitting that he had “benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”
I'm sure Justin Timberlake is grateful to have the other *NSYNC members sticking by him, and we’ll just have to wait and see if there’s still more in the cards for the boy band’s reunion.
