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Justin Timberlake apologizes to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson after being tagged endlessly in ‘Free Britney’ posts and amid fresh outrage over Super Bowl ‘nipplegate’
- Timberlake dated Britney Spears from 1998 until 2002 – his career soared afterwards
- One of his most successful albums and songs was about their break up
- Fans always deduced from it that she’d cheated on him and broken his heart- he did nothing to stop the narrative
- Her mental health deteriorated after her break up with Timberlake amid increased scrutiny from the media
- Spears has been under the conservatorship of her father for the last 13 years
- In 2004, Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s breast at the Super Bowl
- He was 23, she was 38 and Viacom and MTV called the incident ‘unplanned’
- She looked visibly shocked by it and her career plummeted afterwards
- He was allowed to return to the Super Bowl to perform again on his own in 2018
- In his statement, Timberlake said he had ‘failed’ both of the women
Justin Timberlake apologized to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson on Instagram on Friday in a long post where he admitted he’d been ‘ignorant’ about his privilege as a white man in the music industry and said he’d ‘failed’ the women.
In a long post, he said: ‘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.’
Timberlake’s apology comes after he was tagged in social media posts about Spears and the campaign to release her from a conservatorship held by her father. It has been highlighted recently in a documentary, Framing Britney Spears.
Fans say that Timberlake contributed to the problem. He and Spears dated from 1998 until 2002 and were an iconic star duo. After their break-up, she suffered mental health episodes and had control of her life taken by her father.
His career soared. Albums and songs were promoted under the narrative that Spears had cheated on him and broke his heart. One of the standout songs from the album – Cry Me A River – even featured a Britney lookalike.
In 2004, Timberlake, then 23, performed with Janet Jackson, then 38, at the Super Bowl. At the end of the performance, he tore off her costume to expose her breast.
She was wearing a nipple cover but looked visibly shocked by what he’d done and the audience was irate. In a statement afterwards, MTV and Viacom said it was not part of the planned show.
Jackson’s career suffered afterwards and she was blacklisted by Viacom but Timberlake’s soared and he was even invited back to perform again in 2018.
Justin Timberlake posted this statement on Instagram on Friday to apologize for his past treatment of women
Timberlake and Spears dated from 1998 until 2002 and were an iconic star duo. After their break-up, she suffered mental health episodes and had control of her life taken by her father.
In 2004, Timberlake, then 23, performed with Janet Jackson, then 38, at the Super Bowl. At the end of the performance, he tore off her costume to expose her breast. The moment afterwards is shown
In his post, Timberlake said he’d seen the ‘tags’ and mentions.
‘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 o f turn or did not speak up for what was right.
‘I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited a system that condones misogyny and racism,’ he said.
He went on: ‘I also feel compelled to respond, in part, because everyone involved deserves better and most importantly, because this is a larger conversation that I wholeheartedly want to be a part of and grow from…
‘The industry is flawed. It sets men, especially white men, up for success. It’s designed this way. As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this.
In his music video for Cry Me A River, Timberlake used a Britney Spears lookalike (above). The narrative surrounding the break up and the subsequent album was that Spears cheated on Timberlake and left him heartbroken
After their break-up, Spears’ mental health deteriorated. She was put under a conservatorship by her father in 2008. She and Timberlake are shown in 2002 at the Super Bowl
‘Because of my ignorance, I didn’t recognize it for all that it was while it was happening in my own life but I do not want to ever benefit from others being pulled down again.
‘I have not been perfect in navigating all of this throughout my career.
‘I know this apology is a first step and doesn’t absolve the past. I want to take accountability for my own missteps in all of this as well as be part of a world that uplifts and supports.
‘I care deeply about the well-being of the people I love and have loved. I can do better and I will do better.’
Timberlake with his wife Jessica Biel. He said in his post that he no longer wanted to ‘benefit from others being pulled down’
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