Britney Spears Calls Out Justin Timberlake For 'Using' Her For 'Fame And Attention'
She also called out her mom and sister.
Tinseltown / Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock Britney Spears is continuing to call out people who've done in her dirty in the past, including her ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake.
In a since-deleted Instagram caption of a video of her dancing, Spears slammed Timberlake, along with her mother, Lynne Spears, and sister, Jamie Lynn Spears. In the caption, the singer wrote that she'd received a "calling last night from Jesus" about people who had wronged her during her career.
Britney Spears implied Justin Timberlake was 'using' her for fame.
“Dear child … your mom had a serving with her book at the exact time when you needed her most …all for WHAT ??? FAME and ATTENTION !!!! Your ex did the same thing … he served with his first album using your name claiming you did him dirty !!!! Then your blood, one of the hardest times in your life guess what your sister does … a book too … all for what ????” Spears wrote.
The 'Toxic' singer was referring to a book her mother had written in 2008, 'Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World,' following Spears' public breakdown after her split from ex-husband Kevin Federline.
This also isn't the first time Spears has called out her family for writing memoirs that discuss her life.
Earlier this year Spears launched a similar tirade against Jamie Lynn, for her role in the decades-long conservatorship battle, and for the memoir that Jamie Lynn published, 'Things I Should Have Said,' which was published in January 2022.
Justin Timberlake released his first album amid his high-profile breakup with Britney Spears.
Although Spears didn't name Timberlake by name, it's been reported in the past that much of his music, including his single 'Cry Me a River' from his first album, was about his relationship with Spears and the breakup, insinuating that she had cheated on him, a fact Spears herself has denied.
Spears and Timberlake dated from 1999 to 2002, after meeting when they were 11 while co-starring on the Mickey Mouse Club. The pop singer had previously expressed her "hurt" by Timberlake's song and felt both the lyrics and music video, which featured a blonde look-alike cheating on Timberlake, "unfair."
“It is not news to Britney that Justin wrote ‘Cry Me A River’ about her, she has known that all along, and years ago when it was all going down she was very hurt by it all,” a source told HollywoodLife.
Back in December 2021, for the first time in 20 years, Spears opened up about her breakup from Timberlake in a since-deleted post on Instagram.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Spears revealed that she “couldn’t speak” following the split, and even mentioned the horrific treatment she received following the infamous Diane Sawyer interview.
“Do we dare forget the Diane Sawyer interview in my apartment almost 20 years ago???” Spears wrote. “What was with the ‘you’re in the wrong’ approach?? Geeze … and making me cry???”
In the 2004 interview, Sawyer questioned Spears on whether she was unfaithful in her relationship with Timberlake, and had also been asked about her supposed shopping addiction.
“I lived in my apartment for a year and never spoke to anyone,” she continued. “My manager put that woman in my home and made me talk to her on national television and she asked me if I had a shopping problem.”
Justin Timberlake has previously addressed the role he played in how Spears was treated by the media.
In an Instagram post from February 2021, Timberlake issued an apology to Spears for the part he'd played in damaging her reputation following their breakup.
“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,’ he wrote.
"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.”
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.