Justin Timberlake Faces Reckoning Over Britney Spears Treatment

Justin Timberlake is facing the Internet's wrath after a shocking revelation from Britney Spears' upcoming memoir, The Woman in Me, which will be released on October 24.

Sharing a snippet from the book with People magazine, the pop icon said she became pregnant in the early 2000s while in a relationship with Justin Timberlake, 42.

Although she was happy about the pregnancy, Timberlake was not ready to be a father. In the excerpt, the 41-year-old described the abortion as "one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life."

Newsweek has reached out to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake for comment via email.

Since Spears was released from her conservatorship in November 2021, fans have been re-evaluating the star's treatment at the hands of the media over the years, as well as those who used her fame for their own gain.

Since abortion revelations broke on October 17, many online began lambasting Timberlake, accusing him of profiting off their relationship and its breakdown, with X user Ross commenting: "Britney deserved better."

"So Justin Timberlake got Britney Spears pregnant and he wanted her to get an abortion, yet at the same time he was bragging about how he took her virginity? He's s*** for that!!" said Rio Ghsp.

"7 years after they broke up, when Britney was already on an illegal conservatorship & had her children taken away, Justin Timberlake was still exploiting Britney's sexual life knowing very well she once was pregnant of him and he convinced her to have an abortion, he's the devil," wrote @britneycharts.

"It's not f*** Justin Timberlake for not feeling ready to be a father. It's f*** Justin Timberlake for all of the slut shaming and mud slinging he did after," commented @xoxofeedsters.

"Justin Timberlake spent two decades trashing Britney every chance that he got. She's kept her head down and the first time she actually tells her truth he wants her to 'grow up' this is why people hate men," said tina d.

However, some fans defended Timberlake, with @price0fwoke writing: "People about to ignore that this was a mutual decision."

"Two consenting adults made a joint decision what was best for them at that period in their lives, I see no issue," said Harsh, while Chris Wieduwilt commented: "Those choices are deeply personal matters that should not be for public debate or judgment."

Spears met Timberlake as a child when the preteens co-starred on Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club in the 1990s. They began dating in 1999 when Spears was already a pop sensation and Timberlake was a member of NSYNC, then one of the world's biggest boy bands.

The couple split in 2002, shortly before Timberlake left the band, releasing his first album, Justified, a few months later. When the FX-Hulu documentary Framing Britney Spears was released in 2021, people began reassessing the singer's behavior towards his ex-girlfriend, which helped to launch him to stardom.

The documentary examined the press treatment of Spears in the late 90s and 2000s, including how Timberlake used rumors that the singer cheated on him to promote his album.

In the video for the single "Cry Me a River," released in November 2002, Timberlake sneaks into a woman's home and films her in the shower, with the model being a dead ringer for Spears. The song was a huge success and netted Timberlake two Grammy awards.

During the promotional tour of Justified, the former boyband star would discuss Spears often, revealing details of their three-year romance, including their sex life.

In the excerpt shared with People, Spears was "concerned people would hate her" for getting the abortion.

"It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn't a tragedy," she said of the shock pregnancy. "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.

"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."

She wrote: "I agreed not to have the baby. 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. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn't want to be a father."

After the split, Timberlake married actress Jessica Biel, 41, with whom he shares sons Silas, 8, and Phineas, 2.

In response to the abortion revelation, a source for Timberlake told Entertainment Tonight: "Justin has been focusing on his own family and trying not to concern himself with Britney's memoir.

"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."

Spears wed dancer Kevin Federline in 2004 and had sons Sean Preston, 18, and Jayden James, 17, before the couple divorced in 2007. She tied the knot with model and personal trainer Sam Asghari in 2022, but the couple separated 14 months later.