Justin Timberlake Shades Britney Spears With Mock Apology

Pop star Justin Timberlake is being slammed online for a mock apology he made during a performance in New York City.

In recent years, Timberlake has kept a lower profile. However, revelations in ex-girlfriend Britney Spears's memoir, The Woman in Me, sparked fierce backlash against the former "Prince of Pop" in October. Fans began to reexamine Timberlake's early 2000s heyday, accusing the musician of profiting off the pain and public vilification of Spears and other female performers.

The book included several revelations about Spears' romance with Timberlake, including a confession about an abortion and cheating allegations. However, on Sunday, Spears took to Instagram to apologize for "some of the things" she wrote in her memoir, also taking the time to praise Timberlake's two new songs, "Selfish" and "Sanctified." He debuted the latter on Saturday Night Live over the weekend.

Spears wrote: "I wanna to apologize for some of the things I wrote about in my book. If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about I am deeply sorry... I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake's new song 'Selfish' It is sooo good and how come every time I see Justin and Jimmy [Fallon] together I laugh so hard ??? Ps 'Sanctified' is wow too."

Timberlake's song "Selfish" had already made headlines recently as Spears' loyal fan base managed to send her 2011 song of the same name back up the charts after Timberlake dropped his single on Friday.

However, the singer is now facing backlash online after the entertainment account Pop Crave on X (formerly Twitter) posted a video from a performance by Timberlake. The caption reads: "Justin Timberlake while performing in New York City last night. 'I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely f***** nobody.'"

People online are absolutely livid after watching the video and have made their opinions known. Many felt he was mocking Spears after her apology over the weekend.

Newsweek contacted representatives for Timberlake and Spears for comment via email Thursday.

"This kind of 'I don't care' attitude is only cute when you've actually done nothing wrong," one person commented.

"no one even cares about him anymore," said another.

"disgusting human being," someone else wrote.

"Place in hell secured," a fourth person posted.

A fifth added: "what a loser."

While some were quick to vilify Timberlake after the release of the video, he still has his supporters.

After "Selfish" dropped—which is a track from the singer's upcoming sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was, out on March 15—many listeners loved it.

"Who would have thought Justin Timberlake would come back with a banger like 'Selfish,'" one X user posted.

"Drama aside, it's actually a good song," said another.

A third added: "Justin Timberlake. Absolutely. Returning with a HIT that will be on loop all day!"

After The Woman in Me was published, many Spears fans hit out at Timberlake, accusing the former NSYNC star of launching a highly successful solo career by ruining her reputation.

In the music video for his 2002 hit song "Cry Me a River," which is from his debut album Justified, Timberlake can be seen stalking a Spears lookalike. The song is written from the viewpoint of a man whose partner has been unfaithful.

He also leaned into the rumors that Spears' had cheated on him during interviews, along with discussing details of their sex life during Justified's promotional tour.

Spears spoke of the time in her memoir, writing: "In the news media, I was described as a harlot who'd broken the heart of America's golden boy. There's always more leeway in Hollywood for men than for women. And I see how men are encouraged to talk trash about women in order to become famous and powerful. But I was shattered."

Following his split with Spears, Timberlake wed actress Jessica Biel, with whom he shares sons Silas, 8, and Phineas, 2.

Spears was married to dancer Kevin Federline from 2004 to 2007, with whom she has two children, 18-year-old Sean Preston and 17-year-old Jayden James. She tied the knot with personal trainer Sam Asghari in 2022 after five years of dating, but they split just 14 months later.