Justin Timberlake makes bold statement after Britney Spears ‘apology’
Timberlake had an outspoken moment during New York City gig on Wednesday (31 January)
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Your support makes all the difference.Justin Timberlake raised eyebrows at a recent live performance where he took time out to apologise to “absolutely f***ing nobody”, days after Britney Spears “apologised” to him.
The singer, 43, recently announced plans for a North American tour and a new album, as well as releasing his first single in nearly six years, “Selfish”.
One notable fan of the R&B-infused ballad is Spears, 42. Last week, she shared her appreciation for her ex-boyfriend’s music in a social media post as well as an apology for some of the revelations in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me.
Timberlake performed a free, one-night-only concert on Wednesday (31 January) at Irving Plaza in New York City to mark his 43rd birthday.
In a clip posted to social media by Instagram user gilbertohoraa, Timberlake took a break from singing at one point in the evening to speak directly to the crowd.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise to absolutely f***ing nobody,” he said into the microphone, as the band played the musical accompaniment of his 2013 Jay-Z collaboration “Holy Grail” in the background.
Many people have linked Timberlake’s bold non-apology to Spears’s recent statement.
Spears wrote about several aspects of her three-year relationship with Timberlake in the memoir, including opening up about her decision to have an abortion because Timberlake “definitely wasn’t happy” that she was pregnant.
“I wanna apologise for some of the things I wrote about in my book,” Spears captioned an Instagram post, shared on Sunday (28 January). “If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about, I am deeply sorry.”
According to screenshots of Spears’s Instagram profile which is currently set to private, Spears’s message continued: “I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song ‘Selfish’. It is soo good and how come every time I see Justin and Jimmy together I laugh so hard???”
Her post included a video of Timberlake during a recent appearance on American comedian Jimmy Fallon’s eponymous show.
In response, many of Spears’s supporters have shared their disappointment with Timberlake’s statement.
“This kind of ‘I don’t care’ attitude is only cute when you’ve actually done nothing wrong,” reads one disgruntled comment, while another fan wrote: “Britney, I’m so sorry.”
After the release of Timberlake’s “Selfish”, fans of Spears began streaming her 2011 song with the same title in response.
On Wednesday, Billboard reported that Spears’s “Selfish” topped Timberlake’s in sales during its first full week, thanks to the fan movement.
Timberlake will release his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was, on 15 March.
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