Justin Timberlake is apologizing to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson following backlash from fans after the release of documentary "Framing Britney
Justin Timberlake is apologizing to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson following backlash from fans after the release of documentary “Framing Britney Spears.”
“I have 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 of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” Timberlake wrote in a statement posted on Instagram.
“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.”
New York Times’ revelatory new documentary highlights the rise of Spears’ career, her mental health challenges, inappropriate treatment by unrelenting media and the discord over her conservatorship, controlled largely by her father, Jamie.
In the documentary, interview clips of Timberlake, who once dated Spears in the early 2000’s, depict the “Cry Me A River” singer lacking compassion for Spears, who at one point said she desired to remain a virgin until marriage. Asked if he slept with Spears, he playfully responds, “OK, I did it!” but seems to backtrack, though the audio is unclear.
Some fans took to social media by tweeting and leaving comments under Timberlake’s Instagram posts to demand him to extend an apology for his transgressions depicted in the documentary.
“Today’s a great day for @jtimberlake to publicly own up to his misogyny and apologize to Britney Spears,” one user wrote. “#FramingBritneySpears #FreeBritney”
“I don’t care that it’s been well over a decade,” another posted, “Justin Timberlake still owes Britney Spears an apology for framing her as a cheater in the public eye and pouring gasoline on the paparazzi fire send tweet.”
In his post, Timberlake also extends his apology to Janet Jackson, who co-headlined the XXXVIII Super Bowl Halftime show with him.
At the end of the performance in 2004, Timberlake tugged on part of Jackson’s outfit, leading to a wardrobe malfunction briefly exposing her right breast in front of a TV audience of 140 million viewers.
The incident negatively affected Jackson’s career and Timberlake went without expressing a public apology until now.
“I understand that I fell short in these moments,” Timberlake continued on Friday’s post, “…and in many others and benefitted from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”
Contributing: Erin Jensen, Carly Mallenbaum and Josh Peter
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