Timbaland has apologised after facing a backlash for saying that Justin Timberlake should “put a muzzle” on Britney Spears.
Last month Britney released her tell-all memoir, The Woman in Me, which details her rise to pop superstardom and the challenges she has endured in the spotlight.
The book also reflects on her relationship with the *NSYNC star, and includes an account of an abortion she had 20 years ago while they were together.
The pop star also speaks about Justin’s hit song Cry Me A River, which she said made her out to be unfaithful and a “harlot who’d broken the heart of America’s golden boy”.
Speaking during an interview with producer 9th Wonder at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC last month, Timbaland was asked about the renewed interest in the song, which he produced.
“She’s going crazy, right?” he said. “I wanted to call JT, ‘Man, you gotta put a muzzle on that girl.’”
He’s since apologised after facing widespread criticism.
“I apologise to the Britney fans and her,” he said while live on TikTok, reading a comment about his attitudes towards women. “Yes, ‘you know about respecting women?’ Hell yeah.”
In her book, Britney opens up about the physical and emotional pain she went through due to the abortion.
“I’m sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby,” the pop star writes. “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.”
She also recalls having the abortion at home to avoid their family or the media finding out. “To this day, it’s one of the most agonising things I have ever experienced in my life.”
Britney’s also discusses the fallout of their breakup, which she claimed the *NSYNC singer initiated over text message.
Britney and Justin began dating in 1999 when she was 17 and he was 18. They first met as children on the The All New Mickey Mouse Club.
Last month, Britney reportedly hinted that a second volume of her memoir could be on the way next year.