Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake in New York City in September 2000.Photo:Dave Hogan/Getty
Dave Hogan/Getty
Britney Spearswas thrown for a loop when her exJustin Timberlakereleased his"Cry Me a River" music video, which famously featured an unfaithful girlfriend that looked an awful lot like the singer.
Inher new memoirThe Woman in Me, Spears, 41, reflects on the 2002 video, the plot for which she describes as, “a woman who looks like me cheats on him and he wanders around sad in the rain.”
The “Hold Me Closer” singer says the media backlash from the clip painted her as a “harlot who’d broken the heart of America’s golden boy,” when in actuality, she was “comatose in Louisiana, and he was happily running around Hollywood.”
Spears also confirms in the book that she kissed choreographer Wade Robson while dating Timberlake.
Spears and Timberlake, 42, were together for several years before breaking up in March 2002 (The pop star writes elsewhere in her memoir that shehad an abortion at Timberlake’s urgingafter she got pregnant while they were together).
The *NSYNC alum released “Cry Me a River” in November 2002 as the second single off his debut solo albumJustified, and toldTeen Peoplein 2003 that while he wouldn’t say explicitly who his songs were about, they would “bring clarity. They’re explanatory. I don’t have to say it.”
In his 2018 bookHindsight, Timberlake expanded on his songwriting process for the track, writing that his “strong” feelings pushed him to write it in only two hours.
“I’ve been scorned. I’ve been pissed off. That feeling inspired me to write ‘Cry Me a River,’” he wrote.
Timberlakepublicly apologizedfor his treatment of Spears in February 2021, writing in a post also dedicated toJanet Jacksonthat he was “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.”
“I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others … 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,” he wrote.
Britney Spears on the cover of PEOPLE.Britney Brands
Britney Brands
In aninterview with PEOPLE done over email, Spears dives deeper into the most difficult moments of her life, admitting that she still finds them “hard to speak about.”
Spears will releaseThe Woman in Meon Oct. 24 through Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. It is now availablefor pre-order.
For an exclusive excerpt and interview with Britney Spears, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.
source: people.com
