Timbaland says Justin Timberlake should have ‘put a muzzle’ on Britney Spears over memoir

Justin Timberlake doesn’t come off as the greatest guy in Britney Spear’s memoir The Woman In Me. She claims he cheated on her, encouraged her to have an abortion and – when she was crying on the floor in pain after the procedure – comforted her by playing the guitar. Nice!

And now the American singer Timbaland, who collaborated with Justin on Cry Me A River in 2002 (a song widely considered to have vilified Britney after she kissed her choreographer Wade Robson) has said Justin should have “put a muzzle” on Britney before she released her memoir.

Timbaland was asked about his and Justin’s song Cry Me A River “making headlines again” during a Sounds Architects: A Producer Conversation panel in Washington, to which he replied: “She goin’ crazy, right? I wanted to call and say, ‘JT, you gotta put a muzzle on that.’”

Obviously, the backlash to Timbaland essentially advising Justin to treat Britney like a dog has been humungous. “Timbaland saying that Justin Timberlake should have put a ‘muzzle’ on Britney is actually INSANE considering Britney has been treated like a caged animal for the past 13 years,” wrote one fan on Twitter. “Imagine in 2023 saying a woman should have a muzzle put on her for speaking her truth, ESPECIALLY after 13 years of abuse & silence,” added another.

Since the online reaction to his comments, Timbaland apologised for saying Britney should be muzzled during a TikTok live. “I apologise to the Britney fans and her,” he said, reading a comment questioning his attitude towards women. “Yes, ‘you know about respecting women?’ Hell yeah.”

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• Why Britney Spears fans think Everytime is about her abortion with Justin Timberlake

• You can like Justin Timberlake’s music and still think he owes Britney Spears an apology 

Featured image credit via Startraks/Shutterstock and Instagram (@britneyspears)