EXCLUSIVE: Justin Timberlake thought Britney Spears’ abortion would be their secret FOREVER – but he plans to AVOID speaking out about bombshell memoir over fears his past statements will ‘come back to haunt him’
Justin Timberlake is ‘aware’ that his past treatment of ex Britney Spears ‘could come back to haunt him’ – so he plans to remain silent in light of the explosive revelations about their relationship in her tell-all memoir, insiders say.
The SexyBack singer, 42, appears to be under attack in The Woman in Me, with fans already outraged after it was revealed. Britney, 41, claims he cheated on her – and that she had an abortion at 19 because he was ‘not’. ‘not ready’ to become a father.
It is believed that Justin, who famously dated the pop superstar from 1999 to 2002, had hoped their decision to terminate the pregnancy would have remained ‘secret forever’.
But despite any frustrations, he will refrain from speaking out so as not to “get in the way” of Britney’s chance to finally share her story.
Justin Timberlake is aware that his past treatment of ex-girlfriend Britney Spears will come back to haunt him following the release of her tell-all memoir (pictured in 2001)
The Toxic singer has chosen to reveal shocking secrets about their relationship after being vilified for decades following their 2002 divorce
“Justin thought the decision they made was a joint one and he planned to never talk about it and keep it a secret forever,” an insider exclusively told DailyMail.com.
They continued, “Now that Britney has mentioned it, and it will forever be in her book and whatever else she decides to mention, Justin is going to try not to say anything about it, because he knows that whatever he does from this point on says probably will be. thrown right back at him.”
Britney made the ‘painful’ decision to terminate the pregnancy in late 2000 after becoming pregnant.
In an excerpt obtained by People, she writes, “It was a surprise, but for me it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected that one day we would start a family together. This would just be a lot sooner than I expected.
“He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young. I’m sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby.”
Justin, who has previously expressed his support for women’s right to choose, is said to be prepared for his past comments about Britney to come to light, and is aware that his past behavior could also resurface.
“He is also well aware that previous statements he has made about Britney will come back to haunt him,” the source continued. “Justin doesn’t want to get in the way of her story, and he’s trying to avoid that at all costs.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to Justin’s representatives for comment.
In recent years, the Mirrors hitmaker has expressed regret previous treatment of Britney and publicly apologized to her in 2021 following the release of the FX and Hulu documentary Framing Britney Spears.
Justin received significant criticism for the role he played in the excessive public criticism leveled at Britney following their breakup, which was undoubtedly fueled by his music promoting the narrative that Britney broke his heart.
He apologized to both his ex – and music icon Janet Jackson – for “missteps” during his career that he admitted contributed to “a system that condones misogyny and racism.”
“I’ve seen the posts, tags, comments and concerns and I want to respond,” he wrote. “I deeply regret the times in my life when my actions contributed to the problem, when I spoke out of turn, or did not stand up for what was right.”
A source close to Justin has revealed that the singer had hoped the couple’s decision to abort their child would have remained a private secret ‘forever’. Pictured in 2001
However, he won’t make any comments that will ‘get in the way’ of Britney, 41, finally getting to share her story, according to the insider (pictured in 2000)
Months later, he expressed support for Britney during her fight to end her thirteen-year conservatorship. She was placed under guardianship by her father, Jamie Spears, in 2008.
At the height of the #FreeBritney movement, Justin tweeted: “No one should ever be held against their will…or ever have to ask permission to access everything they’ve worked so hard for.”
Speaking on behalf of himself and his wife, Jessica Biel, he added: “Jess and I are sending our love and our absolute support to Britney during this time. We hope the courts and her family will put this right and allow her to live the life she wants.”
The Summer Love singer and Britney had a highly publicized relationship from 1999 to 2002 after being catapulted to global superstardom as teen icons.
The pair originally met on Disney’s The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, where they shared their first kiss – long before they officially started dating.
Justin and Britney, pictured in their iconic matching double denim outfit at the 2001 American Music Awards, dating from 1999 to 2002
The duo abruptly split in 2002 and rumors soon emerged that she had cheated on him (pictured in 2002)
Justin later rose to fame with boy band *NSYNC, while Britney entered the charts as a solo artist with hits such as Baby One More Time and Oops!…I Did it Again.
When the couple broke up over claims that Britney had been unfaithful, his decision to use a lookalike of the singer in his 2002 Cry Me A River music video left her vilified for their breakup.
Justin is said to be ‘concerned’ about what exactly Britney will reveal about their past in the upcoming memoir, with a source telling Page Six: ‘He’s very curious to see what she will reveal about their relationship. It’s eating away at him.’
According to TMZ, the singer has not only accused him of cheating, but has claimed his affair was with a fellow celebrity.
However, Britney has reportedly decided not to name the other woman because she has a family and she doesn’t want to embarrass her.
The memoir will be released with an audio version narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams.
In recent years, Justin (pictured in September this year) has been more apologetic about his past treatment of Britney after being forced to publicly apologize to the star in 2021.
He posted a statement apologizing for his past treatment of women and specifically apologized to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson after his behavior was called out by fans.
Britney recorded a small portion of the book and avoided telling chapters that discussed her family because the content was “too painful to retell.” TMZ recently reported.
In a statement to Peoplethe Toxic hitmaker explained: ‘This book has been a labor of love and all the emotions that come with it.
‘Reliving it all was exciting, heartbreaking and emotional to say the least. For those reasons I will only read a small part of my audiobook.’
She then said, “I’m so grateful to the wonderful Michelle Williams for reading the rest of it.”
It has been reported that only female stars were approached to record the audiobook the publisher originally wanted to bring in actress Reese Witherspoon, but she wasn’t “available.”
Britney previously announced that her memoir, which takes its title from a lyric from her 2001 hit I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman, is the result of extensive therapy.
He also posted a lengthy statement on Twitter following Britney’s shocking testimony in court about her life under father Jamie’s control in 2021 as she fought to end her conservatorship.
The Womanizer artist addressed her followers on Instagram, saying: ‘Alright guys, my book is coming out very, very soon.
‘I worked really hard on this book, I had a lot of therapy to finish this book, so you might as well like it. And if you don’t like it, that’s fine too.’
Britney is the third member of her family to release her own autobiography.
Her mother, Lynne, wrote Through The Storm: A Real Story Of Fame And Family In A Tabloid World in 2008 and her younger sister, Jamie Lynn, published Things I Should Have Said last year.
The Woman In Me and its accompanying audiobook will be released on October 24.