15 December 2023 , 08:50
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Justin Timberlake stirred up plenty of headline-hitting drama when he released his Britney Spears break-up song Cry Me a River – but now he appears to be making amends.
It seems the former *NSYNC heartthrob wants to say goodbye to any hard feelings triggered by the much-talked-about tune. Earlier this week, Timberlake, 42, performed the 2002 track at the grand opening of the Fontainebleau hotel in Las Vegas. Before breaking into song, he told the crowd: “No disrespect”, alluding perhaps to his split from his ex-girlfriend.
The pop star dropped the chart-topping ditty eight months after calling time on his relationship with Spears, who he'd began dating in 1999. “You don’t have to say what you did/I already know/I found out from him/Now there’s just no chance/For you and me/There’ll never be/And don’t it make you sad about it?” he trilled. Adding fuel to the fire, Timberlake also cast a Spears lookalike in the accompanying music video, which has racked up over 500million views on YouTube.
READ MORE: Britney Spears' reaction to Justin Timberlake's Cry Me a River amid claims he cheated
Justin Timberlake performed Cry Me A River (WireImage)
He wrote the song after splitting from Britney Spears (FilmMagic)In her memoir The Woman in Me, Spears, 42, admitted to cheating on the boy band star with choreographer Wade Robson. “We were out one night, and we went to a Spanish bar. We danced and danced. I made out with him that night,” she wrote, adding that she believes Timberlake was also unfaithful: “There were a couple of times during our relationship when I knew Justin had cheated on me… There were rumors about him with other dancers and groupies."
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The music icon also revealed in the bestselling book that she became pregnant with their child but decided to end the pregnancy. “Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young,” she alleged.
Justin and pop star ex Britney in happier times (Getty Images)Dad-of-two Timberlake, who shares children Silas, eight, and Phineas, three, with wife Jessica Biel, hasn’t publicly commented on the memoir. However, two years ago, he issued a public apology to Spears and also Janet Jackson, his fellow performer at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. During the event he memorably tore Jackson’s top and exposed her breast, for which she received all the flack at the time.
In an Instagram post, Timberlake reflected: “I am deeply sorry for the time 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 care for and respect these women and I know I failed. I also feel compelled to respond, in part, because everyone involved deserves better and most importantly, because this is a larger conversation that I wholeheartedly want to be part of and grow from.”