A weird encounter. Justin Timberlake reacted to Britney Spears’ pregnancy announcement and the internet is reeling over his response. Timberlake and his friend were caught by paparazzi, who interrogated the “Mirrors” singer about what he thought about the pregnancy.
Timberlake yelled back, “Stop. Go Away!” He gestured to the paparazzi to leave with his hands and stomped his feet while approaching the entrance. “[He] got me stomping,” Timberlake said from afar.
Notably, Timberlake and Spears were together from 1998 to 2002 when they both were rising to fame. Timberlake made a supportive comment directed at Spears after her conservatorship ended on June 23, 2021: “After what we saw today, we should all be supporting Britney at this time. Regardless of our past, good and bad, and no matter how long ago it was…” he tweeted. “what’s happening to her is just not right. No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body.”
In the past, Timberlake was criticized for making misogynistic comments towards his ex-girlfriend as well as Superbowl performer partner Janet Jackson. He issued an apology statement directed towards both of them. “I am 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 and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.” He continued in the Instagram post, “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.”
Timberlake’s reaction towards the pregnancy had the internet taken aback. Most Britney supporters saw it as rude for him to not be happy for her pregnancy. One Twitter user quote tweeted the reaction with, “Justin Timberlake only talks about Britney when it helps his career & image. The silly paps need to know that.” Another Twitter user tweeted, “LOL his apologies were definitely not sincere” referring to the aforementioned apologies.
Britney Spears announced her pregnancy with fiance Sam Ashgari in an Instagram post on April 11, 2022, six months after her conservatorship ended. The announcement came after Spears accused her father, James Spears, of making her use an IUD against her will. “I would like to progressively move forward and I want to have the real deal, I want to be able to get married and have a baby,” Spears admitted at a court hearing in June 2021. “I was told right now in the conservatorship, I’m not able to get married or have a baby, I have a (IUD) inside of myself right now so I don’t get pregnant.”
On the other hand, Spear’s ex-husband Kevin Federline reacted positively to the announcement. The ex-couple has two teenage sons together, Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden James. “Kevin is aware of Britney’s Instagram post,” K-Fed’s lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told NBC News in a statement on April 11, 2022. “He wishes her the best for a happy, healthy pregnancy and congratulates her and [fiancé] Sam Asghari as they plan for the excitement of parenthood together.”