Britney Spears Appears to Walk Back Justin Timberlake Apology After His ‘Cry Me a River’ Comment

Britney Spears is walking back a recent apology.

After taking to Instagram on Sunday, January 28, to “apologize for some of the things [she] wrote about” in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, Spears, 42, was decidedly less contrite on Thursday, February 1.

“Someone told me someone was talking s–t about me on the streets !!! Do you want to bring it to the court or will you go home crying to your mom like you did last time ??? I’m not sorry !!!” the singer wrote via Instagram on Thursday alongside a photo of a full moon and a basketball hoop.

The upload comes one day after Spears’ ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, who was featured prominently in Spears’ tell-all, seemingly nodded to Spears’ public apology for offending “any of the people I genuinely care about” with her memoir. (Spears also included a video of Timberlake singing with Jimmy Fallon in the Sunday post, fueling the idea that the message was directed at him.)

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During a Wednesday, January 31, performance at New York City’s Irving Plaza, Timberlake, 43, appeared to mock the initial apology when he performed his 2002 hit “Cry Me a River,” which is believed to be inspired by his split from Spears.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely f–king nobody,” Timberlake said while introducing the song, per footage shared via social media.

The “Rock Your Body” singer previously approached the song differently during a December 2023 show in Las Vegas. “No disrespect,” he declared at the time before launching into the tune.

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The music video for “Cry Me a River” featured a Spears lookalike and seemed to suggest that she had cheated on Timberlake during their relationship, which came to an end after three years in 2002.

After the video premiered, Spears told Rolling Stone that Timberlake had warned her it would be “controversial.”

She continued: “He got what he wanted. I think it looks like such a desperate attempt, personally. But that was a great way to sell the record. He’s smart.”

While the publication of The Woman in Me —which hit shelves in September 2023 and included claims that Timberlake cheated on Spears — led to renewed criticism of Timberlake, he’s not letting the negative attention get to him.

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“Justin hasn’t been letting the Britney fans get him down,” a source exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. “He believes his music and performance will speak for itself and is looking forward to connecting with his fans from the stage again.”

Timberlake began his musical comeback last month with the release of his song “Selfish,” his first solo single in more than five years. The track is the first song off his upcoming album, Everything I Thought It Was, which will be available on March 15.