Britney Spears writes that she got an abortion at Justin Timberlake’s behest
Spears wrote that Timberlake was "so sure that he didn’t want to be a father" in upcoming memoir The Woman In Me
Aux News Britney Spears
While Justin Timberlake may have largely directed the narrative around his relationship with Britney Spears back in 2002, the pop icon is finally taking control of her own story in her upcoming memoir, The Woman In Me. While the book won’t be available to the public until October 24, Spears’ reclamation of her own life has already led to some major reveals, one notably involving the former (and current) *NSYNC member himself.
Spears got pregnant at some point during her and Timberlake’s relationship, she writes (via People), but eventually got an abortion at her boyfriend’s insistence.
“Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy,” she wrote. “He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young.” Timberlake and Spears were 18 and 17 respectively when they started dating in 1999. Their relationship lasted until 2002.
“It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn’t a tragedy,” she continued. “I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated.”
“If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father,” she continued, saying that the abortion was “one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life.”
According to another sneak peek from People, Spears also states elsewhere in the book that of all the things she’s accomplished, she’s proudest of raising the two sons she would later have with ex-husband Kevin Federline (Sean Preston, now 18, and Jayden James, 17). “Starting a family was my dream come true,” she writes. “Being a mom was my dream come true.”
89 Comments
I feel really old that Britney Spears’ sons are 18 and 17.
Great takeaway from the article
Sadly, anyone who knows the name Kevin Federline is officially old.
I remember when she was driving one of them around with no car seat. Glad they made it to the teen years.
Sensible Decision For All Concerned, updates to follow…
Yeah, I think supporting a woman’s right to choose does not require us to think that the man in the relationship must withhold all views about whether to terminate the pregnancy. The ultimate choice should be (and apparently was) Spears’, but Timberlake is another person the choice would have a dramatic effect on, and he has a right to say what he thinks.Timberlake’s view that he and Spears were too young to have a child seems reasonable. He seems to have had a leveler head than Spears did about whether they were destined to stay together forever. I don’t see anything here about him threatening her, applying undue pressure, or being disrespectful. This seems to have gone . . . about the way I, as a pro-choice person, want these things to go.
Certainly he can say what he thinks, but I think there’s space between “saying what he thinks” and “insisting.” I don’t know which one went on here and obviously it’s a fact-specific determination, but if there was pressure involved, I’d take a dim view of that.
unless it was an absolutely private matter – like, only the two of them knew – then i doubt either of them had much say in the matter. it probably would have been devastating to both of their careers, and unfortunately, they were nothing but walking paycheques to a lot of naughty people.
Yeah it’s probably also true that there was pressure involved from the studios. Hard to keep up that Disney image with a teenage pregnancy.
The word “insistence” comes only from the AV Club author. It does not come from Spears, or even from the People Magazine article paraphrasing Spears. And there’s no evidence of Timberlake applying any pressure other than being certain that he did not think going through with the pregnancy was a bad idea.
I am aware of that. But since I haven’t read the book, and don’t really plan to, that’s the impression I can go by. You say there’s “no evidence” of Timberlake applying any pressure, but there wouldn’t be. So you can make your assumptions all you want to. All I said was there’s space between what you said—the guy gives his thoughts—and applying more pressure. There’s a gray area there and neither you nor I has enough information to know where this falls. He wouldn’t be the first man who pressured his girlfriend into getting an abortion, and he certainly had a lot to lose, so I’m not sure why you’re acting like it’s so beyond the pale, especially given his history of letting women take the fall for him. I can take a guess, though.
When I say there’s no evidence of Timberlake applying undue pressure, I’m not demanding a video of the discussion or something. No one (Spears included) is saying Timberlake did anything other than express his certainty that they were not ready to be parents. None of the participants are supporting your version of what happened.
That’s definitely one way you could read the bit of quotes we have here. I didn’t deny that. Also, what was “[my] version of events”? I can’t find anything like that in my comments.
Here’s your version; Certainly he can say what he thinks, but I think there’s space between “saying what he thinks” and “insisting.” I don’t know which one went on here and obviously it’s a fact-specific determination, but if there was pressure involved, I’d take a dim view of that. You’re welcome.
Thank you, yes, that is my version! That there is a large gray area, it is a fact-specific determination, and *if* there was pressure involved, I’d take a dim view of that! I appreciate your assistance.
“Thank you, yes, that is my version!”
No, it’s not your “version”, it’s your assumption, based on no information.
Even if he did insist that it was the best option… Good? Better than him saying “I’ll support whatever you want to do” and then being totally absent, which is what happens when someone who really doesn’t want to be a father doesn’t “insist.” A story about an abortion doesn’t need a villain. If “insisted” meant he refused to budge on his stance that it was a bad idea for them at the time, I think that was honest and probably for the best- because I’m pro choice. Ultimately the decision was still hers and she could have forced him to support the child financially.
and what if he insisted she keep it? its still her decision regardless. she isn’t some poor girl form Louisiana. She is a millionaire with resources. Men get parenthood forced on them all the time.
most people have a “leveler head” than spears.
Yeah, I would agree. I mean, I don’t love the idea that he apparently (from her perspective; I don’t doubt her, but it’s important to at least note this is just her perception of it) put that much pressure on her to do so, but they were both like 20 at the time, so I also 100% understand why he would think NEITHER of them was ready for that kind of responsibility. I think it’s totally fair to not want to be a parent when you’re that young. (That said: if he actually DID pressure her into it, that’s not a great look for Timberlake; it’s a situation that needs a conversation, not an ultimatum.)
“If it would have been left up to her…”
Unless she’s alleging something very different, IT WAS up to her. She could have told him to pound sand. But I’m sure the record execs who were selling her as a seductive virgin waiting for YOU to be her first would have been upset as well.
“Unless she’s alleging something very different”She clearly is alleging something different, since she says it wasn’t up to her.
I think all she’s saying is that she took his opinions into consideration when she made her decision. Given she clearly saw herself marrying this guy, that’s not an unusual thing to do.
I don’t think Spears is literally saying anyone prevented her from making the decision she wanted. I think she’s saying that Timberlake was firm in her opinion that he was not ready to be a father, and that impacted the decision she made.
That’s certainly one way to read it. The one more generous to Timberlake.
Then it WAS up to her.
Seriously, what an awful attempt at stoking outrage this headline is. A man has the right to express his preference about an abortion—even if it’s a very strong preference. And a woman has every right to either take his opinion into account, or to ignore it completely.
Y’all are being ridiculously obtuse in this comment section. She literally said if it was up to her, she never would’ve done it. Yes, she wasn’t physically forced by him to get the abortion, but obviously his insistence impacted her decision. You guys understand coercion doesn’t have to be physical, right? And at no point does this article claim that he “forced” her to get the abortion. It said she got one at his insistence, which is a correct statement based on her quotes where she, again, said that she never would’ve done it if she hadn’t insisted. I don’t know if this is a reading comprehension issue or a misogyny issue but I’m shocked by the denseness of the comments here.
She had agency. She killed the kid
“She literally said if it was up to her, she never would’ve done it. Yes, she wasn’t physically forced by him to get the abortion, but obviously his insistence impacted her decision.”
She took his thoughts to heart when SHE made the decision. NOTHING she said paints him as a villain.
Also? She’s not going to fuck you for trying to make the person she was in love with into a villain.
So what if he impacted her decision? A man is allowed to have his opinion heard, and the woman is allowed (but obviously not obligated) to take that opinion into account. That does not equate to someone else making the decision for her.
She doesn’t actually say he insisted. Her actual quote: “If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.” Based on what is available, Justin said they were too young. Justin said he didn’t want to be a father at the time. I don’t know that this proves coercion, tbh. It does read like he just expressed his feelings and having a kid on her own wasn’t something she wanted to do.Given that today’s release excerpt states that at the same time they were both cheating on each other, it’s hard to think it was a good time for them to be having babies together.
I’m confused, i thought wanting to kill unborn babies was being on the right side of history?
So, is she alleging he paid an abortionist to strap her down and forcibly take the baby? Because that seems like it would be a story.
That’s not my understanding from the story, no.
Ha “abortionist.” They’re called gynecologists these days, dude.
“since she says it wasn’t up to her.”
They discussed it, you fucking twat. It *WAS* up to her, but she took someone else’s thoughts to heart when making the decision.
That doesn’t make her a victim or a saint, and it doesn’t make him a villain.
Grow up, become an adult, then come back and have a reasonable response.
Trying to get hired by the National Enquirer, Emma?
Like anyone writing here is qualified for that.
Kinda important follow-up: how does she feel about the situation now?
For what I’ve heard, she’s more of a Snooki fan.
I am every day astonished at how the drug addict has systematically distmantled all the controls that were between her and her drugs, and changed the narrative to “leave her alone, let her do what she wants!” when she is a seriously ill person. Just amazing.
That guy would never have endangered his career with a pregnancy. I’m frankly surprised that he wasn’t more careful. I can’t believe she still speaks well of him – a -hole.
Tell me what you think he did wrong here.
You know it’s a two way street right? Why wasn’t she also more careful. They were both young hot celebs, they both should have been more careful but, hell, maybe they both were. Birth control fails sometimes. And why is he an asshole for being open and honest about not being ready to be a father? Would it have been better if he lied and been a shit father?
For all I know, he is a shit father. He wasn’t worried about getting handsy with a costar in 2019. I don’t know who was responsible for preventing the pregnancy but it sounds as though he wasn’t having it and that’s not a sympathetic look. I haven’t forgotten the way he trashed her when they broke up, though it seems most have.
“For all I know”And that is where you stop talking because you do not know enough to have an opinion.
For all I know, you’re the Zodiac Killer. But we probably shouldn’t just fill the gap of stuff we don’t know with nonsense.
If that’s what you want to do because your mind is obviously going to extremes, be my guest.
That’s just the kind of defensive response I’d expect from the Zodiac Killer.
I’m confused, i thought wanting to kill unborn babies was being on the right side of history?
Right – you don’t know anything about this. But you feel the need to comment for some reason.
“For all I know, he is a shit father.”
And for all you know he’s father of the fucking year, because what you know is literally *N-O-T-H-I-N-G*.
Look, Nilus, buddy: ya gotta look at this through the correct lens of internet sexual politics, which is basically 1970s-era TERF mysticism and Victorian chivalry rebranded somehow progressive by a bunch of teens who’ve never spoken with someone of the opposite sex they weren’t related to or who wasn’t a teacher. Long story short: anything regarding male sexuality is bad and toxic and destructive, and anything regarding female sexuality is good and safe and creative. Whenever something goes bad around sex, it’s always the dude’s fault.
I don’t think he was an asshole for being honest about not being ready to be a father, and without any other information, they should both be held equally responsible for the pregnancy (and I am not implying assault, but sometimes condoms are removed without a partners knowledge). However, knowing that there was a pregnancy and an abortion (which is pretty traumatic no matter the situation) makes some of his comments and insinuations since their break-up somehow grosser. (I’m thinking about one particular SNL skit, which no longer seems funny.)I also respect her for being open about having had an abortion. It’s a bold thing for a public figure to be honest about.
I agree. He has a history of letting the women in his orbit catch all the strays while he skates through with a clean reputation. I don’t claim to know what went on here, but I’m not inclined to interpret in his favor.
“but I’m not inclined to interpret in his favor.”Cool. Literally no one anywhere cares.
“(which is pretty traumatic no matter the situation)“
Why do people insist on presenting their opinion as absolute? Getting an abortion is NOT traumatic for everyone. Stop making blanket statements as if you know what everyone else thinks.
Imagine being so self-centered that you think you k ow what went on between them.I guess you don’t have to imagine….
“He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young.”Unless she goes on in the book to lay out other things he did during this time, saying they are too young and not ready to have a child isn’t the most egregious thing someone has said when an unexpected pregnancy occurred.
Was there ever a time more steeped in hypocrisy than the early 2000’s? Purity rings and abstinence pledges were everywhere in pop culture. ‘Family Values’ was still the conservative watchword. Meanwhile behind the scenes the people trotted out as the paragons of these values (while still being used to sell sex to teenagers) were having sex and getting abortions, because of course they were. To be clear, I don’t blame Spears or Timberlake for the above, it was just a super grody time when middle aged executives were sexualizing teenagers to sell cds to teenagers while making them ashamed to have sexual feelings.
I swear, you look at how heavily teenagers were sexualized in the 90s and 2000s, just as a matter of course, it’s really kind of shocking. And of course studios tried to play both sides.
Look no further than Timberlake’s current wife and her nude photo shoot at age, what 16/17?
every era has its lusty hypocrisy; why was this one so different?
i know for me, it was because i was the target demographic.
Was there ever a time more steeped in hypocrisy? I dunno, America in the mid-1770’s comes to mind.
“
Was there ever a time more steeped in hypocrisy than the early 2000’s?”Well, I would say the 1950s. And the 1940s. And probably the 1860s. And 1770s. Also the 1910s. And the 1820s. And the 1920s. Basically, I think the least hypocritical decades in the history of the United States were the 1970s and 1980s, which, coincidentally or not, also led to many of the problems we still face today.
It’s kind of funny how many people took my obvious hyperbole as a challenge. I’m curious as to some of your choices though. For the 1860’s 1910’s and 1940’s, are you saying the US’ war goals were in contrast to the state of its domestic policy?1950’s was more in line with what I’m talking about. A hyper-focus on heteronormative domesticity, while the usual shenanigans carried on behind the scenes.
Early 2000s conservative “family values” hypocrisy was really exemplified by the Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert.
This is a genuine question and not an attempt at deflection: Did Justin Timberlake ever play the virgin card? Maybe he did and I just don’t remember, but I thought that was more a Britney thing.
“…got an abortion at her boyfriend’s insistence.”This is a very serious thing to say about someone, and the quotes from Spears in this article do not support it.
This is a very serious thing to say about someone, and the quotes…in this article do not support it.-The AV Club
Yeah, once again, AV Club has taken liberties with the given information, or left out info that would be relevant to back up their assumption.
Yeah, but it’s not generally this, err, actionable.
“If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.”What about this implies that he didn’t insist she get the abortion? She literally says she never would’ve done it without his insistence!
“What about this implies that he didn’t insist she get the abortion?”The entire quote “She literally says she never would’ve done it without his insistence!”No she doesn’t.
Frankly, even if she did, so what? If a woman wants to take the man’s own opinion into account when making her decision, that’s still her choice.
Well I think that’s exactly what happened, or at least that’s how the quotes above make it out. She took his opinion on board, which is obviously very different to doing it “at his insistence”, but sounds nowhere near as sensational.
“What about this implies that he didn’t insist she get the abortion?”
This:
“If it had been left up to me alone”She did not ONLY take her thoughts into account. Do you see that? You fucking moron.
If he forced her, should have said “If I had a say”, you fucking shitfucker.
There’s a pretty big difference between “I’m sure I don’t want to be a father right now” and “I forbid you from bearing this child.”
Lots of buzz words in there…. “at his insistence”… “if it were up to me”.She / publisher are trying to sell copy. Thats all this is.Bottom line is they were too young and, as any one knows, having a baby is a horrible decision, let alone at 18. They clearly (with their studios help) made the right choice. This is not the bombshell people are trying to make it out to be.The world is riddled with 18 year olds who have had an abortion.
This is some tabloid hack shit right here. Grats on sinking so low.
Of course based on what we have learned about Britney’s family over the years, even if both her and Justin said they wanted to be parents there is no way in hell her parents would have let that happen. Especially when she was a minor.
Was she actually a minor when she got pregnant?
Who knows, the article says she was 17 when they started dating so it is possible. Although even if she was a legal adult (as we have seen) that wouldn’t stop her parents from controlling her life to an insane degree.
Britney’s sister had a baby as a teenager. I guess the parents weren’t making as much money off her as off of Britney though.
Her sister had a baby at 16.
Good.