Timbaland says Justin Timberlake should have “put a muzzle” on Britney Spears, quickly backtracks
Timbaland says "hell yeah" to respecting women after publicly disrespecting Britney Spears
Aux News Britney Spears
In the wake of a famous woman releasing a best-selling memoir to finally share her story after being silenced and controlled by her family for more than a decade, it is neither kind nor wise to suggest that she needs to be muzzled. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Timbaland—acclaimed producer and collaborator of Justin Timberlake—did. During a Q&A at the Kennedy Center, Timbaland responded to a question about the song “Cry Me A River” after Britney Spears wrote about it in her book The Woman In Me. “She goin’ crazy, right? I wanted to call JT, ‘Man, you gotta put a muzzle on that girl,’” he said (via Variety).
Spears fans are historically protective of the singer, so Timbaland faced quick and widespread condemnation for his misogynistic remark. Shortly after the backlash began, Timbaland held a livestream on TikTok where he (sort of) walked back the comment. “I apologize to the Britney fans and her,” he said. Reading a fan’s comment as it appeared onscreen, he added, “Yes, ‘you know about respecting women?’ Hell yeah.”
Real convincing, Timbaland! The Grammy winner worked on “Cry Me A River” with Timberlake, which helped launch the ex-boybander’s solo career. In her memoir, Spears recalled the attention surrounding the song’s music video, which was about “a woman who looks like me” that “cheats on him and he wanders around sad in the rain.” She felt the video turned her into a “harlot who’d broken the heart of America’s golden boy” in the eyes of the public, despite the fact that she was “comatose in Louisiana” while Timberlake was “happily running around Hollywood” after their breakup.
The “Cry Me A River” episode was not the only part of Spears’ memoir that drew attention to Timberlake. She also detailed the abortion she got at his behest, and wrote about how Timberlake and *NYSNC “tried too hard” to fit in with Black artists. A clip from the audiobook, narrated by Michelle Williams, went viral for the ridiculous retelling of Timberlake encountering Ginuwine on the street and greeting him, “Oh yeahhh, fo-shiz fo-shiz, Genuwiiine, what’s up homie!’”
Timberlake hasn’t made any public statement himself on the memoir, though “inside sources” for Entertainment Tonight claimed that he’s “tried to be supportive of Britney from a distance,” and that he and his wife Jessica Biel “just want everyone to grow and evolve instead of continuing to bring up the past.”
That’s apparently what Spears wants as well. After the release of the book, she posted a statement on Twitter/X saying that its purpose “was not to offend anyone by any means !!!” She noted that most of the events were “from 20 years ago … I have moved on and it’s a beautiful clean slate from here !!!” The memoir was not meant “to harp on my past experiences” but to give her “closure on all things for a better future.” That said, she did later tease that “Volume 2 will be released next year,” so some more closure may still be on the menu.
30 Comments
I’m sure Timbaland’s work producers/associates were double-taking at him being without any kind of awareness when he spewed that out.
He always lacked awareness. I remember when Timbaland made comments about Missy’s breast size and making almost R. Kelly like comments about AaliyahThis is from nickiswift. I’m only using the site for the quotes…Aaliyah admitted she had a great musical bond with the producer. “Tim and I have an amazing chemistry, so we had to work together — it was a given,” she told Billboard in 2001. “When we all come together to work, it just happens. There is no one thing that influences us; it just comes from within.”
Although the two maintained what seemed to be a brother-sister relationship until Aaliyah’s death in August 2001, Timbaland confessed in 2011 that he wanted more than a friendship. During his E!’s True Hollywood Story episode (via YouTube), he admitted he fell in love with Aaliyah when she was 16, while he was 23 at the time. “It’s time for the world to hear this… I was in love with her. I said, ‘But I’m not… She just a baby, I’m old,’” he said. “I said to myself, ‘I’m just gonna be her brother’… I was fightin’ a lot — a big war. But I loved Aaliyah.”
However, the shocking revelation of Timbaland’s true feelings for Aaliyah isn’t the only bombshell that seemed to cause a buzz. The producer also admitted that he married his ex-wife Monique Idlett at the time because “she looked like Aaliyah (via Showbiz Cheat Sheet),” and wears her hair in a side swoop bang just like the singer.
Read More: https:// http://www.nickiswift. com/353259/the-truth-about-timbaland-and-aaliyahs-relationship/
“It’s time for the world to hear this.”The world gently requests to be left out of this narrative.
Just a bit cringy!
i imagine he thought this was one of his more respectful retorts.
That’s what happens when money shields one from reality, isn’t it?
money never helps, but i think misogyny is just the default setting.
That picture has to be my new avatar.
It’s definitely raw material for a meme.
“whoops, let the misogyny out of the bottle on camera. Time to do damage control.”
You have to understand, it was a different time.
Get me Morgan Wallen’s publicity team!
The AV Club has always been at war with Justin Timberlake.
I agree that there’s a weirdly hostile tone to a guy who had a shitty relationship decades ago. That said “put a muzzle on her”? Yeesh.
So have I. JC was always the better singer.
Yay, my children. Know Me, and know that I WAIL!
I approve of the excited “Yay” vs boring “Yea”
I’m imagining like a Diamond Dave kinda Jesus.
At least that was a winnable war. I assume it was their smear campaign that reduced him to yesterday’s news decade ago.
Aside from Britney, you know who I also feel bad for because of this? Mid-oughts Canadian icon Nelly Furtado, whom I love and who has recently launched a comeback after taking a long hiatus she took to raise a family. The comeback vehicle? A new single with… Timberlake and Timbaland. Talk about bad timing. Hey, maybe she’ll go back to working with The Philosopher Kings like she did for her first album.
Aside from Britney, you know who I also feel bad for?
Us. We the readers.
That video did not age well.
Oh well, the damage is done, so I guess I’ll be leavin’.
Cornballs defend other cornballs.
Who amongst us hasn’t made a fool of ourselves in front of Ginuwine?
What a lier. Dude didn’t put a even gram of sincerity into that.
LOOKS LIKE CLOSURE’S BACK ON THE MENU, BOYS!
Um, you don’t say stuff like that while even having the ability to LEARN to respect women.
The important question that needs answering though, is did Timberlake meet Ginuwine before or after he met Milhouse?
Is the guy really named “Timbaland”? It sounds like the carpet warehouse store Justin would found after his 15 minutes of fame expired.