Justin Timberlake was seen in public for the first time since his ex Britney Spears apologized for the backlash he received from her memoir.
The pop star/actor arrived at Irving Plaza in Manhattan on Wednesday ahead of his concert, where he will be performing on his 43rd birthday.
Bundled up a beige pea coat and a white hoodie, the NSYNC alum kept a low profile as he made his way through a security gate.
The outing comes after Spears said she ‘never intended for people to come after Justin’ when she decided to open up about their three-year relationship in her 2023 release, The Woman In Me.
Her fans were outraged when the tell-all exposed several bombshells, including the claim that Justin had urged her to have an abortion.
Justin Timberlake was seen in public for the first time since his ex Britney Spears apologized for the backlash he received from her memoir, as he arrived at Irving Plaza on Wednesday
Bundled up a beige pea coat and a white hoodie, the NSYNC alum kept a low profile as he made his way through a security gate
According to one Spears insider, the Toxic hitmaker felt extreme guilt over the fallout that her former partner faced in the wake of her book’s publication – having been unaware of what a commotion her confessions would spark.
‘She didn’t realize how powerful her words would be,’ an insider exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com.
‘Regarding what she said in her book, she never intended for people to come after Justin in the way that they did.
‘Ultimately it was Britney’s decision to abort her baby. It was her body and had she really wanted to say no, she could have.’
Sunday saw Britney extend an olive branch to her ex after she apologized on Instagram for ‘some of the things’ she wrote, while also praising Justin’s two new songs Selfish and Sanctified.
Selfish already made headlines as Britney’s loyal fans managed to send her 2011 song Selfish back up the charts after Justin dropped his new single with the same name on Friday.
The insider stressed that Britney still wishes the best for her former partner – who still hasn’t contacted Britney to apologize for his alleged actions.
‘You will always have feelings for the first person that you loved,’ the source said. ‘Justin has come to her defense before, and she didn’t want to hurt him like she did and change the opinion people have of him…It was her story and she told it how she felt it needed to be told.’
The outing comes after Spears said she ‘ never intended for people to come after Justin’ when she decided to open up about their relationship in her 2023 release, The Woman In Me; seen in 2018
On Sunday saw the star extended an olive branch to her ex, taking to Instagram to apologize for ‘some of the things’ she wrote in her 2023 book and praising Justin’s two new songs
‘He has never apologized to her or addressed it with her. That being said, the fact that Britney’s song Selfish from 13 years ago is at number one is pure serendipity.’
They continued: ‘Justin never reached out to Britney, and they have not had any private conversation.
In her olive branch post to Justin, Britney shared a recent clip of Justin performing with classroom instruments on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
‘I wanna apologize for some of the things I wrote about in my book,’ she wrote. ‘If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about I am deeply sorry…
‘I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song “Selfish” It is soo good and how come every time I see Justin and Jimmy together I laugh so hard ??? Ps “Sanctified” is wow too.’
According to one Spears insider, the Toxic hitmaker felt extreme guilt over the fallout that her former partner faced in the wake of her book’s publication – having been unaware of what a commotion her confessions would spark; seen in 2002
The Britney Army have continued to support her after she released a string of explosive revelations about Justin by streaming her 13 year old single instead of Justin’s new music
Justin was trolled by Britney’s fans after telling her side of the story two decades on from their split, with many left angered by her claim that his single Cry Me a River saw her vilified for their break up.
‘I felt there was no way at the time to tell my side of the story,’ she recalled in her memoir. ‘I couldn’t explain, because I knew no one would take my side once Justin had convinced the world of his version. I don’t think Justin realized the power he had in shaming me. I don’t think he understands to this day.’
Justin appeared to reference the criticism while performing at the opening of the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas last month.
Ahead of launching into Cry Me A River, he told the audience: ‘No disrespect.’
In her olive branch post to Justin, Britney shared a recent clip of Justin performing with classroom instruments on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
A source close to Spears then told Daily Mail.com that while she ‘appreciated’ that he acknowledged the controversy around the Grammy-winning song, he has never reached out to apologize.
‘The disrespect to Britney was done a long time ago and although she appreciates his acknowledgement of it, Justin has never called her personally or reached out to her personally to apologize,’ the insider told DailyMail.com exclusively.
‘He has never addressed this with her. Ever. Britney has moved on from this and writing her book allowed her to release it. She’s good.’