Timbaland apologizes for saying Justin Timberlake should “muzzle” Britney Spears

Producer and rapper Timbaland has apologized after being criticized for suggesting that Justin Timberlake should “put a muzzle” on Britney Spears.

In her latest memoir, Spears revealed details about her relationship with Timberlake between 1999 and 2002.

However, after backlash on social media, he said: “I apologize to Britney’s fans and her.”

Timbaland made the original comments to an audience during an interview at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

An attendee asked Timbaland about the renewed interest in Timberlake’s 2002 hit Cry Me A River, a song Timbaland co-wrote and produced, which was inspired by the former NSync star’s breakup with Spears.

Spears said in her autobiography, “The Woman in Me,” that she had an abortion during her relationship with Timberlake.

Spears also wrote that she and Timberlake cheated on each other, and that the movie Cry Me A River and its video — which shows Britney’s lookalike going out with another man — made her come across as a “whore who broke up with herself.” The heart of America’s golden boy.

At the event in October, Timbaland responded to the question by saying, “She’s going crazy, isn’t she?” Before making the comment about gagging Spears.

Fans criticized him harshly on social media. One: “Imagine in 2023 saying that a woman should wear a mask because she is telling the truth, especially after 13 years of abuse and silence.”

Other fans noted that Timbaland’s comments were partly influenced by reports that Spears refused to work with him in the mid-2000s.

Timbaland is one of the most prolific producers in R&B and hip-hop, having worked with Nelly Furtado, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Jay-Z, Tweet, Lil Kim, as well as Timberlake.

He has also scored significant chart success as an artist in his own right with songs including The Way I Are, Give It To Me, Apologize and Morning After Dark.