Justin Timberlake Shared a #FreeBritney Message and People Have Thoughts
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After Britney Spears delivered a heartbreaking testimony at her conservatorship hearing on June 23rd, people across the world showed their support for her. Celebrities like Mariah Carey, Bebe Rexha, and more took to social media to send their love. Spears' most famous ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake also had something to say about what Spears shared in court and fans have mixed feelings about it.
Among other things Spears said in court, she candidly shared that she has an IUD that her conservators won't let her remove, despite the fact that she wants to have more kids. She also called her conservatorship abusive and pleaded with the court to let her be free. Timberlake called out Spears' lack of control of her own body in his tweet thread of support, writing, "No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body."
Timberlake also wrote that "we should all be supporting Britney at this time," and later added that he and wife Jessica Biel send their love and "absolute support to Britney during this time."
After what we saw today, we should all be supporting Britney at this time.
Regardless of our past, good and bad, and no matter how long ago it was… what’s happening to her is just not right.
No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body.— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) June 24, 2021
No one should EVER be held against their will… or ever have to ask permission to access everything they’ve worked so hard for.
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) June 24, 2021
Jess and I send our love, and our absolute support to Britney during this time. We hope the courts, and her family make this right and let her live however she wants to live.
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) June 24, 2021
And while Timberlake's message of support-regardless of his and Spears' "past, good and bad, and no matter how long ago it was," he wrote-is a nice message to share with the world, plenty of fans are calling him out for his part in Spears' downfall in the first place and his unwillingness to help her through any of this.
You played a role in this too you’re not a hero just because you’re talking about this now to get some good press and be painted as a hero. We see what you’re trying to do
— ⚔️ZELDA BOTW 2 STAN⚔️ (@hussi_maraj) June 24, 2021
— 𝙎𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙚 (@SophieLezcano) June 24, 2021
now you know DAMN well your words don't carry any weight when it comes to Britney
pack it up hipócrita pic.twitter.com/lORPgYJpPv— AnaBelle 🌺🌴 (@albino_babe) June 24, 2021
— Nina Dombalagian (@ninadombalagian) June 24, 2021
If there’s one thing Justin Timberlake has had his entire career, it’s the audacity. https://t.co/gVXXIqqXgA
— ًFREE BRIT TYPE SHIT (@KAYCDRGN) June 24, 2021
And though they are definitely in the minority on this one, some fans are grateful for Timberlake's public support.
Thanks Justin and I’m sorry so many of our fans have been giving you a hard time and they don’t know your side of everything. But you’re also right this was like 20 years ago and both of you moved on so I wish some of her fans would too
— carol (@carolki13) June 24, 2021
Finally a great statement @jtimberlake regarding a person who meant so much to you back in the day.
— Stephanie Wong (@ristephie) June 24, 2021
I applaud you @jtimberlake for taking a stand. No matter what happened between you two, it is good to see you are in her corner supporting her...this is exactly what she needs-to see everyone supporting her!
— Kathy Garcia (@kathygarcia_24) June 24, 2021
Fans, for the most part, are not here for Timberlake's message. Though it's possible that he's grown from the person he used to be, fans aren't quick to forget that he wrote what many call a revenge porn song about Spears after their public breakup in 2002: "Cry Me a River." It earned Timberlake a Grammy award for playing on Spears' emotions and publicly shaming her.
Timberlake didn't stop there, though, and instead went on a years-long power trip of putting his ex-girlfriend down. The New York Times documentary that landed on Hulu earlier this year-Framing Britney Spears-gave a more candid and heartbreaking look at her rise and entrapment in her current life, which prompted Timberlake to issue an apology in February for the part he played in all of it. However, much like this current message, it felt like too little too late.