Britney Spears about her abortion: "one of the most agonizing things I ever experienced"
She was 20 and he was 21. Both were rising stars in the entertainment industry. As Britney Spears now reveals, she got pregnant while dating Justin Timberlake in 2000. And the couple decided not to keep the baby.
In her memoir, 'The Woman in Me,' Britney Spears tells her life's story "on her own terms," as publisher Gallery Books states. Ahead of the book's release on October 24, the pop star has dropped a couple of bombshells. The story of the abortion was one of them.
After 20 years of silence, Britney Spears revealed that she had an abortion with fellow Disney star Justin Timberlake. The reason? The couple felt they were not ready to be parents yet. But more specifically, Spears says Justin Timberlake was not prepared to be a father. Does that mean she wasn't 100% behind the abortion?
Photo: @vinnizone / Instagram
From her book excerpt, published by People magazine, it appears that Britney Spears was happy to be pregnant. "It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn’t a tragedy. 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."
However, Britney continues, "Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young."
"I’m sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby. I don’t know if that was the right decision. 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," the singer details in her memoir.
People magazine asked Justin Timberlake for a reaction to the revelation, but the singer nor his representative have provided any statements. Meanwhile, The SUN US claims that Timberlake does not deny the fact.
"He's not in denial about it, but to him, this was a million years ago. I don't think Justin's going to publicly dispute any of Britney's claims, just because that isn't his style. But he might be forced to by circumstance," a source told The US Sun.
In Entertainment Weekly, another source is cited who says: "Justin has been focusing on his own family and trying not to concern himself with Britney’s memoir. In recent years, Justin has tried to be supportive of Britney from a distance. They dated so long ago, but he still has respect for her. Justin and Jessica [Biel, his wife, photo] just want everyone to grow and evolve instead of continuing to bring up the past."
Moving on might be easier for Justin Timberlake than for Britney Spears. She says she still clearly remembers the experience of having an abortion. "To this day, it’s one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life."
Of course, Britney's revelation is not great for Justin Timberlake's public image. And he was already under scrutiny from the press for alleged marital problems with Jessica Biel.
Although Page Six claims that Timberlake is following the revelations of the book and the public's reactions to it, he has decided to keep silent about it himself.
Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears began dating in 1999 and lasted as a couple until 2002. Britney Spears was 17 years old when they started going out, while Justin Timberlake was 18.
After Britney Spears' revelation came out, fans noted that one of her songs may be partly autobiographical. Some of them claimed that the track 'Everytime,' part of the 2003 album 'In the Zone,' might be about her abortion.
Photo: @lohanisgod / X
The song, which was released along with a video clip in 2003, contains a couple of lines that have gotten a new meaning in recent days:
"And every time I see you in my dream I see your face, it's haunting me. I guess I need you baby;
"I make-believe that you are here. It's the only way that I see clear. What have I done?"
Photo: Britney Spears - 'Everytime' / YouTube
Although the lyrics can be very ambiguous, the official and uncensored video clip sees the singer suffering from a bad relationship with her partner (played by actor Stephen Dorff), and ending up in the hospital after fainting or trying to take her own life. She appears in a hospital room where a woman is having a baby while the singer loses her life.
Photo: Britney Spears - 'Everytime' / YouTube
Without any further explanation other than the mere speculation of her fans, it seems that both Justin Timberlake and the army of Britney's followers are waiting for Britney's memoir to go on sale. At the moment, she is 41 and he is 42, and the relationship between them is publicly null.