Shortly after Timbaland started getting criticism for saying he thought that Justin Timberlake should’ve put a “muzzle” on Britney Spears, it seems he offered an apology.
“I apologize to the Britney fans,” he said in a TikTok video. “And her. Yeah, so you know, about respecting women? Hell yeah.”
Timbaland apologizes after receiving backlash for saying Justin Timberlake should have put a “muzzle” on Britney Spears. pic.twitter.com/lXSNfA19gU
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 8, 2023
The comment was originally made during Timbaland’s appearance at the Afrotech Conference in Austin, Texas, but quickly picked up steam online. Given that he had collaborated with Timberlake in the past, especially on songs like “Cry Me A River,” someone in the audience asked what he had thought about the headlines surrounding Spears’ recently-released memoir.
“I wanted to call JT and say, ‘Man! You gotta put a muzzle on that girl,’” Timbaland responded.
Many online were quick to call out his misogyny, his history with the late Aaliyah, and the fact that Spears reportedly didn’t want to work with him several years ago.
As for her memoir, Spears didn’t hold back on Timberlake. She revealed that she had an abortion during their relationship, claimed that he cheated on her, and gave her thoughts about how she seemed to have been portrayed using a lookalike in the “Cry Me A River” video.
Check out Timbaland’s apology about his Britney Spears comment above.