I messed Up: Justin Timberlake Tenders Apology to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson

Justin Timberlake

Grammy award winning artiste and record producer Justin Timberlake, has recently been under fire over accusations of sexism and misogyny, he then went ahead to tender a public apology to star Artiste Britney Spears and Janet Jackson on Friday the 12th of February. The singer cum actor took to his Instagram page by posting, a week after a  documentary on Spears triggered criticism of Timberlake for the way he treated the pop star after their purported breakup. Timberlake’s also apologized to Jackson for the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” halftime show during Super Bowl XXVIII in Jacksonville, Florida. Jackson came under fire during the Super Bowl halftime show when Timberlake ripped off Jackson’s bodice to reveal her right breast. Timberlake later apologized to the Super Bowl audience, as well as “anyone offended,” the Times reported. At the Grammy Awards, which that year followed the Super Bowl, he won two awards while apologizing for the “unintentional” incident. Years later, Timberlake said in an interview with MTV, “There could have been ways that I could have gone about it, handled it better.”

Timberlake said via a post “I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond,” Timberlake wrote on Instagram. “I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right. I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism. I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”

Janet JAckson

Both incidents can be dated back more than two decades ago.

Timberlake 40 now married to actress Jessica Biel, and Spears, 39, dated when both were teen stars during their formative years. Timberlake was allegedly said to have publicly disclosed at the time that he had slept with the pop star and obliquely accused her of cheating on him. That accusation was borne out in a music video for Timberlake’s 2002 song, “Cry Me a River,” which featured an actress who resembled Spears.

That situation, however, resurfaced in the Feb. 5 documentary, “Framing Britney Spears,” which premiered on FX and Huli. The documentary focused on the conservatorship Spears has been under since 2008, but also addresses the sexist and judgmental way she has been treated by the mainstream media and others during the cause of her music career.

The documentary unleashed calls on social media outcry for direct apologies from people who made jokes at Spears’ expense or interviewed her in ways now viewed as insensitive, sexist and unfair.