Justin Timberlake ‘Trying Not to Concern Himself’ With Britney Spears’ Book Amid Abortion Claims, Source Says

Justin Timberlake is focusing on his family as revelations about his relationship with Britney Spears come out. 

A source tells ET that with the upcoming release of Spears’ memoir, The Woman in Me, the “Cry Me a River” singer is looking ahead. 

“Justin has been focusing on his own family and trying not to concern himself with Britney’s memoir,” the source says. “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 just want everyone to grow and evolve instead of continuing to bring up the past.”

On Tuesday, People revealed an excerpt from Spears’ book, where she claims that she had an abortion after getting pregnant by Timberlake in the early years of their relationship. 

“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,” Spears wrote about the pregnancy via People. “But 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.”

ET has reached out to Timberlake’s rep for comment on the allegations. 

Spears, and Timberlake, 42, dated from 1999 to 2002. Inside of her highly anticipated memoir, the “Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” singer also writes about the first kiss she shared with Timberlake, when they were teens on The Mickey Mouse Club.

In the excerpt, obtained by People, Spears reveals that the kiss happened when they were hanging out for a MMC sleepover.

“[Once] at a sleepover, we played Truth or Dare, and someone dared Justin to kiss me,” she writes, according to the outlet. “A Janet Jackson song was playing in the background as he leaned in and kissed me.”

Timberlake went on to marry Jessica Biel. Together, they share sons Silas, 8, and Phineas, 3.  Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline are parents to sons Sean Preston, 18, and Jaden James, 17. 

In 2021, Timberlake was vocal about his support for Spears, during her conservatorship battle. In a series of tweets, the “My Love” singer stood in solidarity with his ex. 

“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,” Timberlake wrote. “What’s happening to her is just not right. No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body.”

He continued, “No one should EVER be held against their will… or ever have to ask permission to access everything they’ve worked so hard for,” he continued. “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.”

Spears’ conservatorship officially ended in November 2021. 

In an interview with People, Spears celebrated reclaiming her voice and writing her memoir.

“Over the past 15 years or even at the start of my career, I sat back while people spoke about me and told my story for me,” she told the outlet. “After getting out of my conservatorship, I was finally free to tell my story without consequences from the people in charge of my life.”

The Woman in Me is available for pre-order and is set to be released on Oct. 24.

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