Britney Spears memoir; how did things end with Justin Timberlake, as legal issues posed publication delays?

One of music’s most anticipated memoirs, “The Women in Me” by ‘00s icon Britney Spears, could have seen substantial delays from its scheduled release date due to initial concerns from Justin Timberlake and Colin Farrell’s legal teams. 

The tell-all book, which will also delve into the details behind her conservatorship, was a concern for the pair of Spears' former flames with how intimate the further information regarding their prior relationships would be, and avoid a potential literary scenario akin to that those mentioned in Harry, Duke of Sussex’s book (“Spare”), went through.

According to an insider who spoke to The Sun, “Lawyers demanded to see her book in advance and were adamant that some of the revelations were removed. There are still plenty of gobsmacking tales but Timberlake and Farrell were conscious about what could be said about them.”

However, that same insider also revealed that after taking a look at some of the content regarding how Spears penned details about the relationships, a compromise was reached with some of the more unpalatable facts being revised - and now that October 24th 2023 release date for the book is “ready to go.”

Britney Spears had a well-publicised relationship with Justin Timberlake from 1999 to 2000, at one point defined as “America’s Pop Sweethearts” at the zenith of their relationship, while Spears and Farrell briefly saw each in 2003. 

The book is set to also reveal her brief tenure with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, who notoriously used to call the pop star out at the height of the nu-metal craze, and what led to the infamous kiss with Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.

How did things end between Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake?

The exact reasons for their split were never explicitly disclosed by either of them, hence why Timberlake’s team were interested in an advance copy of the memoir to find out Britney Spears’ perspective on the matter. 

Speculation and media reports suggested that their busy careers and the constant scrutiny of the public and paparazzi played a role, while some sources also claimed that there might have been issues of trust and jealousy given the overwhelming success of Britney Spears in comparison to a post-N*SYNC Justin Timberlake at that stage.

After their breakup, Justin Timberlake released the song "Cry Me a River" in 2002, which featured a music video that seemed to reference his failed relationship with Spears. The video portrayed a Britney Spears look-alike, and the lyrics hinted at betrayal and a broken relationship which only fueled further media attention and speculation about the reasons behind their breakup.

What led to Colin Farrell and Britney Spears falling out?

According to sources, it is claimed that Britney Spears had a fling with actor Colin Farrell in the early 2000s. After their alleged fling, Farrell reportedly upset Spears by sending her a bumper sticker that read, 'Honk If You've Slept With Colin Farrell.' Spears was taken aback and deeply annoyed by this gesture, feeling that he treated their fling like a joke and was nonchalant and disconnected about it.

Despite the upset, Farrell later tried to make amends, explaining that his behaviour was influenced by his own issues with drugs and temptation. However, Spears is now planning to address their time together in her upcoming autobiography, where she intends to set the record straight from her perspective.