Justin Timberlake Had Two Words for Britney Spears Before Singing 'Cry Me a River'

Justin Timberlake has still not publicly addressed the controversy stemming from the release of Britney Spears' memoir The Woman in Me back in October, which doesn't exactly paint him in the best light. But while performing at the grand opening of the glitzy Fontainebleau Las Vegas hotel on Wednesday night, the former *NSYNC member seemed to indicate that he was in solidarity with his ex-girlfriend.

While getting ready launch into his 2002 hit single "Cry Me a River," Timberlake bent down and made a "stop" motion with his hand, telling the crowd: "No disrespect." 

When the song was first released, the 42-year-old alluded to it being about how Spears had cheated on him during their three-year relationship. The music video for "Cry Me a River" famously even featured a "Britney look-alike," and the song helped skyrocket his career to the next level. Meanwhile, Spears would go on to suffer a number of setbacks in her personal and professional life.

@chynnatok

@Justin Timberlake saying “no disrespect” before singing Cry me a river last night ????????????

♬ original sound - chynna

Fast forward 21 years, and the court of public option has swung sharply in Spears' direction. Among the many revelations in her book, the "...Baby One More Time" singer revealed that she and Timberlake had both cheated on each other. And not only that, but she also revealed that she had undergone a private home abortion after becoming pregnant with Timberlake's child.

At the time, the media had been obsessed with Spears's apparent purity, as her record label had marketed her as an innocent virgin, when in fact she had been having sex and smoking cigarettes since she was just 14 years old. In the media spectacle following the pair's breakup, Timberlake likewise did little to protect his ex's image.

It remains to be seen whether this will be the extent of Timberlake's public remarks about the tell-all, as it still falls short of the apology many fans have been hoping for.