Justin Timberlake is speaking out after pop star Britney Spears called her conservatorship “abusive” in a Los Angeles Superior Court hearing Wednesday.
According to USA Today and “Entertainment Tonight,” the “SexyBack” singer, who dated Spears in the late ’90s and early 2000s, offered support to his ex-girlfriend in a statement he tweeted Wednesday night.
“After what we saw today, we should all be supporting Britney at this time,” his statement read. “Regardless of our past, good and bad, and no matter how long ago it was … what’s happening to her is just not right. No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body. No one should EVER be held against their will ... or ever have to ask permission to access everything they’ve worked so hard for.”
Timberlake, who is now 40 and married to actress Jessica Biel, went on to add: “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.”
Timberlake’s statement came hours after Spears, 39, asked a judge to end her longtime conservatorship, which began in 2008, The Associated Press reported. Under the current agreement, Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, 68, is co-conservator of the pop singer’s fortune, but he previously was able to control most aspects of her life, according to the news agency.
“I’m traumatized; I’m not happy,” Spears said via phone at the hearing. “I can’t sleep. I’m so angry, It’s insane.”
She added that the conservatorship forces her to take birth control and prevents her from marrying and having a child with boyfriend Sam Asghari, the AP reported.
“I want to end this conservatorship without being evaluated,” she said. “I just want my life back.”
Earlier this year, the “Stronger” singer’s story made headlines when “Framing Britney Spears” premiered on the Hulu streaming service in February. The documentary, which focuses on her conservatorship and treatment by the media, includes an excerpt from an old interview with Timberlake, according to USA Today. In the clip, he jokingly answers a question about his sex life with Spears.
Many fans who watched the documentary blasted Timberlake at the time, demanding he apologize to Spears and Janet Jackson, whose nipple he exposed during their performance at the 2004 Super Bowl, “ET” reported.
“I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments and concerns, and I want to respond,” he wrote in a Feb. 12 Instagram post. “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.”
He added: “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. I also feel compelled to respond, in part, because everyone involved deserves better and most importantly, because this is a larger conversation that I wholeheartedly want to be part of and grow from.”
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.