Breaking Down Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s Relationship Before Her Abortion Revelation

1992

Britney and Justin met in 1992 when they joined the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club alongside Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera, Keri Russell and JC Chasez.

“I was in love with her from the start,” Justin told GQ magazine in 2006 while reflecting on when they first met. “I was infatuated with her from the moment I saw her.”

1999

The couple went public with their romance in 1999.

January 2001

Justin and Britney performed at the Super Bowl XXV halftime show together. They took the stage with Justin’s band NSYNC, as well as Aerosmith.

September 2001

Britney gave an update about where she and Justin stood while talking to The Observer in 2001.

“With him, it’s still the same as I felt two years ago. But it is a deeper love now than when I was younger,” she said at the time. “Like, we’ve gone through so much together and we’ve known each other since we were 12 years old. We know each other inside and out.”

March 2002

The pair split in 2002, and rumors quickly began to swirl that she had cheated on him.

“We’re not perfect. I don’t judge anybody,” Justin said about the speculation while being interviewed by Barbara Walters on 20/20. “It’s just young love. It’s just young love. It was a very intense relationship, that’s for sure.”

November 2002

Justin seemingly gave insight into their breakup when he released his “Cry Me a River” music video in November 2002, which featured a Britney look-alike and recreated their split.

“I’ve been scorned. I’ve been pissed off. I wrote ‘Cry Me a River’ in two hours. I didn’t plan on writing it,” he wrote in his 2018 book, Hindsight: & All the Things I Can’t See in Front of Me, about the song. “The feelings I had were so strong that I had to write it, and I translated my feelings into a form where people could listen and, hopefully, relate to it. People heard me and they understood it because we’ve all been there.”

2003

Britney became visibly emotional when Diane Sawyer questioned her about the split during a 2003 interview.

“You did something that caused him so much pain … so much suffering. What did you do?” Diane asked at the time.

Britney responded, “I was upset for a while. We both are really young, and it was kind of waiting to happen. I will always love him … he is such a great person.”

After admitting she was shocked by the “Cry Me a River” music video, Diane asked Britney if she “betrayed” Justin. “I’m not technically saying he’s wrong, but I’m not technically saying he’s right either,” Britney replied through tears.

2020

The exes had a rare interaction in April 2020 when Britney posted a video of herself dancing to Justin’s song “Filthy.”

“PS I know we had one of the world’s biggest breakups 20 years ago …… but hey the man is a genius,” she captioned the clip. “Great song JT!!!! Pssss if you KNOW WHAT’S GOOD!!!!!!”

Justin showed his appreciation by leaving several emojis in the comments section.

February 2021

After the documentary Framing Britney Spears was released in February 2021, which detailed her conservatorship, Justin issued a statement apologizing to Britney for how he treated her in the past.

“I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond. 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,” he wrote in response to criticism he faced for his past actions. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”

He then specifically apologized to Britney and Janet Jackson, who suffered a fashion mishap when Justin accidentally exposed her breast at the 2004 Super Bowl. “I care for and respect these women and I know I failed,” he wrote. “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.”

“I know this apology is a first step and doesn’t absolve the past. I want to take accountability for my own missteps in all of this as well as be part of a world that uplifts and supports,” Justin concluded. “I care deeply about the wellbeing of the people I love and have loved. I can do better and I will do better.”

June 2021

Justin showed his support for Britney after she spoke out about her conservatorship during a court hearing in June. “After what we saw today, we should all be supporting Britney at this time,” the “Mirrors” singer tweeted. “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.”

The Tennessee native – who married Jessica Biel in 2012 – concluded, “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.”

October 2023

Britney revealed in her memoir, The Woman in Me, that she had an abortion after becoming pregnant with Justin’s child.

“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,” she wrote in an excerpt shared by People on October 17. “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.”

The “Womanizer” singer added, “I’m sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby.”

Britney admitted she doesn’t know “if that was the right decision,” continuing, “If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.”

“To this day, it’s one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life,” she concluded.