Spikes y Spears has done it again. From one big reveal to another, the Pop Princess has finally admitted to cheating on her former boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, when they were still together. So, who was the third party, and when did this happen? Let’s explore the former couple’s relationship timeline.
Britney Spears Admitted to Cheating on Justin Timberlake
Ever since Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake called it quits in 2002, speculations had been rife that the former cheated on her now ex. Even the former NSYNC member had been hinting at it all along, especially with the release of his controversial 2003 breakup song, Cry Me A River, alluding to what happened to their romance.
In an excerpt from her upcoming memoir, The Woman in Me, via The US Sun, the 41-year-old admitted to cheating on Timberlake with the dancer and choreographer Wade Robson. The latter was known to be one of Michael Jackson’s sexual abuse accusers in the 2019 controversial HBO documentary, Leaving Neverland.
Spears herself said they had a brief fling after spending a night out together at a Spanish bar. As the two enjoyed dancing, they ended up making out that night. She continued that she and Timberlake decided to “move past” the infidelity, considering the years that she had been loyal to him and only had set her eyes on him.
But Spears wasn’t the only one who cheated in this relationship. She also claimed that Jessica Biel’s husband cheated on her with “another celebrity.” Though she didn’t reveal who this celebrity was, many believed it was the Canadian singer Nicole Appleton, a member of All Saints, after they were seen together in a hotel in London after a night out in 2000.
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake Relationship Timeline
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were among the power couples in Hollywood in the 2000s. In fact, despite the split, they have remained one of the most iconic pairs in pop culture.
However, their once fairy-tale romance turned into a huge nightmare after their highly publicized and high-profile breakup. And though over 20 years have passed since that happened, they have remained a hot topic until today.
- 1992: The First Meeting
The two first met in the variety show The All-New Mickey Mouse Club when they were still kids in 1992. They were only 11 years old at the time and were cast as Mousekeeters.
Aside from the two, the show was filled with young performers who became big names in Hollywood, like Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera, JC Chasez, and Keri Russell
- 1999: Secretly Dating
Years after, Spears and Timberlake reunited in 1998 after she joined NSYNC’s concert. From there, rumors started to swirl that they were dating, but she denied the claims in an interview with Rolling Stone. Later, she finally admitted that Timberlake asked her out during the tour before the release of her debut album, Baby One More Time.
- 2000: First Public Appearance as a Couple
Finally, in September 2000, they publicly appeared as a couple at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Though they didn’t walk the red carpet together, they sat with each other.
- 2001: First Red-Carpet Appearance Together
Come 2001, the then-couple made their first red carpet appearance together, wearing their iconic all-denim matching attires at the 2001 American Music Awards. The same year, they performed together at the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show, which NSYNC headlined with Aerosmith.
Alternatively, to show his support for his then-girlfriend, Timberlake attended the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards to watch her iconic performance with an albino Burmese python wrapped around her shoulders. This was also the same year that they started living together.
- 2002: The High-Profile Breakup
Spears broke the news that she and Timberlake had called it quits during the press tour for her debut movie, Crossroads. According to Entertainment Weekly, she told the reporters that she wasn’t in an “intense relationship with anyone at the moment.” Later, she said on the Big Breakfast talk show that she was “single right now.”
In her memoir, Spears claimed that Timberlake broke up with him through text, though he later visited her at her family’s home in Louisiana to do it personally.
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake Infamous Breakup Explained
As two of the most influential people in the music scene, it cannot be denied that many shipped Spears and Timberlake together back then. Their unexpected breakup was a huge surprise for fans, becoming one of Hollywood’s most infamous and high-profile splits, not to mention controversial.
Timberlake hinted that infidelity might have caused their breakup, especially after the release of Cry Me a River; the music video featured a woman who uncannily looked like Spears. Though she admitted to the cheating allegations, as she claimed, she wasn’t the only one who did it, and it even happened several times.
Worse, she even revealed that she didn’t push through with her pregnancy because he didn’t want to be a father.