Justin Timberlake Shared a Shady Message Before Singing ‘Cry Me a River’ at Dave Chapelle’s Birthday Party: Watch

Nearly two months ahead of the release of Britney Spears‘ memoir, The Woman in Me, her ex-beau, Justin Timberlake, performed his hit breakup song “Cry Me a River.” The video (taken at Dave Chappelle‘s 50th birthday party on August 24) has resurfaced on social media amid the latest claims about Brit and J.T’s breakup in the shocking memoir. In the clip, the now 42-year-old admitted that he was told to “not” perform the 2002 song.

“They told me not to do this song no more,” Justin said while on stage in August. “F*** that!” Moments later, Justin began to perform the track following Dave’s show. After the clip landed on social media, many Britney fans took to the comments to react, as many know that the song was about their famous split. “What goes around come [sic] back around, Justin,” one follower quipped, while another added, “Looks like someone is still hung up on his ex!”

Justin Timberlake before singing "Cry Me a River" at Dave Chappelle's birthday party on August 24 (of this year btw) said "Told me not to do this song…Fuçk that"… you can tell his notes app apology for Britney was so sincere in February 2021! #TheWomanInMe pic.twitter.com/0WcvJ3ZoYZ

— Diana 🇨🇴 (@DianaftCol) October 20, 2023

Some fans defended the Hollywood heartthrob in the comments. “He has nothing to apologize for. He’s allowed to write songs about his life,” one fan penned, while another chimed in with, “Great song about his own experience.” The video, as mentioned, has resurfaced in light of the recent excerpts that contained shocking claims about Britney’s prior romance with Justin. One of her claims was that the Grammy winner had an abortion amid their relationship.

“Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy,” Britney claimed in the book, which will be released on October 24. “He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young.” Earlier, Brit noted that the pregnancy “wasn’t a tragedy” to her. “It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much,” she penned. “I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated.”

Following the release of the shocking excerpt, a source close to Justin told ET that he is not focused on the memoir at this time. “Justin has been focusing on his own family and trying not to concern himself with Britney’s memoir,” the insider claimed on October 17.

“In recent years, Justin has tried to be supportive of Britney from a distance. They dated so long ago, but he still has respect for her. Justin and [wife Jessica Biel] just want everyone to grow and evolve instead of continuing to bring up the past.”