Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel’s 11th Wedding Anniversary Overshadowed by Britney Spears’ Memoir Release: “It Has Been a Bit Stressful”

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published 25 October 2023

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel marked 11 years of marriage this week (on October 19, to be exact), and the celebration comes amidst a lot of press about early 2000s era Timberlake—basically none of it positive. Timberlake’s ex-girlfriend, Britney Spears (who he dated from 1999 to 2002) released a memoir, The Woman in Me, this week, and, amongst the book’s revelations about Timberlake specifically, she shared that he encouraged Spears to have an abortion, that he broke up with her in a two-word text after three years together, and that he adopted the phrase “fo’ shizz,” all of which are, um, not great looks for him.

Page Six reports that Timberlake is (shocking no one) “not at all happy” about the book, and that he hasn’t reached out to Spears about the hullabaloo. Of reaching out to Spears, Timberlake “is not going to because there is nothing he can say to her,” a source told The Daily Mail. They said that Spears is “just telling it from her point of view,” but Timberlake is reportedly not “okay with it.”

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake during their relationship

“Doing this book has given Britney life, and she really doesn’t care who is offended by anything in it because it is what happened,” they said. “She was there and lived through it. No one can say anything. She has got this all out of her and is moving on now.”

Of Timberlake and Biel, “Britney’s book coming out with all the revelations coming from it has not been the best for his anniversary celebrations,” a second source told The Daily Mail. “Having it in the zeitgeist hasn’t been a topic of constant conversation, but Justin and Jessica have definitely talked about it. And to have to think of all of that during a time when they should celebrate their love for each other hasn’t been the most satisfying of days lately. It has been a bit stressful.”

"The Woman in Me" by Britney Spears

Now, by the way, Spears can add “bestselling author” to her long list of accomplishments: she took to Instagram last night to write “It’s happening!!! My book is the highest selling celebrity memoir in history and it’s only day 1!!!”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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