Pop star Justin Timberlake on Friday apologized for moments he "fell short" and condoned misogyny, one week after the release of a blockbuster documentary on Britney Spears saw the behavior of the former boy band star come under sharp criticism.
The film, produced by FX and The New York Times, explores the vitriol both the media and entertainment industry aimed at Spears, who soared to global fame before publicly suffering a mental health crisis and becoming a paparazzi punching bag in the mid-to-late 2000s.
Spears and Timberlake famously dated several years around the turn of the millennium, having met as children while cast members of Disney's Mickey Mouse Club variety show.
The popular narrative of their breakup cast Spears as a cheating heartbreaker, offering sympathy to Timberlake especially after he released a revenge fantasy music video for the break-up hit "Cry Me A River."
The documentary Framing Britney Spears includes audio from a 2002 radio interview in which Timberlake jokes about the couple's sex life; Spears for years was needled over the state of her virginity prior to the break-up.
"So when are you apologizing to Britney?" asked Spears fans on social media, flooding Timberlake's accounts with tags.
"I've seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond," Timberlake said Friday on Instagram.
"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. "I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism."
Timberlake, 40, said he "specifically wanted to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed."
In Jackson's case the former NSYNC star was referring to the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" Jackson suffered during a much-watched Super Bowl halftime show when Timberlake appeared to pull off part of her outfit and expose her breast.
The 2004 scandal triggered widespread outcry, with much of the criticism aimed at Jackson.
In both cases, Jackson's and Spears' careers took serious hits, while Timberlake's popularity remained largely unscathed.
"As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this," Timberlake wrote, nearly two decades after the incidents in question.
