Britney Spears Swiftly Responded to Justin Timberlake Saying He Would "Apologize to Absolutely F-ing Nobody'

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake at the "Crossroads" premiere.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Forget the apologies—one of the most iconic feuds of the 2000s is back in full force. After Justin Timberlake spent his 43rd birthday refusing to issue more apologies to his ex, Britney Spears has something to say about it.

Spears recently made her Instagram account private, but with 42 million followers, she's still reaching countless fans across the globe. According to TMZ, the star posted a golden hour shot of the moon and some clouds behind a basketball hoop. But it was the photo's caption, with pointed digs at Timberlake, that got fans talking.

"Someone told me someone was talking s*** about me on the streets !!! Do you want to bring it to the court or will you go home crying to your mom like you did last time??? I'm not sorry !!!" the "...Baby One More Time" singer wrote.

The punctuation-laden Instagram caption comes after Timberlake introduced a performance of "Cry Me a River" on Wednesday by saying he'd "like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely f****** nobody."

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake during their relationship.

Timberlake's bold statement (and not-so-subtle shade) came after he'd previously supported Spears during her high-profile conservatorship hearing, as well as after he apologized to both his ex and Janet Jackson. "I care for and respect these women and I know I failed," he wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post in February 2021.

Spears, too, apologized to the former *NSYNC member after writing about their relationship in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me. In the book, she revealed that she had an abortion during her relationship with Timberlake, which ended in 2002.

As for the jab at Timberlake's basketball prowess (or lack thereof), TMZ noted that in December, Spears wrote on Instagram that her ex cried when she beat him at the sport. Only time will tell whether Timberlake will take her up on the challenge to "bring it to the court"—or if fans can expect future diss tracks from the infamous exes.

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Meghan is a freelance news writer at Marie Claire. Her work has also appeared in Bustle, Refinery29, Popsugar, and other outlets. When she isn't writing, Meghan runs a community for plus-size people in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.