The coronavirus and ensuing quarantine have apparently given people time to reflect on past relationships, relinquish old grudges, and let bygones be bygones. Case in point: Britney Spears shouting out her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake on Instagram.
Spears and Timberlake dated for roughly three years before calling it quits in 2002. The reason for their breakup is still uncertain, though Timberlake has alluded to Spears cheating, and his hit single “Cry Me a River” (which stars a Spears lookalike) is largely assumed to be about that. Tragically (and mercifully), Twitter did not yet exist as a platform to dissect the couple’s every move and pick sides in the breakup.
The years of tabloid drama and musical digs did not stop Spears from praising one of Timberlake’s newer songs, though. Yesterday, she posted a video of her dancing to “Filthy,” the lead single off Timberlake’s 2018 album Man of the Woods, and praised her ex’s talent in the caption.
“This is my version of Snapchat or TikTok or whatever the cool thing you’re supposed to do these days 😅😅😅💃!!!!! As you can see I’m not really dancing folks …… I’m just very bored 🙄,” Spears wrote. “PS I know we had one of the world’s biggest breakups 20 years ago …… but hey the man is a genius !!!! Great song JT ✨ !!!! Pssss if you KNOW WHAT’S GOOD 😜 !!!!!!”
The praise did not go unnoticed. Timberlake commented on Spears’ video with crying-laughing emoji.
Both parties seem to be in better places in their personal lives now. Since 2012, Timberlake has been married to actress Jessica Biel, with whom he has a son, Silas. Spears, meanwhile, has been dating personal trainer Sam Asghari since 2016.
So, there you have it. Civility is possible in the wake of even the most volatile and public breakups. It might just take 18 years and a global pandemic to get there.
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