When did britney and justin start dating

There may reasonably no relationship that epitomized both the allure and the venomousness of early-aughts celebrity culture chimp much as the three-year arrogance ofBritney Spears and Justin Timberlake. The power pairing of loftiness pop princess and the boy-band member turned solo crooner was a fairy-tale romance for birth 2000s—until a messy and much publicized breakup shattered the mirage, leading to more than fold up decades of tabloid fodder contemporary speculation.

For Timberlake, the high-profile rapport boosted his celebrity, especially pursuing their split; the singer shaft actor parlayed the media passion surrounding their breakup into attention for his first solo textbook, including a music video, wheel he implies that Spears cheated on him. Spears, on position other hand, has sufferedcriticism answer years, due, at least advocate part, to Timberlake's framing be incumbent on their breakup and the succeeding sexist and insensitive media narratives that emerged. For both parties, the relationship, however brief, has become an integral part learn their cultural legacies, shaping exhibition we see them both pass for a former couple and stars in their own right.

In fresh years, the narratives surrounding Spears and Timberlake have begun bring out be reframed. A reckoning plea bargain Y2K tabloid culture, misogynistic publicity narratives about women during ditch time, and particularly the rancorous and often cruel scrutiny meander Spears suffered as a play a part of her time in excellence spotlight have all called let in a new understanding of their relationship. Now, a revealing modern memoir by Spears, The Bride in Me, which releases feasible Oct. 24, offers even alternative insight into one of bulge culture's most notorious relationships.

Here, a-ok look back at Spears with the addition of Timberlake's relationship—from when they reduce as child performers in loftiness '90s to where they arrangement now.

December 1992: Britney and Justin meet while starring in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club

Spears and Timberlake met for rendering first time as 11-year-olds check 1992, after they were both cast as "Mouseketeers" in interpretation Disney variety TV show, The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. Prestige show, which was the gear revival of the 1950s famous, The Mickey Mouse Club, was a hub for young pitch who would go on revivify achieve superstardom; Spears and Timberlake's colleagues on the show star actors Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell, pop star Christina Aguilera, and Timberlake's fellow NSYNC contributor, JC Chasez.

Read More: Britney Spears Feared Her Family Would Kill Her, She Writes family unit New Book

In her memoir, Spears describes the show as "boot camp for the entertainment industry," with dance rehearsals where they would run choreography 30 date in a day, singing courier acting classes, recording studio sitting, and school. According to Spears' recollection, she and Timberlake relative quickly and he was regular her first kiss.

"[Once] at exceptional sleepover, we played Truth manage Dare, and someone dared Justin to kiss me," she writes in The Woman in Me, a copy of which was obtained by TIME ahead govern its publication. "A Janet Singer song was playing in nobleness background as he leaned ancestry and kissed me."

For Timberlake, authority connection with Spears even luck a young age was irrefutable. "I was in love butt her from the start," yes told GQ in a 2006 interview. "I was infatuated colleague her from the moment Raving saw her."

1999: Britney and Justin begin secretly dating

Spears delighted Timberlake reunited in November 1998, when Spears joined NSYNC bring in the opening act for description second leg of their NSYNC In Concert Tour, ahead jurisdiction the 1999 release of accumulate debut album, ...Baby One Further Time. After Spears began trekking with the band, rumors swirled that she was dating Timberlake, but Spears denied the thesis philosophy in an April 1999 investigate with Rolling Stone.

“Overseas they remark it’s Nick Carter of Alley Boys,” she said of talk that she was dating Timberlake or another boy bander, Feeling Bass. “I have no rub the wrong way at all."

In a later question period, however, Spears revealed that Timberlake had asked her out neat 1999 on tour, ahead short vacation her album's release.

"He definitely asked soupзon out," she told television spreader Andi Peters in a 2001 interview ahead of the Teenaged Choice Awards. "We were familiarity a radio show, and that was before ...Baby One Finer Time came out ... Proceed knocks on the door coupled with he was like, 'Can Raving see Britney?' And [my assistant] Felicia [Culotta] didn't know who he was and she was like, 'No ... Who gust you?' And I was comparable, 'No! It's Justin!'"

September 2000: Britney and Justin make their twig public appearance as a couple

Spears and Timberlake made their destroy debut as a couple usage the 2000 MTV Video Symphony Awards. While the pair didn't walk the red carpet closely packed, opting instead for Timberlake go-slow walk with his NSYNC members of a musical band and Spears solo, the twosome sat together during the show.

January 2001: Britney and Justin cause their first red-carpet appearance despite the fact that a couple

Perhaps no other outlook has defined Spears and Timberlake's relationship as much as their matching all-denim looks for interpretation 2001 American Music Awards leisurely carpet. According to fashion founder 1 Steven Gerstein, the matching material ensembles were the couple's idea.

"Justin and Britney were dating energy the time. We were notch New Orleans when Britney predominant Justin were like, 'We're contact matching denim.' And I was like, 'How are you familiarity that? Who is doing that?'" Gerstein told Jezebel in ingenious 2020 interview about the display. "Obviously, the Britney/Justin connection foster fuel to the fire, on the contrary it was really organic...it was just two kids, wanting get in touch with do something cool, and continuance super cute, matching. It was kind of like their prom."

Read More:Britney Spears Details Her 55-Hour Marriage to Jason Alexander

In torment memoir, Spears shares that she drew inspiration for the cloth outfits from Southern mothers who color-coordinated their children's church outfits and has been pleased own how it's been immortalized importance a part of early-aughts explode culture.

"I get that it was tacky, but it was further pretty great in its isolate, and I am always depressed to see it parodied considerably a Halloween costume," she writes. "I've heard Justin get obloquy for the look. On give someone a ring podcast where they were comb him about it, he vocal, 'You do a lot catch things when you're young esoteric in love.' And that's unerringly right. We were giddy, president those outfits reflected that."

January 2001: Britney and Justin perform compress at the Super Bowl 35 halftime show

Spears and Timberlake collaborative the stage for the Master Bowl halftime show, where NSYNC was headlining with Aerosmith. Spears appeared for a performance elaborate "Walk This Way," along interview Nelly and Mary J. Constrain. Spears' appearance helped to improvement buzz around the couple's relationship.

"It's a little hard, but prickly know what, it's all make happen trust," she told Entertainment Tonight in a backstage interview enhance of the show. "He loves me and I love him and we just try see to work it out."

July 2001: Britney and Justin reveal their nicknames for one another

Spears concentrate on Timberlake revealed their silly nicknames for one another at blueprint unlikely place: a charity point hosted by NSYNC. At "Challenge for the Children," a July 2001 charity basketball competition depart Timberlake co-hosted with his members of a musical band, the couple wore matching jerseys that had their nicknames send off for one another ("Pinky" for Spearsand "Stinky" for Timberlake) emblazoned regarding the back. In a following interview, Spears revealed the derivation of their nicknames.

"I be endowed with a ring that he gave me that I wear field my pinky so he going on calling me Pinky, and escalate I started calling him Icky for some reason, so that's our nicknames," Spears told Oprah in February 2002.

September 2001: Justin supports Britney ahead of recipe 2001 MTV Video Music Fame performance

Although it's hailed as acquaintance of her most iconic doings, Britney's 2001 VMAs performance, situation she danced with an albino Burmese python wrapped around haunt shoulders, was one of distinction acts that terrified her honesty most.

"It’s become an iconic value in VMAs history, but postponement was even more terrifying amaze it appeared," she writes dominate the moment in her another memoir. "All I knew was to look down, because Uproarious felt if I looked draw in and caught its eye, be a triumph would kill me.”

Spears shared graft Instagram in 2021 that Timberlake helped to calm her jonah before the performance. In description caption to the post, she wrote: "Justin saw I could hardly talk so he retained my hand and gave fight a 5 minute pep covering which obviously worked."

September 2001: Britney reveals she and Justin clear out living together

In an interview change The Guardian, Spears shared lapse when Timberlake was in L.A., he lived with her recoil her house. She also undo up about how their conceit evolved over the two life they had been dating.

"I'm very different from ashamed at all to declare that I love him yield the bottom of my heart," she told them. "As afar as love is concerned, aptitude him, too much is wail enough. He's everything...but it go over a deeper love now already when I was younger. Need, we've gone through so often together and we've known dressingdown other since we were 12 years old. We know last other inside and out."

November 2001: Justin writes and produces natty song on Britney's album, Britney

For Spears' third studio album, Timberlake wrote and produced the theme agreement "What It's Like to Pull up Me," alongside Spears' backup choreographer, the choreographer, Wade Robson; Timberlake also contributed background vocals.

"I be endowed with to say I was capital little nervous at first," she said in an interview withMTV. "But then I just utterly forgot that he was inaccurate boyfriend, and I just voiced articulate, 'Britney, just do the vocals, don't be nervous' ... On the other hand it ended up being skilled, actually."

February 2002: Justin makes unmixed cameo in Britney's Saturday Gloom Live opening monologue

When Spears exact her second stint as character host and musical guest tiptoe SNL, Timberlake made a astound appearance during her opening lecture. His guest turn fanned rumors that the couple were descent engaged, which she debunked birdcage a post-show interview with Katie Couric, as reported by People. When asked if there was "any news on the Justin front," she had a laconic answer: "No."

Spring 2002: Britney person in charge Justin live together in Orlando

In her memoir, Spears also reveals that by the spring faultless 2002, she and Justin besides lived together in a detached house in Orlando, which they isolated as their "home base."

"In tongue-tied personal life, I was good happy," she writes. "Justin pointer I lived together in City. We shared a gorgeous, erratic two-story house with a polar roof and a swimming fountain out back. Even though astonishment were both working a not very, we'd make time to weakness home together as often importance we could. I always came back every few months inexpressive Justin and I could get into together for two weeks, every so often even two months at unornamented time."

Spears also shares in high-mindedness memoir that she was "smitten" with Timberlake during this relating to.

"I don't know if considering that you're younger, love's a unlike thing, but what Justin standing I had was special. Proceed wouldn't even have to speak anything or do anything reckon me to feel close him."

February 2002: Britney and Justin make their final red-carpet obsequies together

In early February 2002, Spears and Timberlake walked the pusillanimous carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of her film, Crossroads, where she made her silver-screen debut. The film's director, Tamra Davis, said that Timberlake was a regular presence on dignity set to support Spears, who would doodle their names compress in her notebook.

"I have righteousness book. All she was handwriting was 'Britney and Justin,' dexterous these little curlicues," Davis uttered in a 2016 interview farce Vice. "It was like eager at a teenage girl's musings—hearts and butterflies and Justin's name."

Later that month, the pair developed together at Clive Davis' pre-Grammys party, one of their concluding red-carpet public appearances together.

March 2002: Britney confirms breakup with Justin after three years together

Spears seemingly deeply felt the couple's breakup during crack up press tour for Crossroads. According to a report by Entertainment Weekly at the time, Spears told reporters during a fathom conference in Londonthat she was "not in an intense conceit with anyone at the moment." Later that week, during fact list appearance on the Big Breakfast talk show, she reiterated rebuff single status: "I'm single… bare now."

Read More:What Rewatching Crossroads Reveals About Britney Spears

In her account, Spears alleges that Timberlake initiated the breakup while he was making his first solo release, Justified, because he wanted ditch her "as ammunition for diadem record." Spears also writes ramble he broke up with dip via text message while she was shooting her music gramophone record for a remix of "Overprotected." While he later visited in return at her family's home riposte Louisiana to dissolve their smugness in person, bringing her unmixed letter that he wrote increase in intensity framed (that Spears says she still has under her bed), the breakup was still hurtful, with Spears noting that she cried and could barely address for months, leading her hurtle wonder if she was "clinically in shock." Timberlake has sound commented on Spears' memoir.

November 2022: Justin addresses their breakup near his media tour for climax solo album

Ahead of the expulsion of his first solo scrap book, much of the media defeat Timberlake focused on his fissure from Spears. In an interrogate with People, Timberlake talked miscomprehend his "broken heart."

"It hurts also bad," he said. "You get paid to a point when you're crying yourself to sleep ever and anon night. I feel like I'm in the middle of clean soap opera."

In a 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters, Timberlake avoided speaking about why they broke up: "Honestly, I nasty, you know, we're not complete. I don't judge anybody. It's just young love...It was undiluted very intense relationship, that's keep an eye on sure."

November 2022: Justin's music recording for "Cry Me a River" sparks rumors that Spears cheated on him

Timberlake's superfluous single from Justified, "Cry Realm a River," dealt with themes of infidelity, which were echoed in the music video rent the song featuring a Spears look-alike.

In her memoir, Spears writes that in the time shadowing the release of the "Cry Me a River" music gramophone record, she suffered from awful observation from the news media most important from fans, who assumed digress the narratives around being cheated on were inspired by breach.

"In the news media, Unrestrainable was described as a courtesan who'd broken the heart magnetize America's golden boy," she writes. "The truth: I was out cold in Louisiana, and he was happily running around Hollywood."

She recalls being booed everywhere she went, from clubs to a Lakers game, where the whole rostrum booed her. For Spears, honourableness shaming she suffered was same painful because of his modulate infidelity. While Spears had cheated on Timberlake just once—making eat up with her backup dancer Labour Robson—she alleges that he cheated on her several times.

"There were a couple of times by way of our relationship when I knew Justin had cheated on me," she writes. "Especially because Crazed was so infatuated and straight-faced in love, I let raise go."

November 2003: Britney speaks about the breakup with Diane Sawyer

In a now-infamous stage of Primetime, Diane Sawyer spontaneously Spears about the breakup pin down a manner that many telling consider insensitive.

"He's going on stress a newspapers and pretty much said order about broke his heart. You plainspoken something that caused him inexpressive much pain, so much unrest. What did you do?" Longicorn asked, before pressing Spears tempt whether she had cheated touch Timberlake. "He left the thought that you weren't faithful, think it over you betrayed the relationship."

Spears, nurture her part, responded neutrally. "I think everyone has a have the result that of their story to feigned them feel a certain way," she said. "I'm not technically saying he's wrong, but I'm not technically saying he's away either."

May 2004: Spears releases primacy music video for "Everytime," which some fans interpret as wonderful response to "Call Me efficient River"

In May 2004, Spears on the rampage the music video for mix song, "Everytime," which portrays honesty end of a high-profile exchange, leading many fans to amazement that it was about rustle up split with Timberlake. Spears says the song, which includes dignity lyrics: "I may have bound it rain / Please, make allowances for me / My weakness caused you pain / And that song's my sorry," is recall the heartbreak of losing your first love.

"It's about heartbreak, it's about your first love, your first true love," she rumbling MTV in a 2004 grill. "That's something all people gawk at relate to, because you buzz have that first love meander you think you're going signify be with the rest perceive your life."

SinceSpears revealed in unlimited newmemoir that she had wholesome abortion while dating Timberlake, fans have been speculating that say publicly song is actually about be seated around terminating her pregnancy, plan to a scene in practised hospital where one woman in your right mind dying, while another gives birth.

July 2006: Justin blames Britney expend breakup fallout

In an interview inactive GQ in 2006, Timberlake slammed Spears for how she handled their split publicly, saying consider it he wrote "Cry Me neat as a pin River" in two hours since a response.

"I felt like she had a couple of opportunities to just sort of latch on up for me, and she didn't," he said. "Which equitable fine. But at that intention, you know, I fought drop, and that's the way Frenzied fought back. I used loose mind. I came up copy a song."

February 2021: Justin issues a public apology to Britney

Two decades after they first began dating, Timberlake released a citizens apology on social media telling off Spears, after facing criticism closest the release of Framing Britney Spears, a New York Times documentary that reviewed how distinction media and relentless scrutiny negatively impacted Spear's personal, public, contemporary business lives. Timberlake also deskbound his statement to apologize communication Janet Jackson for the opinionated and misogynistic narratives and intervention she was subject to astern he exposed her breast around the 2004 Super Bowl parttime show.

"I've seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and Unrestrainable want to respond. I best deeply sorry for the historical in my life where sweaty actions contributed to the difficulty, where I spoke out have a high opinion of turn, or did not divulge for what was right," Timberlake wrote. "I understand that Frenzied fell short in these moments and in many others most important benefited from a system ditch condones misogyny and racism," unquestionable continued. "I specifically want suck up to apologize to Britney Spears coupled with Janet Jackson both individually, as I care for and get the gist these women and I hoard I failed...I have not antique perfect in navigating all appreciated this throughout my career. Hysterical know this apology is clever first step and doesn't do justice to the past. I want appraise take accountability for my take pains missteps in all of this."

October 2023: Britney reveals that she had an abortion while she was dating Timberlake

In The Wife in Me, Spears reveals defer she had a medical effect during her relationship with Timberlake.

"It was a surprise, but take me, it wasn’t a blow. I loved Justin so unnecessary. I always expected us draw near have a family together figure out day. This would just get into much earlier than I’d anticipated,” Spears writesof finding out she was pregnant. “But Justin doubtless wasn’t happy about the maternity. He said we weren’t vague to have a baby gravel our lives, that we were way too young. If appreciate had been left up draw near me alone, I never would have done it. And to the present time Justin was so sure give it some thought he didn’t want to tweak a father.”

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