The book’s release marked the climax of the increasing scrutiny that Justin has been facing in recent years for the way that he treated Britney after their split in 2002.
If you need reminding, the pair were the ultimate power couple when they first started dating in 1999, but things took a turn when they broke up three years later.
At the time, Justin actively fueled the narrative that Britney had cheated on him and broken his heart, which saw Britney get vilified.
In addition, Justin regularly made crude and disrespectful comments about his and Britney’s sex life, before going on to make thinly veiled jabs about her mental health as the years went on.
Meanwhile, Britney largely kept silent for two decades, but set the record straight in her book, where she claimed that Justin had actually cheated on her “a couple of times” when they were together.
She also revealed that she’d had a secret abortion prior to him breaking up with her via text message, adding that the abortion is “one of the most agonizing things” that she has ever experienced, and that if it’d been left up to her alone she never would have gone through with it.
Britney went on to recall Justin playing guitar while she was left “crying and sobbing” on the bathroom floor after the procedure.
Britney also opened up about the way being “shamed” as “a harlot who’d broken the heart of America’s golden boy” had impacted her, saying that she was left “shattered.”
She recalled being booed everywhere she went after Justin released his song “Cry Me A River,” which encouraged the theory that Britney had cheated on him, and said that in one instance, she attended a Lakers game with her family and “the whole arena” heckled her.
Suffice to say, Britney’s side of the story sparked an onslaught of criticism against Justin, and when people looked into the amount of times that he had seemingly shaded her over the last 20 years, they were left horrified.
For context, the most recent jab that he’d appeared to make was in 2018 — more than 15 years after the break up.
Justin has not explicitly acknowledged the backlash that he has received as a result of Britney’s book, but he did turn off comments on his Instagram posts shortly after it was released.
But, just three months later, Justin has attempted to move on from the drama via his comeback single “Selfish,” which was released on Thursday.
Unfortunately for Justin, Britney’s fans aren’t as ready to move on as he is, and came up with a seriously creative way to let him know about it.
Upon remembering that Britney also has a song called “Selfish,” which is a track from the deluxe version of her 2011 album Femme Fatale, they decided to stream it as though it is a new release.
In less than a day, the song entered the top 40 in the US iTunes chart, and at the time of writing, it is at number 4 in the charts.
Meanwhile, Justin’s “Selfish” is at number 1, with Megan Thee Stallion’s new track “HISS” and Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” currently occupying the two spots between the famous exes.
But while Britney might be back in the charts, she recently told fans that she “will never return to the music industry.”
Responding to rumors that she was working on a new album, Britney said on Instagram that she only writes music “for fun” or “for other people,” adding: “I’ve written over 20 songs for other people the past two years!!! I’m a ghostwriter and I honestly enjoy it that way!!!”
Neither Britney or Justin have acknowledged her fans’ prank, but we will definitely let you know if they do!
