Britney Spears reveals she had an abortion because Justin Timberlake "didn’t want to be a father."

The pop singer revealed in an excerpt from her new memoir "The Woman In Me" that she had an abortion at 18

By Nardos Haile

Staff Writer

Published October 17, 2023 4:08PM (EDT)

Britney Spears and boyfriend Justin Timberlake arrive at the premiere of her movie "Crossroads" at the Mann Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Ca., Feb. 11, 2002. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Britney Spears and boyfriend Justin Timberlake arrive at the premiere of her movie "Crossroads" at the Mann Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Ca., Feb. 11, 2002. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Britney Spears revealed that she had an abortion at 18 when she was pregnant with her then-boyfriend and NSYNC star Justin Timberlake. In an excerpt posted by People Magazine from her new memoir "The Woman In Me," the pop star candidly shared that “to this day, it’s one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life."

The singer said that the pregnancy was a surprise but for her, "it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated.”

But for Timberlake, it was another story. "Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young," Spears wrote. Spears also said in the memoir that if it was solely her decision, "I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father."

The couple first met in 1992 on the set of "The Mickey Mouse Club," when they were 11 and 12. Spears recalled in the memoir that she had her first kiss with Timberlake during a game of Truth or Dare. They did not start dating until 1999 when Spears was 17 and they were together until 2002. The infamous pair took pop culture by storm during their three-year relationship, adorning Canadian tuxedos at the 2001 VMAs. Timberlake did not immediately respond to People Magazine's request for comment. Spears' highly anticipated memoir will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 24.


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