Justin Timberlake has sent out a message of support to Britney Spears following her bombshell testimony pleading for her conservatorship to end on Wednesday during a court hearing.
“After what we saw today, we should all be supporting Britney at this time,” Timberlake tweeted.
“Regardless of our past, good and bad, and no matter how long ago it was… what’s happening to her is just not right.”
Timberlake, 40, and Spears dated from 1998–2002. He has been married to actress Jessica Biel since 2012.
“No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body,” he continued.
“No one should EVER be held against their will… or ever have to ask permission to access everything they’ve worked so hard for.
“Jess and I send our love, and our absolute support to Britney during this time. We hope the courts, and her family make this right and let her live however she wants to live.”
Timberlake faced public backlash about the way he handled his breakup with Spears (including the use of a Spears lookalike in his music video for “Cry Me a River”) after the documentary Framing Britney Spears premiered on Hulu in February. He has since apologized.
The documentary sparked renewed interest in the #FreeBritney movement to remove Spears from her court-ordered conservatorship, which she has been living under since February 2008.
Addressing the court for the first time yesterday, Spears spoke for about 20 minutes via phone, reading from prepared remarks.
“I just want my life back,” Spears, 39, said. “It’s been 13 years, and it’s enough. It’s been a long time since I’ve owned my money. And it’s my wish and my dream for all of this to end without being tested.”
Among Spears’ bombshell revelations: she’s been forced to tour, forced to work seven days a week, forced to take lithium instead of her regular medications, and blocked from getting married or having a baby. Spears, who has dated model Sam Ashgari since 2016, revealed that she has an IUD inside of her against her will.
“I wanted to take the I[U]D out so I could start trying to have another baby. But this so-called team won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don’t want me to have any children, any more children.”
Saying she’s “been in shock” and “traumatized” by her conservatorship, she added, “I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry. It’s insane. And I’m depressed. I cry every day.”
Pleading her case, Spears said, “Basically, this conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good. I deserve to have a life. I’ve worked my whole life. I deserve to have a two to three year break and just you know, do what I want to do…. I deserve to have the same rights as anybody does by having a child, a family, any of those things, and more so.”
She told the judge, “My dad and anyone involved in the conservatorship and my management… they should be in jail.”
Addressing why she never publicly spoke about her conservatorship before, Spears revealed she thought “people would make fun of me or laugh at me and say she’s lying, she’s got everything, she’s Britney Spears. I’m not lying. I just want my life back and it’s been 13 years and it’s enough.”
A full transcript of Spears’ testimony can be read via CNN.