A few weeks ago, Britney Spears announced that her memoir would be released on October 24. The memoir is called The Woman in Me, which seems like a joke from Arrested Development (iykyk). There was a bidding war for the memoir, with Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books winning the publishing rights. While the cover doesn’t reveal the names of any co-authors or ghostwriters, I would assume that Britney got some help. It’s nothing to be ashamed of – Prince Harry had a ghost, and Jessica Simpson had a co-writer. In any case, it looks like the publication date may be moved back a bit because two of Britney’s former lovers are threatening to sue. One of the names is, um, unexpected??
Millions of fans will be desperate to grab a copy of Britney Spears’s memoir when it comes out in October. But Justin Timberlake and Colin Farrell won’t be among them after contesting vast swathes of her book.
I’ve learned that Cry Me A River singer Justin and The Batman actor Colin, both romantically linked to Britney in the early Noughties, caused a four-month delay to the publication over tales she wanted to be included.
Lawyers acting for the pair threatened to sue if Toxic singer Britney didn’t remove intimate details of their clients’ lives.
Justin dated Britney from 1999 to 2002, having met her on the set of TV’s The Mickey Mouse Club in 1992. It was claimed in 2003 that Colin and Britney were dating after they were seen out together, but he has denied they were a couple.
A source said: “Lawyers demanded to see her book in advance and were adamant that some of the revelations were removed. There are still plenty of gobsmacking tales but Justin and Colin were conscious about what could be said about them. The legal process meant the publication was held up by four months as discussions went back and forth about what could be included. But that has finally now been settled and her autobiography is all ready to go.”
Wait, so… Justin and Colin both threatened to sue if certain stories were not removed, and so Gallery Books’ editors removed those stories and that was it? Or are they still fighting about it? I’m not surprised at all about Timberlake’s tantrums – for as much well-deserved sh-t Justin gets for how he treated Janet Jackson, he should get ten times the sh-t for how he treated Britney. As far as I know, Britney and Colin Farrell only had a brief fling/friendship, but it was back when Colin was drinking so… maybe he doesn’t want some of that stuff out there. Anyway, this is actually the best hype for the book: Britney’s exes are salty about it.
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN, Avalon Red.
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- BRITNEY SPEARS AND JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE OF NSYNC AT THE 29TH ANNUAL AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS HELD AT THE SHRINE AUDITORIUM IN LOS ANGELES, CA. 09 JANUARY 2002.,Image: 547442344, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Ron Wolfson / Avalon
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- , 2001 britney spears and boyfriend justin timberlake at the 28th American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA 1/8/2001 URW/,Image: 547460253, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Ron Wolfson / Avalon
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- Britney Spears and boyfriend Justin Timberlake at the launch party for the new N’Sync album ‘Celebrity’ WENN Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 23 Jul 2001 Credit: WENN
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- Britney Spears & boyfriend Justin Timberlake attend the premiere of her new film, Crossroads. WENN Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 11 Feb 2002 Credit: WENN
They were all probably drugging and cheating and maybe sexually assaulting their SOs and other unconscious women. Because if it isn’t this bad, then why would you care? You care only if you were up to no good.
… what???! LOL I think that’s a stretch. it’s probably more (at least in the case of Colin) that they don’t want twenty year old stories rehashed in headlines for ages. I wouldn’t be thrilled if my ex wrote a book detailing our relationship, and I wasn’t doing anything awful.
I hope she says plenty about Timberlake, anyway.
I guess my point is that you don’t need lawyers unless it’s going to cause reputations damage. She is free to tell any and everything that happened to her—and your involvement in it—as long as it’s true. You only threaten to sue if there’s specific stuff you don’t want getting out—not because it isn’t true, but you do it to intimidate the author into having to pay a bunch of lawyers fees that eat up any amount she was going to gain from the book advance and sales any way.
“She is free to tell any and everything that happened to her—and your involvement in it—as long as it’s true. ”
This is a little like simplifying the argument, writers always have to deal with the other parties’, no matter what they think about what they wrote. Also, let’s not act like she wasn’t wasted by drugs and alcohol like the other 2 men, so it’s quite possible nobody is able to tell the ‘truth’ if they only have a partial recollection of it.
Recollections may vary …
Hmm That’s likely for Mr. Tantrum, I don’t think Farrell is scared about that, I’d bet it’s more to do with drugs and the fact he was wasted for years…
Also I’m under the impression she was putting out there some sexual details too and after his sex tape leaked he went berserk, I haven’t seen him with an ‘official’ girlfriend around for years (even though he had one?)
“She is free to tell any and everything that happened to her—and your involvement in it—as long as it’s true”
You typed it yourself “as long as it’s true”, and as BS is still claiming that security guy threw her to the ground and she had to be helped up when the world and it’s cat has already seen a video where none of that happened, I would say BS is an unreliable narrator.
Don’t care about Timberlake, but Colin Farrell has worked hard at being sober for years and still SNL made a drunken Irishman joke during the last Oscars campaign. Maybe he doesn’t want to face that again.
“I would say BS is an unreliable narrator.”
Exactly my point.
A very unreliable narrator. Remember when she went on IG and admonished a poor guy at a Jack-in-the-Box parking lot for asking her if she was ok when she was crying in her car? She made herself seem like a victim and Karen’d that guy just like she did with Victor Wembanyana and his security guard. Or how many times she’s told a version of events and had her own fans correct her? I’m willing to bet that the fact-checking dept at Britney’s publishers are probably working overtime and that’s why this book is delayed.
I don’t see BS as a reliable narrator either. If she includes stuff, she had better be able to back it up with receipts. I’m not interested in her book until she has done much-needed work on herself and apologized to people she has wronged.
Exactly this. There’s a need to be careful when it comes to Britney’s narratives about other people and with her stans.
What?! There has never been any indication that Colin has ever been abusive to anyone. JT? Who tf knows. But I can see Colin not wanting a time when he was struggling with drugs and alcohol brought up over twenty years later.
Uh …absolutely not. You can’t expect to disseminate private details about people’s lives in print and monetize on them without them saying something about it. That doesn’t make anyone an abuser or any of the awful things you mentioned there. Imagine someone decided to talk about your most private moments in a book read by millions. Wouldn’t you lawer up?
It smells like hype for the book. Oooh the stories she has about these famous men are so crazy they wanted them removed. But it’s all settled now (wink wink) so you can pre-order.
Legal review is totally standard for memoirs, and I’m sure they planned time for it. The source here is the Scum and we know they guess/make stuff up all the time. This story sounds like a nothingburger.
The Woman In Me is also the title of a Shania Twain album – I’m pretty sure her BIGGEST album. Seems like sort of a weird oversight.
Unfortunately, you can’t copyright a title.
I mean, the copyright is whatever – I doubt anyone cares legally. I more just think its odd that the title immediately makes me think of another contemporary “pop” (using it loosely but you get the point)) star when I hear it – and I doubt I’m the only one. Weird the publishers chose it.
I’m pretty sure the title refers to the lyrics in Britney’s song, “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” (“I’m just trying to find the woman in me…”).
I hope this is not true. Britney should be allowed to tell her whole story.
But it’s not just her story when other people are involved too. Everyone has the right to say no to their private lives being shared ib public. Especially intimate relationship stuff
Also, the publisher doesn’t want to get sued if the stories are not 100% accurate.
We don’t know what’s in it and it’s pretty normal for book writers to include salacious details without consulting the other parties and then stuff gets cut at publishing stage, even if the people involved aren’t famous.
And to be honest I wouldn’t trust her to fully remember either…
It’s not just HER story though. If other people are involved it’s THEIR story as well. And they have just as much right to privacy as she does to want to tell her story. So those parts may not be in the book. And that’s okay. This happens literally all the time with memoirs. Lots of things are left out because the people mentioned do not want to be included.
Yep. Other people’s boundaries matter too. Also, not saying she will do this, but what if she trivializes or discredits awful things other, less protected/famous people in the industry went through just because she doesn’t like them?
Justin Timberlake did a lot of people dirty in his rabid climb to fame. He used Britney to boost his own popularity, because she was a bigger star than he was. Then, when they were over he used his “I’m a victim” wails to see more records; “Cry me a River”, “What goes around comes around”. He’s an ego-driven user. He blindsided the other guys in NSync by not letting them know he intended to go solo until it was too late for them to regroup. He really did some major damage to Janet Jackson and didn’t seem to care one bit. And the People cover when he married Jess? Justin leaping high into the air while Jessica sat down in the corner? Oh, yeah. Me, Me, Me. And how about his scandal with his co-star while Jessica was in her second pregnancy? He’s just yuck.
Janet said HERSELF that she told him not to talk about it. Would it have been better if he went around her wishes? No, then you’d be mad about that too.
@Playa, yeah, he could have made one simple statement saying Janet was not at fault and should not be blamed. And yeah, I would STILL be mad because he is a garbage person who treats other people very badly.
From Janet: “[Justin and I] talked once and he said, ‘I don’t know if I should come out and make a statement, and this or that, or say something,’” the Grammy winner told her brother Randy Jackson in 2018, which aired during Saturday’s episode of the documentary. “I said, ‘Listen, I don’t want any drama for you, they’re aiming all this at me. So, I said, ‘If I were you, I wouldn’t say anything.’”
Janet knew that they were all coming for her, has been conditioned to take it & Justin let it happen.
Naw, we can despise him for what he did to Janet, even if she excuses it as the way showbiz goes.
@playa
Wow, you’re defending Justin Timberlake after the Superbowl?
@Grandma Susan…yes! All of this. He is so effing gross.
Justin Timberlake has definitely made some selfish decisions and is not an admirable person. What he did to Janet Jackson was the last straw for me and I haven’t been impressed since. What he did to Britney is in some ways more on par with what he did to NSync, than what he did to Janet Jackson.
I don’t blame Colin Farrell one bit. I just looked up what he’s been up to, and he was named one of Time’s Most Influential People of 2023. He does work with non profits. Since it seems like a relatively minor part in Britney’s life (at least to the average observer) I think whoever is pushing this only has sales in mind. Like it’s in no one’s best interest except for the companies.
Justin, whatever. I don’t like him but I can understand his name not being brought into this either. But he actually had a profound impact on Britney’s life. Not even just romantically but he was in her life during her formative years. She can’t tell her story about that time without mentioning him. I could see his attorneys arguing, though, that anything that wasn’t already public record should stay out of it. She can say how she felt about something that was public record. But I don’t like the idea of disclosing private conversations.
In general, I just hope this is something that Britney actually wants to do, and isn’t just another way for people in her life to try to profit off of her. Like “you should write a book, it would be so therapeutic!” As they think of the money to be made.
“In general, I just hope this is something that Britney actually wants to do, and isn’t just another way for people in her life to try to profit off of her.”
She’s only 41 and writing a biography, I’d eat my hat if that leech of her husband isn’t involved in this…
Please… she’s also a woman who has spent the better part of her adult life being silenced. THAT is why she is writing a book. It’s her way of getting her voice back. Which I have no issue with. But I also have no issue with people not wanting to be included in it – especially Colin.
Being silenced has nothing to do with people who are in her life now and likely wanting to earn some money off her back.
Her writing is erratic at the very least and whether she came up with the idea or not is beyond the point at present.
I don’t get it but there have been several celebs that have been written memoirs that are her age or younger. Jessica Simpson comes to mind and I’m pretty sure she’s written two at this point right?
He’s my neighbor in LA (I wouldn’t go so far to say we’re friends – I wish that was the case)! He is such a polite and lovely person, and such a devoted father, that I suspect he would really not want his kids to be reading about his behavior back in those days. I think that’s fair enough, as long as he wasn’t committing any crimes.
Justin was a disgusting POS to her. Okay for him to have loose lips to disparage a woman but God forbid she tell her side of the story.
I absolutely cannot stand Justin Timberlake. Culture vulture. Cheating douchebag. Coward. Attention whore. Black Twitter has been letting him have it for years and I cannot wait for Britney to get in on that comeuppance.
The only good thing I can say about Justin is he outed Kevin Spacey as a harasser/creeper years ago. But he was the wronged party – it’s not like he did it to protect anyone else. He would never care about anyone other than his damn self.
Always funny how people, especially here, will believe The Scum when it’s about people they don’t like.
I don’t like any of them (both JT and CF were/are sleazy and creepy) and although I used to like Britney Spears but she’s always been under the ‘care’ of dubious people and I don’t think she can be trusted as a reliable narrator at this point.
You know who else is publishing a memoir? Crystal Hefner. I can’t wait to read it.
A deprogrammed Crystal Hefner?! Sign me up too!!!
Is that the official cover !? It looks so basic ,and they should use an updated picture.
Her face… so young and beautiful seemingly on top of the world. Then to find out she’s so fragile through no fault of her own. I want her to have a happy ending so badly.
I want her to have a happy ending and a happy now too. I worry about her.
Agreed. It reminds me of the og Rolling Stones cover that made her famous- that grossed me out then, still does. Britney & the pedo culture need to make a clean break.
Britney was fine after Justin. The problem came when he went on Howard stern and blabbering about her. He broke her facade and she just seemed to stop caring.
Same thing happened to Lindsey Lohan. Lindsey would plead with the paparazzi to not show her smoking. Then Brandon Davies made fun of her. She tried to own it. It didn’t work out.
Drug addictions, with other addicted men trying to control them, sprinkled on top.
So it’s ok when Justin goes on Howard Stern and blabbers about Britney. But her memoir with anecdotes about him must be pre-approved by him. Patriarchy. Got it.
This pic seems to be from the ‘Britney album’ era which is over twenty years ago at this point. The background and text cheapen the look.Her publishers need to do better.
Those silver pleather shorts…it was a moment, long past.
Her nails and that understated ring look good though.
I find this unlikely about Colin Farrell. Emma Forrest wrote a whole memoir (your voice in my head) about their relationship and he didn’t come off great in it… but she said he was fine about her publishing the book and respected her art, etc.
Britney is free to do what she wants and make as much money from a publishing deal as she wants. However, I hope that she is in the right mindset while cooperating on this and that she won’t regret any of this later. She is still healing and has done more than a few “odd” things while doing so. Like publishing ranting “receipts” of jealous behaviour of her sister Jamie Lynn while the latter was only – 12 years old – . Hope that she has a good editor with her best interests at heart.
IMO, this book is just more exploitation by someone.
I simply do not believe the woman who spins in the foyer and writes the rambling captions on instagram has the capacity to cooperate accurately and consistently on such a huge undertaking. Even with the help of a professional writer.
So basically you only believe women when they package themselves in a way you find acceptable.
@Ameerah M A lot of people (hopefully mostly her) will be making a lot of money off this book, and like @Notjust, I hope she was in the right mindset during its creation. She has displayed some pretty erratic behavior in the last couple years, along with posting and deleting many, many things.
I believe her, and all women, as a default. My hope is simply that she shares with the lucidity of “phone call to the judge” Britney and not the recklessness of “Skinamax in the shower” Britney. Like so many other times, whether its because of her children or her advisors, she may wish she could delete something, and that simply won’t be the case with a globally published book.
The fact that she is one way to a judge & one way in a sexy scene shows she can control the different facets of her personality. I hope we all have them!
The great performers, artists & writers of the eras were not buttoned up cookie cutter people, so let the woman be herself- spin, sing, write, whatever!
Sounds like a case of “ recollections may vary “.Mostly not wanting to have the drug use and whatever rehashed.Britany has been on revenge mode lately,so who knows.Some things are better left unsaid.
I think Kevin Federeline and her father are writing a book -suppose to be about fatherhood. You can bet some things written the public have not heard about.