I’m sure the Germans or the Japanese have a word for it, but we need an English word for “enjoyment derived from watching an unpleasant person squirm.” Like “schadenfreude” is specifically about enjoying someone’s misery. I want a word for laughing as I watch a villain twist in the wind. It’s schadenfreude-adjacent. So it is with Justin Timberlake, who spent decades as a teflon white man in the entertainment industry, cheating on every girlfriend, avoiding accountability, blaming the nearest woman for his misfortunes.
In recent years, there’s been backlash to Timberlake’s years of douchebaggery, and in 2021, he even made a half-assed apology to Janet Jackson and Britney Spears. Now, with Britney’s memoir getting excerpted all over the place, chickens are coming home to roost. Right now, Justin is just trying to stop the PR bleed, but he doesn’t know how. His old method – be a white guy and blame everyone else – isn’t working. So he’s just pretending everything is fine and he’s not even paying attention to Britney’s memoir.
Justin Timberlake is taking the current news cycle in stride. As Britney Spears reveals in her upcoming memoir The Woman in Me that she became pregnant with Timberlake’s baby during their relationship but had an abortion, a source tells PEOPLE the musician, 42, is focused his family with wife Jessica Biel and work, including the *NSYNC reunion and his upcoming Trolls movie.
“He’s happy at home with Jess and their kids and he’s focusing on new music. He’s in such a great place,” says the insider.
Earlier this week, PEOPLE confirmed the revelation in Spears’ book. She writes that the pregnancy “was a surprise” but not “a tragedy,” as she was in love with Timberlake and hoped to eventually have children with him.
“But Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy,” writes the “Toxic” singer, now 41, in the book. “He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young.”
“He’s happy at home with Jess and their kids and he’s focusing on new music. He’s in such a great place.” IS HE? I doubt it. To be fair, Jessica seems to spend most of her time outside of Hollywood, raising their sons in Montana, all while Justin is… somewhere. Doing something else. Anyway, Justin has been previewing his panic about Britney’s memoir for months, and it feels like we’re only a third of the way through Justin’s damage control around Britney’s truth-telling. I can’t wait to see what the next People exclusive will be.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Instar.
-Los Angeles, CA – 20220509 – Los Angeles Premiere For Hulu’s`Candy` TV Show At El Capitan Theatre -PICTURED: Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake -PHOTO by: BauerGriffin/INSTARimages.com This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing. 
-Los Angeles, CA – 20220509 – Los Angeles Premiere For Hulu’s`Candy` TV Show At El Capitan Theatre -PICTURED: Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake -PHOTO by: BauerGriffin/INSTARimages.com This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing. 
Justin Timberlake et Jessica Biel,Image: 702212748, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: JB Autissier / Panoramic / Avalon
Tennis : Us Open 2023 – Novak Djokovic Us open 2023 Winner – and 24 Grand Chelem – Justin Timberlake – USa,Image: 804464437, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chryslene Caillaud / Panoramic / Panoramic / Avalon 
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake at KENZO SS23 runway during Paris Fashion Week Menswear on June 2022 – Paris, France. 26/06/2022 Where: Paris, Frankreich When: 26 Jun 2022 Credit: Ik Aldama/DPA/Cover Images **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK AND USA**ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWxhaIZ3e8muqq2hnpTBqrnBnqmlmZuarKq%2FvqGYqaiplK61q8eopJ6Xp57BqavJnqqsl6Sdsqq%2BvqSgnauPnbK0q8inlqytk52soqvGq5yarI%2BluaKvxGg%3D