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Fans are mad at Justin Timberlake after watching the “Framing Britney” documentary from The New York Times. As the episode tracks Britney Spears‘ rise to stardom, her relationship with Justin Timberlake is put back under speculation–and it does not paint a flattering picture of the “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” singer.
After their highly-publicized breakup in 2002, Britney faced the majority of the backlash for breaking Justin's heart, and he only added fuel to the fire.
In the documentary, Wesley Morris, a New York Times critic, explains how the situation went down: "The way people treated her, to be very high school about it, was like, she was the school sl*t and he was the school quarterback."
The documentary also includes snippets of Timberlake's music video for his 2002 hit "Cry Me A River." In it, you can see Justin catching his girlfriend (played by an actress with a striking resemblance to Britney) as she sneaks around behind his back.
Morris explains, "[Timberlake] essentially weaponizes the video for one of his singles to incriminate her in the demise of their relationship.”
It wasn't only Justin who blamed Britney. While interviewing the "Toxic" singer, Diane Sawyer questioned the downfall of their relationship.
"You broke his heart, you did something that caused him so much pain, so much suffering," Sawyer said before asking, "What did you do?"
The documentary then shows how the questioning quickly led to Spears crying and asking to stop the interview.
These scenes in particular have struck a chord with Britney fans, and many of them expressed their frustration with Timberlake on Twitter.
the ascent of justin timberlake in the wreckage of both britney spears and janet jackson is really something we have to answer for
— Terron Moore (@Terr) February 6, 2021
It’s the day before the Super Bowl, I’m watching the new Britney Spears doc, and I keep hoping that one day Justin Timberlake gets the reckoning he has coming to him.
— Sarah V. (@thatexplosion) February 6, 2021
One of the main takeaways: Britney Spears deserved a lot better, from the public, from paparazzi, etc
— Molly J. (@molly_jasi) February 6, 2021
And I’m mad at Justin Timberlake again, FYI!
Fans also did not shy away from criticizing Sawyer's interview tactics.
Diane Sawyer owes Britney Spears a sincere apology. #FramingBritneySpears
— Kate (@k_shiver) February 7, 2021
