Has a comeback ever been worse? Justin Timberlake's approval ratings drop every year, peaking when Britney Spears' memoir The Woman in Me was released a few months ago and revealed some intimate drama from her relationship with the “Cry Me a River” singer.
Not that his reputation has been particularly impressive in recent years. The account of how the media treated Spears in relation to her once-beloved ex overlaps with an account of Janet Jackson, who was forced to sulk publicly after her Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction. Timberlake, meanwhile, emerged from the situation unscathed.
As Timberlake released his new single “Selfish,” the response ranged from lukewarm to outrage. Not Timberlake's best work but not horrible either. It sounds like a watered-down version of Nick Jonas' “Jealous,” which was a song where Jonas cosplayed as Timberlake in more ways than anyone can count. And in Timberlake's love song canon, its subtlety is unusual, given that this is the same man who wrote the sumptuous “Mirrors.” On the charts, it was a disaster: The song debuted lower than Ben Shapiro's “Facts.”
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when people begged for a new Justin Timberlake album almost as passionately as they begged for Rihanna's. His post-*NSYNC solo career was a teen idol-shedding blockbuster Justified making an R&B-pop homerun with FutureSex/LoveSounds. For the time, both albums were the rare perfect storm in pop music, as both were widely loved by critics. And for a member of a disbanded boy band seeking career longevity, that was no mean feat.
After FutureSex spawned three Number One hits, nine Grammy nominations (albeit at two ceremonies) and a massive tour, Timberlake took several years off from releasing new music, instead focusing on acting to varying degrees of success. His biggest Hollywood win was a series about Napster founder Sean Parker The social networkbut otherwise starred in a series of popular but mediocre comedies that showed his comedies less effectively than his appearances in Saturday night live with Andy Samberg and Jimmy Fallon.
Shockingly, after seven years without new solo music, Timberlake's extended, two-parter The 20/20 experience since 2013 lived up to all the hype and anticipation and included a co-headlining stadium tour with Jay-Z.
Two decades on from being pop's golden boy has made Timberlake's fall from public opinion feel that much heavier. His roots light up Man of the Woods was a Number One album with the most mixed reviews of his career. But then, his third appearance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, this time as a solo headliner, was the first sign of a real change in opinion. His 2004 halftime performance, where a last-minute added dance move with Jackson resulted in a major wardrobe malfunction, was a ghost for his comeback. It was only when discussions began about how wronged Jackson was that the blame fell squarely on her as she was forced to publicly apologize and shoulder the brunt of the blame, shame and embarrassment. Timberlake's career continued to flourish while Jackson's career faltered in the immediate following years. The day of Timberlake's Super Bowl comeback in 2018 became the first, unofficial Janet Jackson Appreciation Day, where fans celebrate her career on social media.
Similar calculations occurred with Timberlake's treatment of ex Spears in the following years. The two dated in the early 2000s as they were both in the prime of their careers as teen idol superstars. Given their clean images, their breakup and some nasty accusations from both parties created a media frenzy. Timberlake accused girl-next-door Spears of cheating on him and even addressed it in the not-so-subtle video for “Cry Me a River.” The song became a hit and Spears' reputation was effectively tarnished. Spears' career, however, was still thriving, and her decision to lean more into the forced-whig image was a smart move. However, the effect of the tabloids misrepresenting her as a dangerous woman meant she endured a type of scrutiny that Timberlake often shied away from in the media. His Hollywood life and relationships, while well-documented, were more flashy compared to the kind of coverage of Spears' hunting season.
Spears' recent book was full of Timberlake revelations, painting a portrait of teenage puppy love that ended in irreconcilable disappointment for Spears. She talked about a hidden pregnancy and how the couple decided to terminate it. She also left readers rooting for her over their breakup, since Timberlake was the one who went public with his anger the most. He had painted her as the philanthropist, while Spears notes that she slept around during the tour. She was devastated that their relationship had come to an end—via text, of all things—and even more devastated that she was now the evil woman who broke his heart.
Online, the mere mention of Timberlake has become a springboard for disgusted and angry responses. It has even led to revisionist history, with many claiming very blatantly that his career has always been middling and even dead for far longer than it actually is. Defenses from both Spears and Jackson hardly helped. Jackson's recent documentary shed light on the events leading up to the wardrobe malfunction, which was ultimately due to last-minute changes to the choreography Timberlake learned just before they went on stage. Spears took to Instagram apologizing for what she wrote in her book (though days later, after Timberlake said he's “apologising… to absolutely no one,” he made a new post about “someone talking shit” about her and threatened to move legally).
Not even teasing an *NSYNC reunion helped Timberlake. He reunited the band for a song on Trolls Band Together soundtrack that didn't make much of a splash. And while promoting “Selfish,” she claimed they recorded more music together.
Surprisingly, Timberlake digging himself out of this career hole seems more difficult than it would be for artists who have taken far more reprehensible actions. Timberlake's worst crimes were being a privileged white guy and a very screwed up boyfriend. Of course, it doesn't help that both his new single and his most recent album weren't the best showcases of his abilities. And it also doesn't help that the bad boy allegations come from one of pop's most beloved figures who has endured some of the music industry's most horrific treatment of stars in history.
His attempt to move on may have come too soon. he's no longer the type of untouchable pop star who can simply ignore bad press. His continued insistence on positioning himself as Family Guy first and foremost is a weak defense, subverting any reminder of the women who helped light his star and were left to pick up the pieces when he moved on. And his reliance on the old tricks that made him popular in the past (using the boy band he left to garner good press, reviving old, viral Saturday night live characters during an episode that wasn't even a host) just aren't enough.
Surprisingly, his comment about not apologizing was the most interesting part of this release. Leaning into his new role as pop's main villain right now is more seductive than trying to make his image as wholesome as possible.
Or at least that will be enough to intimidate him into an actual *NSYNC reunion tour. Maybe nostalgia will work in his favor instead of against him for once.
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