Britney Spears Opens Up About Past Pregnancy and Abortion During Relationship with Justin Timberlake

Pop superstar Britney Spears has revealed she became pregnant while dating boyfriend Justin Timberlake in the early aughts but ultimately got an abortion. In her upcoming memoir The Woman in Me, Britney, 41, claimed that the former NSYNC member, 42, wasn’t prepared to be a father.

“It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated,” Britney detailed in the book, which was shared by People on Tuesday, October 17. “But Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young.”

Britney and Justin were pop music’s hottest couple during their three-year relationship, which lasted from 1999 to 2002. She was 17 years old when they began dating while the boy bander was 18.

The former couple went on to start families with their respective spouses. The “Toxic” singer wed dancer Kevin Federline on September 18, 2004, after a whirlwind romance. The couple welcomed their first child, Sean Preston Federline, on September 14, 2005. Nearly one year later, Britney gave birth to the duo’s second son, Jayden James Federline, on September 12, 2006. Two months later, the “Sometimes” songstress filed for divorce from Kevin in November 2006, citing “irreconcilable differences.”

Following their split, Justin went on to date a bevy of A-list stars including Cameron Diaz, Jenna Dewan and Fergie before settling down with wife Jessica Biel in 2012 after a five-year romance. The pair welcomed their first child, son Silas, on April 8, 2015. Justin and Jessica expanded their family in 2020, welcoming their son Phineas.

In releasing her memoir, Britney stated, “Over the past 15 years or even at the start of my career, I sat back while people spoke about me and told my story for me. It is finally time for me to raise my voice and speak out, and my fans deserve to hear it directly from me. No more conspiracy, no more lies — just me owning my past, present and future.”

The “Gimme More” singer is in the midst of her second divorce after estranged husband Sam Asghari filed to end their marriage in August 2023 after a 14-month union. The former couple met while filming her “Slumber Party” music video in 2016 and became engaged in September 2021. Britney and Sam wed on June 9, 2022, in a ceremony at her Thousand Oaks, California, home in front of such A-list pals as Paris Hilton, Selena Gomez and Madonna.

Britney and Sam suffered a pregnancy loss in May 2022. One month after announcing they were expecting, the Grammy winner told fans, “It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that we have lost our miracle baby early in the pregnancy. This is a devastating time for any parent. Perhaps we should have waited to announce until we were further along, however we were overly excited to share the good news,” via an Instagram post.

The pair added, “Our love for each other is our strength. We will continue trying to expand our beautiful family. We are grateful for all of your support. We kindly ask for privacy during this difficult moment.”