Framing Britney Spears: Justin Timberlake criticised for ‘disgusting’ treatment of singer in new documentary

Many viewers urged the singer to apologise to Spears

Justin Timberlake is facing criticism over his treatment of Britney Spears in a brand new documentary.  

The singer appears in Framing Britney Spears, a special that examines the “Baby One More Time” star’s career and the #FreeBritney movement that campaigns against her ongoing conservatorship.

After its US premiere on Saturday (6 February), many viewers expressed their support for Spears and disdain for how she was treated by the media as well as her friends and family in the wake of her success.

One part focuses on the shocking aftermath of allegations that Spears cheated on Timberlake, whom she was dating at the time. Spears found herself at the centre of a smear campaign by the world’s media, which Timberlake fuelled with his music video for “Cry Me a River”. 

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The video shows Timberlake catching a woman, who resembles Spears, cheating on him.

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake in 2002 (Getty Images)

“Justin sacrificed Britney's image on the public altar to promote himself by implying that she cheated,” one viewer wrote, with another adding: “Never liked Justin Timberlake and #FramingBritneySpears proved my intuition was always right.”

Someone else added: "Beyond showing how impossibly horrible ‘the media’ was to Britney Spears in the 00s, I’m glad that the doc begins to reckon with the idea of how much of Justin Timberlake’s career in the aughts came at the expense of women like Britney.” 

Many others urged Timberlake to issue an apology to Spears.

Framing Britney Spears is a joint project between New York Times journalists Jason Stallman, Sam Dolnick, and Stephanie Preiss along with Left/Right’s Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver, and Mary Robertson.

Spear's boyfriend, Sam Asghari, has broken his silence following the documentary, throwing his support behind the singer.