Timbaland Apologizes To Britney Spears Over ‘Muzzle’ Comment

Timbaland is back-tracking on his recent remarks made about Britney Spears. The record producer regrets the words he used to support frequent collaborator Justin Timberlake, as fans deemed them disrespectful toward Spears.

Timbaland made the comment in conversation with producer 9th Wonder at a Kennedy Center event on Oct. 29, in which he referred to Spears needing a “muzzle” to silence her negative story about the “Cry me A River” singer.

“She going crazy right,” shared the 51-year-old to the audience. “I wanted to call and say ‘JT, man, you’ve got to put a muzzle on that girl.'”

He was called out for the misogynistic language used when talking about Spears’ negative rundown of her relationship with Timberlake in her newly released memoir, The Woman in Me. After the clip made the rounds on social media, Timbaland went on Instagram Live to speak about the controversy.

“I apologize to the Britney fans, and her,” shared Timbaland in footage re-shared by online tabloid The Shade Room. “Yes, you know about respecting women, hell yeah.”

Timbaland began his longstanding collaborations with Timberlake while producing his solo debut, Justified, which was released in 2002 and alludes to the breakdown of the 42-year-old’s highly publicized relationship with Spears. The producer also helped create “Cry Me A River,” the second single of the album that suggested the break-up was prompted by the mother of two’s infidelity.

The comment was regarded as insensitive, especially considering Spears’ high-profile and controversial conservatorship, which she details in the book as controlling of every aspect in her life. Joking about her needing a muzzle calls back to the ordeal that was incredibly traumatic for the star, and her fans would not let the comment go unpunished.

While the “Circus” singer has not publicly commented on Timbaland’s comments, the backlash was present enough for the Grammy-winner to make clear that he respects women.