For years, the public has viewed Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears as the early 2000's biggest couple. Now, we want to know: How did it end?&nbsp;

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Getty Images.

Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears were arguably the most talked-about couple of the early 2000s. The pair, who dated from 1999-2002, captured public interest and the tabloids for the entirety of their relationship&mdash;and the many years after their relationship ended in a reported cheating scandal.&nbsp;
Each were stars in their own right&mdash;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/justin-timberlake-young-photos-nsync-90s-2000s">Timberlake</a> was a member of pop boyband *NSYNC, and Spears was one of the biggest pop stars of the decade. The couple had originally met as children on the set of The Mickey Mouse Club, and reunited as teenagers after having both found huge success within the music industry.&nbsp;
Their relationship was largely public, due in large part to the tabloid culture of the early 2000s. The public believed they knew everything there was to know about the couple&mdash;but perhaps more importantly, the public believed that they were owed the inside scoop. So, when the pair called it quits in March of 2002, the media needed a reason. They needed a villain: Who cheated first, Spears or Timberlake?

For many years, it was largely believed that Spears' infidelity had led the couple to end things. Only recently did it become clear that things weren't quite that simple. Following just over two decades of speculation on both sides, Spears finally told her story in her 2023 memoir titled <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/britney-spears-memoir-bombshells-the-woman-in-me">The Woman in Me</a>.&nbsp;
The two began dating young. Spears was 17 and Timberlake was 18. Despite being teenagers, the two had huge success and eventually shared a home together, seeing each other in between concert stops and press tours. When they were together, rumors often swirled in the tabloids and around Hollywood that Timberlake had been unfaithful.&nbsp;
"There were a couple of times during our relationship when I knew Justin had cheated on me," Spears wrote in her memoir. "Especially because I was so infatuated and so in love, I let it go, even though the tabloids seemed determined to rub my face in it."&nbsp;
Between paparazzi photos of Timberlake in a car with Nicole Appleton, a member of the popular girl group All Saints to whispers of his hookups with dancers and groupies, Timberlake allegedly cheated on Spears multiple times.&nbsp;
Despite this, Spears was ridiculed publicly for years. "I let it all go, but clearly, he'd slept around. It was one of those things where you know but you just don't say anything," Spears wrote.&nbsp;

Though Spears had excused Timberlake's infidelity in the name of love, things weren't that easy for him.&nbsp;
When Spears cheated on Timberlake with Wade Robson, a choreographer that had worked with both stars, things really got out of hand. "So I did, too," Spears admits to cheating. "Not a lot--one time, with Wade Robson. We were out one night and we went to a Spanish bar. We danced and danced. I made out with him that night." &nbsp;
Though the pair stayed together, things weren't quite the same. "I was loyal to Justin for years, only had eyes for him with that one exception, which I admitted to him," she shared. &nbsp;In addition to the cheating, the couple had gone through more hardships. The singer shared that before the couple had ended their relationship, they had fallen pregnant and made the choice to get an abortion at home, in secret--something that Spears shares she wouldn't have done had Timberlake wanted to be a father. She called the abortion "one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life."&nbsp;
Eventually, Timberlake <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/britney-spears-justin-timberlake-cheating-memoir">ended the relationship</a> via text message. Spears, at the time, was filming a music video. Despite having ended the relationship, Timberlake went on to release "Cry Me a River," one of his most successful songs of all time--paired with a music video depicting a Spears lookalike cheating on him.&nbsp;
Interviewers accosted Spears with accusatory quesions alluding to her assumed infidelity, she was booed by audiences in public, and depicted as an unfaithful "harlot." Timberlake, however, was seen as a victim of cheating. &nbsp;
"The thought of my betraying him gave the album more angst, gave it a purpose: shit-talking an unfaithful woman...Getting revenge on women for perceived disrespect was all the rage at the time," Spears wrote. "The only problem with the narrative was that, in our case, it wasn&rsquo;t like that."&nbsp;
Though Timberlake hadn't explicitly confirmed that Spears had cheated, the implication was enough. The damage had already been done.&nbsp;
"I felt there was no way at the time to tell my side of the story," Spears shared. "I couldn't explain, because I knew no one would take my side once Justin had convinced the world of his version."&nbsp;
For the next two decades, Spears felt the brunt of the accusations and shame of their failed relationship. Both stars went on to marry other people, but their teenage romance followed them through it all. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Despite a public apology and announcement of support amidst growing concerns surrounding the singer's conservatorship and the #FreeBritney movement from Timberlake, Spears <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/britney-spears-calls-out-ex-justin-timberlake-on-instagram">still carried the weight</a> of the former relationship with her. "I don't think Justin realized the power he had in shaming me. I don't think he understands to this day," she shared in her memoir.&nbsp;
Though Spears once believed that the two would end up together, that wasn't the ending that they got. "I thought we were going to be together forever. I hoped we would be," she wrote.&nbsp;
So, when it comes to the question of who cheated first, it is not that simple. While Timberlake was allegedly unfaithful first, both stars cheated. While it might be easier to blame one versus the other, at the end of the day, the only two people who will ever really know what happened are Spears and Timberlake. Maybe that's for the best.&nbsp;

Who Cheated First, Justin Timberlake or Britney Spears?

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