Britney Reflected On Her Emotional Breakup With Justin: "I Was In Shock"

It’s been 19 years since Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake shocked the world by calling it quits, and it’s a wound Spears hasn’t forgotten. On Dec. 13, Spears reflected on the tumultuous time in her life in a since-deleted Instagram post in which she shared intimate details about their breakup. In her caption, Spears claimed her father, Jamie Spears, participated in getting her to agree to sit down with Diane Sawyer for a 2003 ABC interview at her home. She also criticized Sawyer for her interview style, and was especially upset that Sawyer asked whether she had a “shopping problem.” (Elite Daily reached out to reps for Jamie Spears and Diane Sawyer for comment on Spears’ caption, but did not hear back in time before publication).

In case you forgot, Spears and Timberlake’s fallout was one of the most highly-publicized breakups of all time, so one can only imagine how taxing it was for them. Two decades later, Spears can still recall how hard the split was, and how invasive the press can be.

"Do we dare forget the Diane Sawyer interview in my apartment almost 20 years ago???" Spears wrote in a Dec. 13 Instagram post, which has since been deleted. "What was with the 'you're in the wrong' approach?? Geeze ...and making me cry???"

"I lived in my apartment for a year and never spoke to anyone," she explained. "My manager put that woman in my home and made me talk to her on national television and she asked me if I had a shopping problem."

Spears went on to explain that her breakup was paralyzing, to the point she couldn’t speak.

“Something I never shared when I had that big breakup years ago was that I couldn't talk afterwards. I never spoke to anyone for a very long time,” she wrote. “I was in shock... pretty lame of my dad and three men to show up at my door when I could hardly speak... two days later they put Diane Sawyer in my living room."

In a statement to People, Jamie Spears' lawyer, Alex Weingarten, denied his client had any involvement in the Diane Sawyer interview.

"Mr. Spears has no idea what Ms. Spears is talking about. Jamie never set up any interview with Diane Sawyer and was not present for any such interview," the statement read. "He had nothing to do with Britney's career at this point and was completely uninvolved in this interview. Jamie loves Britney very much, wishes Britney nothing but the best and hopes that she continues to seek the help that she needs to stay safe and healthy."

It’s not surprising to see Spears and her father have conflicting narratives. After all, they have been butting heads throughout the entirety of her conservatorship trial, which Jamie Spears was ultimately removed from on Sept. 29. With the conservatorship behind her, Spears can hopefully begin to heal from these past experiences.