Timberlake ruled all facets of pop culture around the turn of the century. He was Britney Spears’ boyfriend and the de facto breakout star of the dominant boy band *NSYNC. When each of those periods of his life ended in extraordinarily spectacular ways, he turned it into a solo career. This fall marks twenty years since he made his mark with Justified. FutureSex/LoveSounds would provide him enough credibility and influence in the industry four years later for at least another ten years.
He made several significant attempts to become a movie star in the interim. Bright moments like The Social Network and his many Saturdays Night Live performances at least provided the impression that he was a triple threat, even though many of those would fail (remember The Love Guru? *shivers*). But for pop’s Bad-ish Boy-Next-Door, things have significantly shifted in recent years. He had several protracted hiatuses in between albums, which ultimately drew reactions ranging from tepid to appalled (2018’s Man of the Woods, anyone?) and he hasn’t exactly dominated Hollywood.
Along with certain professional blunders, the public’s perception of some of his early career decisions has come under scrutiny, including the Super Bowl wardrobe incident that cost Janet Jackson her career and the way he painted Britney Spears as the villain following their breakup. Although Jackson and Spears have both denied harboring any animosity towards Timberlake, the backlash was so strong that Timberlake felt compelled to publicly apologize to both ladies.
On January 31, 1981, in Memphis, Tennessee, Lynn (Bomar) and Randall Timberlake, a Baptist preacher as well, welcomed Justin Randall Timberlake into the world. When he was 11 years old, he entered the Star Search competition, but he did not place. He also starred in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club starring Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Christina Aguilera, and JC Chasez, a future bandmate (1989). Justin joined the boy band *NSYNC at the age of 14. In 1998, the group with the same name released its debut album. They were well-known in the music business and quite well-liked as a consequence of a number of albums that garnered substantial sales.
Justin worked on and wrote songs for his first solo album around the start of 2002. He ended his relationship with Britney Spears, his longtime love, during this time. In November 2002, the solo album “Justified” was made available. The songs “Like I Love You,” “Cry Me A River,” and “Rock Your Body” are all from his solo album.
A 15-year-old *NSYNC fan who claimed Timberlake verbally attacked her filed a lawsuit against him. The woman allegedly shouted that she believed JC Chasez was cuter after Justin allegedly ignored fans in a St. Louis hotel. She was forced to go upstairs with Justin after telling a security that she was the one who said the remark. Then, according to reports, Timberlake slammed her up against a wall and yelled profanities at her.
Fame and controversy are two sides of the same coin.
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