The 2002 song has long been rumored to detail the breakdown of the couple’s romance and the video even featured a girl bearing a striking similarity to Spears.
Timberlake has always denied the claims, but in an episode of E!'s True Hollywood Story, his friend Timbaland confirms Britney Spears was the inspiration.
Justin himself concurred (while still not mentioning his ex by name) that a heated phone conversation between the young lovers prompted "Cry Me a River."
Justin Timberlake with Britney Spears
In the special, which was about Timbaland, the producer says, “He went to a concert and saw Britney, and Britney talked about him in the show and he was pissed.”
Justin then explains, “I was on a phone call that was not the most enjoyable phone call. I walked into the studio and he (Timbaland) could tell I was visibly angry.”
The singer, who was apparently cheated on by Spears, poured out his feelings in the song from his debut solo album Justified, and the emotion showed in his lyrics.
Timbaland says, “I was like, ‘Man, don’t worry about it’ and he's like, ‘I can’t believe she did that to me’ and he was like, ‘You were my sun, you were my earth.’”
JT and Brit, who just got engaged to Jessica Biel and Jason Trawick, respectively, in the last few months, split up that year, and are on friendly terms, but not close.
