Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.Photo:Michael Loccisano/Getty Images; Jerod Harris/Getty Images;  Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Timbaland Apologizes for Saying Justin Timberlake ‘Should Have Put a Muzzle’ on Britney Spears: ‘I Apologize to the Britney Fans and Her’

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images; Jerod Harris/Getty Images;  Kevin Mazur/WireImage

The music producer recently came under fire for saying in an Oct. 29 interview that hislongtime collaboratorJustin Timberlake“should have put a muzzle” on Spears amidallegationsshe made about him that came to light following the release of her bombshell memoir,The Woman in Me.

On Wednesday, Timbaland, 51, issued an apology in aTikToklive-stream. After he received backlash, Timbaland (real name: Timothy Zachery Mosley) shared shared a portion of the apology on hisInstagram.

“There’s no explanation, nothing,” he said in the clip. “‘Put a muzzle,’ yo, what the freak was I thinking about? I should have never said it … To all the Britney fans, you’re right and I’m wrong. I can look outside myself and say that wasn’t a joke and that wasn’t a nice thing to say. I apologize to the Britney fans and her.”

Although the live stream expired, fan recordings of the longer video have surfaced onsocial media.

“Come on man, I’m keeping it 1,000 with y’all, but I’m sorry to all the Britney fans, even to her,” the music industry veteran said. “You have a voice, you speak what you wanna speak. Who am I to tell you what not to speak? And I was wrong, you know, for saying that.”

“She’s going crazy, right?” he said. “I wanted to call JT and say, ‘Man! You should have put a muzzle on that girl.'”

Timbaland.John Sciulli/Getty Images

Timbaland attends Spotify’s Secret Genius Awards

John Sciulli/Getty Images

In Spears’ memoir, the pop iconreflects on the 2002 music videofor “Cry Me a River,” which she writes features a plot in which “a woman who looks like me cheats on him and he wanders around sad in the rain.”

The “Hold Me Closer” singer writes that she felt as though the video and song portrayed her as a “harlot who’d broken the heart of America’s golden boy,” when in actuality, she was “comatose in Louisiana, and he was happily running around Hollywood” following their 2002 breakup.

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ThroughoutThe Woman in Me, Spears reflects on her relationship with Timberlake and the aftermath of their split, alleging that Timberlakecheatedon her while they were together and claiming that she had an abortion because he “didn’t want to be a father.” (A rep for Timberlake did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)

source: people.com