Britney Spears Fans Rejoice as She Dethrones Ex Justin Timberlake's Hit Song 'Selfish' on Music Charts

Fans are streaming and purchasing Britney Spears' 2011 song Selfish in the hopes that it would surpass her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake's recently released single of the same name. On Thursday, the same day that Timberlake released the first single from his next album, Everything I Thought It Was, Spears' little-known song from the deluxe version of her album Femme Fatale debuted in the Top 40 of the US iTunes list.

The account belonging to the Britney fandom The brilliant maneuver was credited to BritneyxYtube, who said that it all "started as a joke" when Timberlake revealed the name of his new song. Then, humorously, fans conjectured that Spears was returning in style with a "brand-new song." With its goals set on the top 10, the well-executed endeavor rapidly gathered traction, sending the classic "Selfish" song to the top 40 on the US iTunes list. Since Britney's reveal-all book was published last year and revealed some shocking details about their relationship, Timberlake has been the target of criticism. In her book, The Woman In Me, Spears said that she had an abortion when they were dating and accused Timberlake of having an affair with a girl band member. Spears said that she had the abortion in 2000, a choice she later regretted. Before she gave birth to her kids, Sean Preston in 2005 and Jayden James in 2006, with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, the choice is claimed to have "haunted" her.

Although Timberlake didn't address the accusations made in the book about his alleged actions throughout their relationship, he did disable comments on his Instagram page when Spears' fans bombarded it with hateful remarks. During a December performance in Las Vegas, he did seem to make reference to the controversy. He informed the audience that he meant "no disrespect" before performing his 2002 solo smash "Cry Me a River," which was widely interpreted as a criticism of the couple's March 2002 breakup after three years of dating.

A week after the documentary Framing Britney Spears debuted on Hulu in 2021, Timberlake also expressed regret on Instagram to Spears and Janet Jackson. As per Billboard, the post read, "I have seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond. I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right. I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed." Spears mentioned their tumultuous relationship in her 2023 biography, which began in the early 2000s. Spears claims that they both cheated on each other, however, Timberlake appeared to place all the blame on Spears when he recorded Cry Me A River after their breakup in 2002.