Britney Spears’ memoir, The Woman in Me, is full of surprising revelations about herself, her family and countless celebrities.
Ahead of the book’s October 2023, release, Spears clarified via Instagram that the memoir’s purpose “was not to offend anyone by any means,” adding, “That was me then … that is in the past!!!”
Some of the memoir’s biggest bombshells surround Spears’ love life. In addition to admitting that she cheated on ex Justin Timberlake with Wade Robson, she claimed that the former ‘NSync member cheated on her “a couple of times.”
One year after her and Timberlake’s 2002 breakup, Spears said she and actor Colin Farrell had a steamy fling on the set of his action flick S.W.A.T. Though Farrell shut down any romance rumors at the time — telling reporters they were “just mates,” Spears claimed in her book that they had a “passionate” tryst.
Scroll below to see every star mentioned in The Woman In Me:
Justin Timberlake
Timberlake is the subject of many of the book’s major bombshells, most notably Britney revealing she got pregnant during their relationship and had an abortion because Timberlake was unready to become a parent. “I agreed not to have the baby,” she wrote. “If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.”
After undergoing the procedure, Spears claims that her ex “thought maybe music would help” and played the guitar for her as she lay “crying and sobbing” on the bathroom floor.
A source exclusively told Us in October 2023 that although “Justin will always be supportive of Britney and all of her endeavors,” the “Cry Me a River” singer was “trying to distance himself” from the book. “[They] dated so long ago, and he has a whole different life now,” the insider added. “He’s focused on his family, his career, and moving forward, and he would like to leave anything that happened in the past behind them.”
Colin Farrell
“Brawl is the only word for it,” Spears wrote of her and Farrell’s movie set romance. “We were all over each other, grappling so passionately it was like a street fight.”
Paris Hilton
“One of the people who was kindest to me when I really needed kindness was Paris Hilton,” Britney said of the entrepreneur, adding that her and Hilton’s early 2000s “party phase” was “never as wild as the press made it out to be.”
Madonna
Britney gushed about Madonna in the book, noting that she was “in awe” of the performer while filming their 2003 “Me Against the Music” music video. In addition to initiating her into Kabbalah, the “Lucky” singer wrote that Madonna “had a good effect on me.”
Britney also called her and Madonna’s famous VMAs kiss a “huge cultural moment,” noting that it got them both “a lot of attention.”
Christina Aguilera
Although she has remained friends with Aguilera since their days on the All New Mickey Mouse Club, Britney slammed her former costar’s joint 2003 Rolling Stone cover story with Timberlake. “She said she thought Justin and I should get back together, which was just confusing, given how negative she’s been elsewhere,” Britney wrote.
In regards to the cover itself, Britney stated that it appeared as though Timberlake was looking at Aguilera with “sexy eyes.”
Jennifer Lopez
While discussing how she has struggled with fame because of her shy personality, Britney noted that Lopez is “very good at being famous — at indulging people’s interest in her but knowing where to draw the lines.”
Mariah Carey
Britney recalled grabbing a photo with Carey backstage at an awards show and that the photo turned out great — thanks to the “Emotions” singer knowing how to capture the right lighting and angles. “The perfect photo with Mariah Carey — that was the perfect prize,” Britney stated.
Reese Witherspoon
During her third year of her Las Vegas residency, Britney found inspiration in Witherspoon to get out of her conservatorship. “[She] was a great example to me,” Britney wrote. “She’s sweet and she’s nice and she’s very smart.”
Ryan Seacrest
Britney slammed the TV personality for questioning her parenting skills during a 2007 radio interview promoting her album Blackout. “Ryan Seacrest asked me questions like, ‘How do you respond to those who criticize you as a mom?’” she wrote. “And, ‘Do you feel like you’re doing everything you can for your kids?’ And, ‘How often will you see them?’”
She went on to claim that the only thing Seacrest and others wanted to discuss at the time was “whether or not I was a fit mother” following her split from ex-husband Kevin Federline — and subsequent public breakdown.
“Not about how I’d made such a strong album while holding two babies on my hips and being pursued by dozens of dangerous men all day every day,” Britney added before clarifying that she no longer harbors any ill will towards Seacrest.
Wade Robson
Britney confessed to cheating on Timberlake with her former dancer and choreographer. Following the fling, she and Timberlake “agreed to move past” the drama as she “only had eyes for him.”
Songwriter Annet Artani — who cowrote Britney’s 2003 ballad “Everytime” — shed more light on Britney and Robson’s romance in October 2023, telling TMZ that the affair “went on for quite a while” and that Britney wrote him a 14-page letter.
Kevin Federline
The Mississippi native subtly threw some shade at her ex-husband for taking his rap career “so seriously,” writing, “Bless his heart.” Britney and Federline — who released music under the moniker K-Fed — were married from 2004 to 2007 and share two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden.
Natalie Portman
In the memoir, Britney recalled first meeting Portman while they both understudied the role of Tina Denmark in the off-Broadway show Ruthless!. She went on to describe the character as a “sociopathic child star,” a role she said “hit close to home.”
Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling
“The Notebook casting came down to me and Rachel McAdams, and even though it would have been fun to reconnect with Ryan Gosling after our time on the Mickey Mouse Club, I’m glad I didn’t do it,” the Crossroads star revealed. “If I had, instead of working on my album In the Zone I’d have been acting like a 1940s heiress day and night.”
Elton John
Not long after her conservatorship ended in November 2021, Britney said John helped repark her passion for music by collaborating on the 2022 track “Hold Me Closer,” a reworked version of his classic song “Tiny Dancer.”
Cher and Robin Williams
Years ago, Britney found herself living in a New York City apartment formerly occupied by Cher. “It would have been a dream apartment to use as a home base to explore the city, but I hardly ever left the place,” she wrote. “One of the only times I did, a man behind me on an elevator said something that made me laugh; I turned around and it was Robin Williams.”
Keri Russell
Another of Britney’s former Mickey Mouse Club castmates, the pop star described Russell as “a beautiful girl from California” upon meeting at an Atlanta casting call for the children’s series.
Sarah Silverman
Britney wrote that she was “sobbing hysterically” backstage at the 2007 VMAs after Silverman called her children “the most adorable mistakes you’ll ever see” during an onstage roast.
Steven Tyler
Britney cited performing alongside the Aerosmith frontman at the 2001 Super Bowl halftime show as one of the highlights of her early career. “I was brought into Steven Tyler’s trailer to meet him right before the show, and his energy was incredible: he was such an idol to me,” she shared.
Lenny Kravitz
The “Gimme More” singer recalled being starstruck by Kravis on several occasions, including at the VMAs and at a party thrown by Donatella Versace.
Donatella Versace
Britney visited the fashion designer in Milan not long after her and Timberlake’s 2002 breakup, during which she attended a star-studded fashion show afterparty. “That trip invigorated me — it reminded me that there was still fun to be had in the world,” she wrote. “That party was really the first thing I did to put myself out there after the breakup with Justin — on my own, innocent.”
Ginuwine
During an NYC outing with Timberlake, Britney said Timberlake freaked out upon running into the “Pony” singer on the street. “’Oh yeah, fo shiz, fo shiz! Ginuwiiiiiine! What’s up, homie?’” she recalled her ex stating.
Diane Sawyer
Britney called her infamous 2003 interview with Sawyer “completely humiliating” as the journalist questioned her about things such as drug use and her and Timberlake’s breakup. “I wasn’t told what the questions would be ahead of time, and it turned out they were 100 percent embarrassing,” she added. “I was too vulnerable then, too sensitive, to do this type of interview.
Calling the interview a “breaking point,” Britney added the chat had left her feeling “exploited” and “set up in front of the whole world.”
Max Martin
Britney’s first meeting with the iconic songwriter and music producer went awry after a candlelit the table they were sitting at in flames. The incident didn’t stop their collaboration, however, and they went on to work together on Britney’s 1999 debut album …Baby One More Time.
Adnan Ghalib
During her 2007 romance with the photographer, Britney said she had “no clue” she was his “mistress” and that he allegedly used her to cheat on his spouse. However, Britney noted that she and Ghalib had “a lot of fun” together before their 2008 split.
Matt Lauer
Britney slammed another interview in which her parenting skills were questioned — this time with Lauer in 2006. “He said that people were asking questions about me, including: ‘Is Britney a bad mom?’ He never said who was asking them. Everyone, apparently,” she stated. “And he asked me what I thought it would take for the paparazzi to leave me alone. I wished he’d ask them — so whatever it was, I could do exactly that.”
In this article
Britney Spears
Cher
Christina Aguilera
Colin Farrell
Diane Sawyer
Donatella Versace
Elton John
Jennifer Lopez
Justin Timberlake
Keri Russell
Kevin Federline
Lenny Kravitz
Madonna
Mariah Carey
Matt Lauer
Natalie Portman
Paris Hilton
Rachel McAdams
Reese Witherspoon
Robin Williams
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Seacrest
Sarah Silverman
