What Justin Timberlake's Exes Have Said About Him
Justin Timberlake truly defined what it meant to "bring sexy back" during his bachelor days, capturing hearts left and right. Everyone definitely had the hots for the "Rock Your Body" singer, and as one of the most sought-after stars in the early aughts, his romantic life was always a hot topic. Before settling down with Jessica Biel, his dating history featured a lineup of A-listers, landing him a consistent spot in the tabloids.
But he has his fair share of relationships with, err, normal people, too. His first love was reportedly a girl named Danielle Ditto, who told Contact Music that he was every bit a knight in shining armor. "Justin was the perfect guy," she said. "He is sweet, gentle and thoughtful. It was almost like he was trained to be the perfect gentleman." He also had a teenage fling with Veronica Finn, a former singer who he met in his hometown in Tennessee. "He was very special," she told Star. "Our love was unique, and he was an absolute sweetheart."
These are obviously glowing advertisements for young Timberlake as a lover, but the tales shared by his celebrity exes? Well, let's just say that he's got mixed reviews. From his fling with Fergie to his chaotic relationship with Britney Spears to his years-long romance with Cameron Diaz, here's the lowdown of what his exes have said about him.
Fergie doesn't count their relationship as something 'serious'
Forgot that Fergie and Justin Timberlake were ever a thing? Don't worry, Fergie kind of did, too. The two had a brief fling back in 2003, around the time that the Black Eyed Peas collaborated with Timberlake for their hit track "Where is the Love?" in which the singer lent his vocals for the song's chorus. Spilling the beans to Cosmopolitan, Fergie admitted that she's in a "bad boy phase" at the time, a stark contrast to her eventual husband, Josh Duhamel, who's apparently more of a "nice guy."
Fergie and Timberlake didn't take things to the next level, though, with the "Big Girls Don't Cry" crooner saying that their relationship was as casual as they come. "One of my good friends was dating J.C. Chasez, and so we'd all hang out with *NSYNC. Justin and I would go out together and have fun and make out," she explained. "We went to Hawaii together, but we were never serious. He was Mr. Right Now."
Not one to kiss and tell, Fergie dodged questions about her past makeout sessions with Timberlake during a guest appearance on "Watch What Happens Live." When put on the hot seat by Andy Cohen about their escapades, Fergie chose to remain tight-lipped. "It wasn't all that serious," she clarified. "Am I allowed to pass on this? Pass. Plead the fifth." Fergie found her happily ever after (for a while) with Duhamel, having one child together before calling it quits after a decade of marriage.
Britney Spears had so much tea to spill about Justin
With how extensive the media coverage of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake's relationship was, anyone who missed out on their romance must have been living under a rock. The pair went from childhood pals (courtesy of "The Mickey Mouse Club") to becoming the It Couple of the early aughts, giving us three years of red carpet PDA and matching denim outfits. Their romance was relatively free of controversy when they were together, but the It Couple image they projected all broke down when they split.
While they initially chalked their split up to clashing schedules, their diss tracks for one another said otherwise. Timberlake's "Cry Me A River" music video implied that Spears had been unfaithful, only for Spears to squash the speculations years later in her "Woman In Me" memoir. "There were a couple of times during our relationship when I knew Justin had cheated on me," she penned. "Especially because I was so infatuated and so in love, I let it go." In the same book, she also made the shocking revelation that she got pregnant at the time, but decided to terminate it as Timberlake was unprepared to be a dad. "Justin definitely wasn't happy about the pregnancy," she wrote. "He said we weren't ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young."
However, Spears appears to have buried the hatchet with her ex since the memoir's release. "I wanna apologize for some of the things I wrote about in my book. If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about I am deeply sorry..." Spears wrote on Instagram (via Deadline). "I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake's new song."
Jenna Dewan denied being the 'rebound chick'
Another ex of Justin Timberlake's that you might have forgotten about is no other than Jenna Dewan. Before she hit the big screen, she worked with Timberlake as one of his backup dancers and eventually transitioned to being his girlfriend — at least for a little while. The "Step Up" star was one of the first women Timberlake was romantically linked to post-Britney, but the dancer clarified in an episode of "Watch What Happens Live" that their relationship was short-lived and not all that noteworthy.
Still, Dewan set the record straight and wanted everyone to know that she was never the "rebound chick" that tabloids made her out to be. "No, I was not the rebound! I was very clear not to be [a rebound]," she divulged, adding that she and JT are still chummy to this day. "We were, like, friends that then dated and we're just really good friends now." She even acknowledged that her ex is still attractive but was careful not to dish any spicy details about their brief affair. "It's not as salacious as everyone thinks," she said.
And for those hankering for drama, there really wasn't any. Even Britney Spears herself didn't have any qualms about Dewan dating Timberlake shortly after they called it quits. "Justin's 21, and I would expect him to go out with girls," she told People at the time (via Daily Mail). "Not that it doesn't sting."
Alyssa Milano admitted to 'swooping in for the kill'
If Jenna Dewan wanted to exclude herself from the narrative that she was Justin Timberlake's rebound, Alyssa Milano was unabashed about the fact that she went for the singer following his high-profile split (after Jenna, of course). In an interview with Access Hollywood, Milano didn't shy away from acknowledging the curious timing of her romance Timberlake, admitting to jumping on the first chance she got to be with him. "Yeah that's true, that was right after Britney broke his heart, I swooped in for the kill!" she dished. It was a win for Timberlake, though, revealing that he fancied Milano growing up. "My big crush was Sam in 'Who's the Boss?,' Alyssa Milano. Then we dated briefly, so that got weird," he shared in an interview with Rove & Sam. "I was like, 'Hey, I used to be obsessed with you when I was a kid.'"
But make no mistake — Milano didn't have a hand in wrecking his relationship with Britney Spears. In fact, she was one of their biggest fans back in the day. "They were super cute, super in love," she told Entertainment Tonight in September 2015. "They just seemed like the perfect match!" But she did have a strong message for those still pining for a Justin and Britney reunion to this day: "Everyone needs to get over it."
Cameron Diaz didn't want to get married to Justin
Justin Timberlake's last serious relationship before going all in with Jessica Biel was with Cameron Diaz, who once pledged not to marry ever, only to eventually get hitched to Benji Madden years later. Was Timberlake unmarryable? Or was Diaz just afraid of commitment when they were a couple?
To give you a refresher, Diaz and Timberlake dated for nearly half a decade before calling it quits, which is lightyears in Hollywood. Engagement speculations even swirled when they were together, but Diaz was very adamant that she had no intentions of walking down the aisle. "I'm a commitment-phobe. Don't want to do it," she shared in a "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" appearance (via People). Word on the street is that they broke up because of Timberlake's rumored involvement with Scarlett Johansson, but their joint statement to People at the time noted that it was a mutual decision. "We have, in fact, ended our romantic relationship, and have done so mutually and as friends, with continued love and respect for one another," they said.
The pair ended up getting married to different people years after breaking up, but their professional compatibility never wavered. They even worked on a couple of projects together, which Diaz said wasn't weird at all. "It's great. Justin and I have always had a good laugh together, and to make a movie where we get to have a laugh together, and there really was no one else who was more perfect for this part," she told Us Weekly of their movie "Bad Teacher." "He's clearly talented. We went for the best person for the job, and it just so happened that it was him. And he delivers."