Justin Timberlake Apologizes for this Era of His Career: ‘I Hope You Can Forgive Me’

Over the past few years, Justin Timberlake has done a lot of apologizing and taking accountability. The pop star hasn’t had the smoothest mid-career run, whether he’s solemnly copping to new indiscretions, or confronting old ones. Social media, after all, has a way of resurfacing old, embarrassing incidents just when you think everyone’s forgotten. Like the content creator Hannah Young, who shed fresh light on one of the more problematic patterns from the early days of Timberlake’s career: incessant beatboxing.

via: EW

But at least he’s kind of sorry about it. After Hannah Young, an Instagram creator who goes by uhhuhhannah, remarked on how bizarre the singer’s beatboxing fixation was during the early 2000s, Timberlake addressed his love for the craft.

“There was a moment in time where that man would be in the middle of a song and just boots and cats and boots and cats,” the Millennial nostalgia creator said in a post on Monday. “And we were like, ‘Yes, there he is.’ Nobody questioned it.”

In response, Timberlake offered his apology for that particular era of his career.

“I often look back on that time as well,” Timberlake wrote in a comment under Young’s post. “I still haven’t come up with any answers. I don’t know how to apologize enough for whatever those ambitions were. Too many boots. Too many cats. I hope you can forgive me.”

Indeed, the “Cry Me A River” artist’s skills are well-documented. One of his most notorious moments was during NSYNC’s No Strings Attached Tour stop at Madison Square Garden in 2000, which has since spawned numerous memes. Later, Entertainment Weekly was present when he started beatboxing at his pre-Grammys party back in 2007.

Yet, the “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” singer admitted he cannot guarantee that he won’t hit the boots and cats again.

“Also, I can’t promise I won’t do it again. God help us all,” he concluded.

While he’s not ruling out a return to the beatboxing schtick, Timberlake has previously cringed at how much he used to pull out the trick at concerts. When reminiscing on his beatbox battles during the No Strings Attached Tour, he shared his true feelings about the act.

“File that under, you know, slightly regrettable,” he quipped on Hot Ones in 2023.