Justin Timberlake's Haters Celebrate May 1 With Alternative Memes
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Fans of Britney Spears and Janet Jackson have a message for Justin Timberlake: “You want a piece of May?”
Every May 1, Twitter fills up with memes featuring the former *NSYNC singer and the words “It’s gonna be May,” thanks to the way the boy band sang the title line of their 2000 hit “It’s Gonna Be Me.”
But this year, the “Cry Me a River” singer has come under increased scrutiny after clips of old interviews resurfaced in the New York Times documentary “Framing Britney Spears” in which he laughingly shared details his sex life with the teen idol at a time when when she was facing relentlessly misogynist press coverage.
Those clips were from the same era as the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2004 Super Bowl, when Timberlake exposed Jackson’s breast on live TV, scandalizing at least the Federal Communications Commission, which tried to fine CBS hundreds of thousands of dollars for the broadcast. CBS was able to wriggle out of the fine and Timberlake faced little to no consequence for the incident. Jackson’s career, however, never fully recovered.
Timberlake issued an apology to Spears and Jackson earlier this year, but supporters of the two music legends understood it to be far too little, far too late. So this May 1, fans stepped in with their own alternatives to usual “It’s gonna be May” memes ― with many celebrating Spears instead:
I hate Justin Timberlake so I made this to replace the stupid “gonna be may” meme - you’re welcome world pic.twitter.com/2RJjWqIfK6
— cathy *acab forever* humes (@CrappyFumes) April 30, 2021
As you celebrate Justin Timberlake Day, remember “It’s Gonna Be May” is just one more thing he owes to Britney Spears
pic.twitter.com/FhwNPGHGQZ— Brianne Fleming (@brianne2k) April 30, 2021
We no longer do "It's Gonna Be May," we do "You Want a Piece of May." pic.twitter.com/cUTh2qvJcJ
— Courtney Enlow (@courtenlow) April 30, 2021
A humble pandemic-year alternative suggestion: pic.twitter.com/pzS4nLWzzn
— Hydrogen + Time (@AgedHydrogen) April 30, 2021
I refuse to post the J*stin T*mberl*ke meme today so instead here’s Lance Bass absolutely slaying the choreo to “It’s Gonna Be [May]” pic.twitter.com/ODy78Wf0KO
— Kalhan (@KalhanR) April 30, 2021
I only want to see JC Chasez in "It's gonna be May" memes from now on. pic.twitter.com/OdX0NRrPbv
— Paul Lê (@AFinalBoy) April 29, 2021
I don't care if it's gonna be May. Justin Timberlake ended the career of a young, enterprising Black musician named Janet Jackson and I will never forget that
— Cedric Richards (@CedricRichards) May 1, 2021
Oh y’all big mad at Justin. I haven’t seen that “it’s gonna be May” meme at alllll today
— RYLIC ZANDER (@1Rylic) May 1, 2021
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.