Timbaland apologises after saying Justin Timberlake should have put a ‘muzzle’ on Britney Spears

Britney Spears' new memoir The Woman in Me has been at the centre of yet another controversy.

The book is rivalling Prince Harry's Spare for the juicy revelations it's making public.

But now it has led to a more recent row after music producer Timbaland made some derogatory remarks about Britney following the book's release.

In an interview recorded on 30 October, the producer, whose real name is Timothy Zachery Mosley, was asked about Justin Timberlake's song Cry Me a River, which was written about his public breakup with Britney.

The song has been in the limelight again after Britney made explosive claims about her relationship with Timberlake, including that he got her pregnant but asked her to get an abortion as he wasn't ready to be a father.

However, Timbaland cut off the question to call Britney 'crazy', adding: "I wanted to call and say, 'JT, you gotta put a muzzle on that girl'!"

YouTube/ Nicholas Ballasy

The comments may have drawn a laugh from the audience, but they have sparked a storm of outrage on social media.

People took to social media to share their thoughts on the row.

One person wrote: "Thinking about how in 2006 Timbaland and JT wanted to work with Britney to 'save her career'. She refused them. Instead she worked with his protégé Danja and was the executive producer of the Bible of Pop, Blackout."

Another posted: "Timbaland is still bitter that Britney left him hanging in the studio in 2006 and chose to work with Danja instead. His misogynistic self wanted her to collab with Justin."

Denise Truscello/WireImage

A third was more direct, writing: "Ew. Not a good look for Timbaland. What a sh*tty thing to say."

Timbaland has since apologised for the remarks, saying: "I apologise to the Britney fans and her."

But people seemed less than convinced, with one responding to the video: "You got called out for your disgusting behavior and now you wanna save face? spare me."

Another wrote: "He is only apologizing because he’s forced to."

Britney's memoir The Woman in Me was released on 24 October and became an instant bestseller, selling 1.1 million copies.

It has revealed a number of revelations about Britney, including her relationship with Justin Timberlake and the fallout from their breakup.

Among them was the pop icon revealing that she had felt isolated and shut out after the breakup, particularly after Timberlake released the song Cry Me a River.

A representative for Timbaland declined to comment.