Readers of Britney Spears’ memoir were expecting some vulnerable revelations — but nothing could’ve prepared them for Michelle Williams’ narration of the book.
Clips of Williams reading “The Woman in Me” have gone viral, with thousands of reshares online and a slew of calls for a Grammy nomination for the actor.
People have been particularly enthralled by her impression of Justin Timberlake. In the book, Spears writes that NSYNC appeared to have distinguished itself from the Backstreet Boys, the band’s main competition at the peak of their careers, by hanging out with Black artists and generally being a group of “white boys [who] loved hip hop.”
“Sometimes, I think they tried too hard to fit in. One day, J and I were in New York going to parts of town I’d never been to before. Walking our way was a guy with a huge blinged-out medallion. He was flanked by two giant security guards,” Spears writes. “J got all excited and said so loud, ‘Oh yeah, fo’ shiz, fo’ shiz. Ginuwine! What’s up, homie?’”
Users began sharing reactions to that particular sound bite on X, with some also making it meme on TikTok.
“nothing can prepare you for these 15 seconds of michelle williams doing a justin timberlake impression as written by britney spears,” a user wrote on X, posting a clip of the audio recording.
“(white) Michelle Williams doing an impression of Britney doing an impression of Justin Timberlake doing an impression of a Black person — this is art,” another person posted on X, calling for Williams to win an Oscar (which isn’t possible, as audiobook narration isn’t an eligible category).
“When I tell you I hollered when I heard Michelle Williams making fun of Justin Timberlake’s Blaccent,” a user said in a video. “First of all, Britney, savage for putting that in the book. But hearing Michelle Williams read it, pure comedy.”
A popular thread on Reddit called Williams’ Timberlake imitation “uncanny.” Some said they think Williams sounds exactly like Spears at times, making them forget it wasn’t Spears narrating her own book.
Some online also shared their appreciation for the accuracy with which Williams seemed to imitate Mariah Carey’s speaking voice — a “deep, beautiful” voice, according to Spears, who recounted her awe at meeting Carey and asking to take a photo with her.
The sudden virality around Williams’ narration also stirred some confusion, with many internet users claiming they had just found out she isn’t the same Michelle Williams who was a member of the R&B girl group Destiny’s Child.
Angela Yang
Angela Yang is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News.
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