justin timberlake christina aguilera tour

Christina Aguilera Reflected On The Unfair “Double Standards” She Faced While On Tour With Justin Timberlake, And It’s Sparked A Conversation Around Misogyny In The Early 2000s

“There were things where I was just like, why is it OK for him and not OK for me?”

BuzzFeed News Staff

Christina Aguilera is calling out the “double standards” she faced while touring with Justin Timberlake two decades ago.

Justin and Christina joined forces for the Justified & Stripped tour back in 2003, which came after the release of their respective albums the year prior.

At this time, Christina was in her early 20s. She’d become known for her proud expression of her sexuality through her lyrics and music videos.

“I wanted [the album Stripped ] to embrace every different part of being a woman,” she told Vogue last year as she reflected on the project. “From feeling empowered and strong, owning my sexuality, and not from what a guy thinks it should be.”

And this is something Christina is still passionate about to this day, with the star announcing her new role as cofounder of sexual wellness brand Playground just last month.

But sadly, Christina’s candid expression of her sexuality is something that she faced heaps of scrutiny for in the early 2000s — particularly in comparison to her then-tourmate Justin, who also released songs and music videos centered around his sensuality.

Sitting down for an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast this Wednesday, Christina told host Alex Cooper about the “inappropriate” criticism she faced from the media during their joint tour.

“There was a lot of double standards with it,” she said. “Because I went on tour with Justin, we did the Stripped [&] Justified tour, and there were things where I was just like, why is it OK for him and not OK for me, you know what I mean?”

“I was constantly pushing back in my way,” she added. “It was so inappropriate sometimes, the things [the media] asked about that era.”

As soon as the podcast episode aired, Christina’s comments prompted a wider conversation around misogyny in the early 2000s.

“he’s a man and they never get any heat, even if he did the most heinous thing imaginable, the public would still rally behind him,” one person tweeted.

↳ 𝕜𝕠𝕝𝕒 𝕓𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕒 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕒 🫧 @SoulGlitch94_ he’s a man and they never get any heat, even if he did the most heinous thing imaginable, the public would still rally behind him. https://t.co/hdBxb44viw 06:32 PM - 05 Apr 2023 Reply Retweet Favorite

“She’s not saying anything about [Justin] personally. She’s just saying the world saw him as the boy next door and she was sl*t shamed, even if they were doing the same,” another user wrote. “We all know she’s right.”

Andy | ✨🧞‍♂️ @fighterju92 @billboard @XtinaLove6 She’s not saying anything about him personally. She’s just saying the world saw him as the boy next door and she was sl*t shamed, even if they were doing the same. We all know she’s right. 07:00 AM - 06 Apr 2023 Reply Retweet Favorite

“she’s totally right,” someone else agreed . “there was double standards back then, same today. it wasn’t fair that she was criticized.”

“I admire her for this bc it’s true. women couldn’t do anything w/o being criticized. she was criticized FAR TOO MUCH,” another tweet read.

Going on to discuss another way in which women were treated unfairly in the early 2000s, Christina touched on what it was like being pitted against other women artists throughout her career.

Noting that the industry was “a different business” back then, Christina recalled facing “a lot of female comparisons and double standards” — perhaps referring to her long-rumored feuds with Britney Spears and Pink .

“It just felt like just punches in the face,” she said. “It was hard to just constantly feel like you're making music and doing something you love and then someone spinning something so negative about it.”

“It was really hard because sometimes who you were pitted against, you actually genuinely ... loved and respected,” she went on. “You're too much of a kid to understand what's happening. I hated that shit.”

You can listen to Christina’s appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast in full here.

Topics in this article.

• Christina Aguilera
• Justin Timberlake

Christina Aguilera Recalls Facing Double Standards During Tour With Justin Timberlake

Christina aguilera is looking back at the double standards she faced while on a joint tour with justin timberlake in the early aughts. see what the "beautiful" singer had to say about the era..

Christina Aguilera is the definition of a fighter.   Though the singer's sultry early aughts style has become a celebrated staple in pop culture, the "Come on Over" performer recalled a time when she says that wasn't necessarily the case. Most notably, the Grammy winner reflected on the response she received after teaming up with Justin Timberlake for their 2003 Justified & Stripped Tour.

"There was a lot of double standards with it," she said during the April 5 episode of Call Her Daddy . "Because I went on tour with Justin, we did the Stripped [&] Justified tour and there were things where I was just like, ‘Why is it okay for him and not okay for me, you know what I mean?'"

The 42-year-old—who has previously described her Stripped era as " owning her sexuality "—continued, "It's just like I was constantly pushing back in my way. I mean, it was so inappropriate sometimes, the things that were asked about that era."

The "Genie in a Bottle" singer also recalled being pitted against other female artists during that time. She noted that the industry back then "was a different business where there was a lot of female comparisons and double standards with women."

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"It just felt like just punches in the face," Christina—who has long been rumored to have had feuds with Britney Spears and Pink —shared. "It was hard to just constantly feel like you're making music and doing something you love and then someone spinning something so negative about it."

She added, "It was really hard because sometimes who you were pitted against, you actually genuinely, you know, loved and respected."

But as Christina, who joined The Mickey Mouse Club alongside Justin and Britney as an adolescent in the early ‘90s, continued, "You're too much of a kid to understand what's happening. I hated that s--t."

That said, Christina thinks the future of women in entertainment compared to the past is beautiful in every single way.

"I'm just so excited to see more women supporting women because now you're cutting through the middle man a lot more," she added. "Which is really, really nice."

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Christina Aguilera Calls Out the ‘Double Standards’ She Experienced Touring With Justin Timberlake

"There were things where I was just like, 'Why is it okay for him and not okay for me?'" the pop star recalled of touring with Timberlake in 2003.

By Hannah Dailey

Hannah Dailey

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The world has definitely made progress when it comes to properly respecting female artists, but Christina Aguilera remembers a time when things were a lot worse.

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“I was constantly pushing back in my way,” Aguilera added. “It was so inappropriate sometimes, the things [the media] asked about that era.”

Cooper agreed with the “Beautiful” singer, adding that the “comparison of a man doing the same thing — it’s like, ‘I’m doing the same thing and I’m being called a slut, and he’s, like, the boy next door.'”

Back in the day, Aguilera was a trailblazer in proudly expressing female sexuality through her songs and music videos, something she still sees as important 20 years later (the vocalist recently launched her own sexual wellness brand, Playground ). Even though society is finally starting to catch up, she can still recall the incessant slut-shaming she experienced as a young artist — something she says she now finds funny, given that she didn’t even lose her virginity until “later than you would think.”

“I was like, ‘I have to do songs that mean something to me and are valid to who I am and being fearless and talking about anything,’” the five-time Grammy winner continued on the podcast. “And that includes sexuality! I felt that there was a lot of shame and fear around the subject … so I just wanted to be who I was and make a safe space for everyone to feel food — and make it a conversation.”

Listen to Christina Aguilera’s episode of  Call Her Daddy  below:

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Christina Aguilera on “double standards” of touring with Justin Timberlake

"I’m doing the same thing and I’m being called a slut, and he’s, like, the boy next door"

Christina Aguilera has spoken about the “double standards” she experienced while on tour with Justin Timberlake in the early ’00s.

The pop star said in a new interview that she felt there was a lot of hypocrisy in regards to male versus female pop stars at the time.

She told Call Her Daddy podcast host Alex Cooper on Wednesday (April 5): “There was a lot of double standards with it.

“Because I went on tour with Justin, we did the Stripped [&] Justified tour, and there were things where I was just like, ‘Why is it okay for him and not okay for me, you know what I mean?’”

“I was constantly pushing back in my way,” Aguilera added. “It was so inappropriate sometimes, the things [the media] asked about that era.”

Cooper agreed with the singer, adding that the “comparison of a man doing the same thing — it’s like, ‘I’m doing the same thing and I’m being called a slut, and he’s, like, the boy next door'”.

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As Billboard notes, Aguilera was a trailblazer in proudly expressing female sexuality through her songs and music videos.

“I was like, ‘I have to do songs that mean something to me and are valid to who I am and being fearless and talking about anything,’” the pop star continued on the podcast.

“And that includes sexuality! I felt that there was a lot of shame and fear around the subject… so I just wanted to be who I was and make a safe space for everyone to feel food — and make it a conversation.”

Meanwhile, Pink has hit out at the “silly” and sexist line of questioning on her new album promotional tour, related to a perceived feud with Aguilera .

The singer has been promoting new album ‘Trustfall’ with a series of interviews, and recently denied “shading” Aguilera  after comments she made about recording the music video for ‘Lady Marmalade’.

The collaborative single featuring Aguilera,  Mya  and Lil’ Kim – a cover of Labelle’s 1974 song of the same name – was recorded in 2001 for Baz Luhrmann’s  Moulin Rouge!  soundtrack.

“It wasn’t very fun to make; I’m all about fun, and it was a lot of fuss,” the singer told  BuzzFeed  while ranking her favourite videos. Placing it at number 12, she continued: “There were some personalities… Kim and Mya were nice.”

Defending herself against the comments, she then wrote on Twitter: “Y’all are nuts Xtina had shit to do with who was on that song. If you don’t know by now – I’m not ‘shading’ someone by telling it over and over and over what actually happened.

“I’m zero percent interested in your fucking drama. If you haven’t noticed- I’m a little busy selling… And by selling- I mean tickets and albums and bake sales and shit.”

• Related Topics
• Christina Aguilera
• Justin Timberlake

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Justin Promises Spectacle, Special Guests On Christina Tour

It's not entirely official, but it looks like Justin Timberlake's contribution to this summer's soundtrack will be Justified 's steamy opening track, "Senorita."

"When I heard [the music] I felt this groovy summer thing," the singer said Tuesday (May 20), beatboxing the Neptunes beat. So for the lyrics Timberlake crafted a summer tale, creating the subject in his head rather than basing it on his own life, like he did with "Cry Me a River."

"On that sunny day/ Didn't know I'd meet," he sings in the opening verse. "Such a beautiful girl/ Walking down the street/ Seen those bright brown eyes/ With tears coming down/ She deserves a crown."

"When I wrote it, when me and Pharrell [Williams] were collaborating on it, I just kind of envisioned walking down a hot street, beads of sweat on everybody, and just seeing this dark-haired, voluptuous, dark-skinned creature, this girl, walking down the street," Timberlake explained in a conference call with journalists just before he took a London stage. "You're like, 'Man, I wonder what I could say to her to make her head spin.' We automatically created the scenario: 'What if she was in a situation with another guy and he wasn't treating her right?' "

Timberlake at first said he was leaning toward "Senorita" to follow up "Rock Your Body," but then about 30 minutes later he declared, "I've made my mind up." Video plans are not yet in the works.

Justin also revealed some details about his portion of the upcoming Justified and Stripped Tour (see [article id="1470069"]"Justin Timberlake/ Christina Aguilera Tour Dates Announced"[/article]). The singer will perform with eight dancers and a 14-piece band, including four backup singers, three horn players and a DJ.

"I've added to the live sound that is already on the record," Timberlake said.

There will be elaborate production features, but Justin's spending more time working on rearranging his songs than on the look of the show.

"I think fans can expect to see a spectacle. I'll always come with something aesthetically pleasing, but at the same time ... I don't think you'll walk away thinking it took away from the music," he said. "My favorite moments are when I stand by myself and sing."

Timberlake said he will likely bring up special guests at select shows, including the Neptunes' Williams, but an onstage collaboration with Christina Aguilera is still just in talks.

"The first couple of weeks will be getting used to doing the show," Timberlake said. "We did this tour because we both have an appreciation for each other's music and talent, so the possibility is always there."

He said the tour came about because both he and Christina wanted to give their fans two for the price of one. "And even though this is her second album and my first, I think we are at similar places in our career where we want to break the mold of what people look at as teen pop and move into a different direction," he added.

Timberlake returns from Europe this week, and after hosting the MTV Movie Awards, which air June 5, he'll kick off the tour June 6 in Phoenix, a city he's excited to be in for a few days. "I'm looking forward to playing the Raven," he said, referring to Phoenix's famous golf course.

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Justified & Stripped Tour with Justin Timberlake

• View history

The Justified & Stripped with Justin Timberlake was a co-headlining concert by Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake.

The tour was in support of Christina's fourth album Stripped and Justin's debut album "Justified."

Justin announced that he would go on a co-headlining tour at the 2003 American Music Awards and it was officially announced that Christina would be the co-headlined artist of the tour on January 14, 2003.

The tour dates were revealed on February 21, 2003. It kicked off on June 4, 2003 in Phoenix, Arizona and visited 45 cities in North America. The Black Eyed Peas were serviced as the tour's supporting acts.

The setlist was composed generally from Justin's "Justified" album and Christina's "Stripped" album.

However, both artists also added material from their early works, including Timberlake's work with 'N Sync and Christina's self-titled debut album. She also performed two of Etta James' songs: "At Last" and "I Prefer You."

The tour was divided into five segments: two for Christina & three for Justin with each segment being followed by an interlude to the next segment and it ended with an encore, lasting for a total of 160 minutes.

The tour was met with mixed reviews from most contemporary music critics.

Some praised the maturities of the two artists, while others criticized their vocal abilities during the tour.

They also believed that Christina's image during the tour resembled that Cher and her part concentrated too much on her vocal abilities while Justin's part worked his considerable sex appeal.

However, the tour was a commercial success, garnering more than US$30 million and becoming the sixteenth highest-grossing tour in 2003.

It also became the third highest-grossing co-headlining tour of the year.

In late 2003, the tour's extension The Stripped Tour was held to promote Christina's "Stripped" album without Justin's act.

An extended play, entitled " Justin & Christina " was released exclusively at Target Stores to support the tour.

• 1 Concert Development
• 3.1 Christina Aguilera
• 3.2 Justin Timberlake
• 4 Critical Reception
• 5 Broadcasts & Recordings

Concert Development [ ]

When asked why she & Justin decided to go on tour together, Christina replied:

" We both put out records around the same time that kind of introduced ourselves to the world as new artists, in a way. So it was just a good time. And I've known Justin since the Mickey Mouse Club days, since we were twelve or thirteen, so we go back in our friendship, and it kind of works. "

Synopsis [ ]

The concert began with the video introduction of "Stripped Intro" featuring Christina handcuffed, blindfolded and sitting in a chair as the words " scandal ," " gossip " and " lies " flashed across the screen.

Backed by a five-peace band and eight back-up dancers, Christina strutted out singing "Dirrty" and "Get Mine, Get Yours" with curly black hair, a black and " hot-pink halter with belly-baring plunging neckline, " pants and spiked heels. She performed "The Voice Within" as the follow-up with a long black dress.

During the acoustic version of "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)", she gave a speech:

" Thank you so much for coming... I'm getting that feeling again and it's a blessing. Yes, I've grown up a little bit. Now I'm 22... I'm so happy you've grown with me. "

Christina went onstage again, performing the " Egyptian-turned-metal " version "Genie in a Bottle" where she rolled on a giant "X" which portrayed her then newly established alter ego "Xtina."

Wearing " hot pink straps attached to her outfit, " she slowly unraveled herself is the " genie " in the song, provocatively dancing her way out of the bottle.

The performance of "Can't Hold Us Down" featured a pink " spark-shooting " motorcycle.

Then, she belted out "Make Over" with the " rhythmic trot of a Spanish spaghetti Western " featuring " chain-link fence. "

Following the video interlude of "Loving Me 4 Me", she performed the ballad "Impossible."

Christina later changed into a "silky empire-waisted" red dress to channel her favorite singer, Etta James and performed two of her hit songs "At Last" and "I Prefer You."

The rendition of "Lady Marmalade" from the soundtrack Moulin Rouge! was described as "a playful romp" between four male dancers dressed as sailors and four female members of the troupe in lingerie.

During the medley of two Spanish songs from Mi Reflejo , "Contigo en la Distancia" and "Falsas Esperanzas," a male dancer ripped off the skirt Christina wore, revealing tiny denim boy-cut shorts underneath.

Later, Christina "saucily" replied, " Just because my album name is Stripped, doesn't mean you can take my clothes off. " She continued with the "gorgeous ache" of "Walk Away."

The performance of "Fighter" " had more feelings and excitements " and the performance version of "What a Girl Wants" was provided with some " well-deserved " dance moves in which she wore a purple shirt and shorts.

Christina ended her part with "Beautiful," wearing jeans and a T-shirt which emblazoned with the words " God sees no color. "

Justin's part began with a video interlude of "Ghetto Blaster" followed by the performance of "Rock Your Body."

He yelled, " Scream!, " " What's up?, " and " We got some crazy people in the crowd tonight, " he responded. " I'll be your host for this evening. I'm gonna test your knowledge a little bit with this one. Let's see if you can spot this one. "

Setlist [ ]

Christina aguilera [ ].

"Stripped Intro" (Video Introduction)

• "Get Mine, Get Yours"
• "The Voice Within"
• "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)"
• "Genie in a Bottle"
• "Can't Hold Us Down"
• "Make Over"

"Loving Me 4 Me" (Video Interlude)

• "Impossible"
• "I Prefer You"
• "Lady Marmalade"
• "Contigo en la Distancia" / "Falsas Esperanzas"
• "Walk Away"
• "What a Girl Wants"
• "Beautiful"

Justin Timberlake [ ]

• "Ghetto Blaster" (contains elements of "Like I Love You", "Girlfriend" and "Rock Your Body") (Video Introduction)/"Rock Your Body"
• "Right For Me"
• Medley: "Gone" / "Girlfriend"
• "Still On My Brain"
• "Nothin' Else"
• "Tap Dance" (Dance Interlude)/"Cry Me a River"
• "Let's Take A Ride"
• "Beat Box" (Dance Interlude)/"Last Night"
• "Take It From Here"
• "Like I Love You"

Critical Reception [ ]

The Justified and Stripped Tour garnered mixed reviews from contemporary critics.

Longtime critic Robert Hilburn for the Los Angeles Times called Christina's part "tedious" and her stage persona " uncertain " while praising Justin's act, considering him " born for the stage (with) the savvy instincts to put together a show that works. Rather than make himself the constant center of attention, he was comfortable enough at times simply to be part of a talented ensemble."

By contrast, The Orange County Register's Ben Wener complimented Christina's performance, writing:

" I'd favor Aguilera's sex-appeal feast over Timberlake's club jam... Christina is simply a more well-rounded entertainer. "

Meanwhile, he criticized Justin's part and compared him to George Michael.

Darryl Morder from The Hollywood Reporter was not impressed with either artist, naming the tour " more a case of egofied and cluttered. "

Morder further said that Christina's numbers were " too often swathed in bloated arrangements " while Justin's voice was " whiny and thin. "

Multiple critics also believed that Christina's image during the tour resembled Cher's look during the 1980s.

Christina Fuoco from MTV News drew similarities between the two artists: big curly black locks, a black and hot-pink halter with belly-baring plunging neckline, pants, and spiked heels.

Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, Neva Chonin also compared Christina to Cher, with " a torso-baring black ensemble, a shock of dark hair exploding from the back of her head. "

In 2003, the tour was the sixteenth highest-grossing tour of the year, with a total gross of US$30,261,670.

546,483 tickets were sold out of 592,360 available (approximately 92%), including 23 sellout shows out of 45 (approximately 51%).

It was also the third top-grossing co-headlining tour of the year, only behind "Face to Face" by Billy Joel & Elton John and Rocksimus Maximus by Aerosmith and Kiss.

Broadcasts & Recordings [ ]

As the tour commenced, BMG released a six track EP entitled Justin & Christina that was exclusive to Target retail stores.

It featured remixes of the artists' hit songs including one new track from each artist. The tour was featured on MTV's "Making the Tour."

• 1 Discography
• 2 Rachel Aguilera
• 3 Fausto Aguilera

Christina Aguilera on the double standards she faced on tour with Justin Timberlake

The singer reflected on the stigma she faced on tour back in the early 2000s..

Christina Aguilera is opening up about what she has dubbed a “double-standard” during her joint tour with NSYNC member Justin Timberlake back in 2003.

On a recent episode of the podcast ‘Call Her Daddy’ with Alex Cooper, the ‘Beautiful’ singer recalled the intense misogyny she endured, along with disparaging comments made towards her throughout the tour, while Timberlake was praised and lauded for his performance.

Early 2000s sexism and double-standards for women

“There was a lot of double standards with it,” she told Cooper. “Because I went on tour with Justin, we did the Stripped [&] Justified tour and there were things where I was just like , ‘Why is it okay for him and not okay for me, you know what I mean?”

“I was constantly pushing back in my way,” Aguilera asserted, “It was so inappropriate sometimes, the things [the media] asked about that era.”

“I was like, ‘I have to do songs that mean something to me and are valid to who I am and being fearless and talking about anything, ’” she recalled of her mindset at that point of her career.

“And that includes sexuality! I felt that there was a lot of shame and fear around the subject … so I just wanted to be who I was and make a safe space for everyone to feel good — and make it a conversation.”

The tour was set in 2003 during Aguilera’s “Stripped” era, where the artist portrayed a more sexually confident persona compared to her earlier music. It resulted in Aguilera being the target of discriminatory language and sexism that often involved her contemporaries.

In media-instigated feuds, Aguilera and other female artists at the time, including Britney Spears and Pink, were pitted against each other.

The singer said that the media at the time “was a different business where there was a lot of female comparisons and double standards with women.”

“It just felt like just punches in the face, ” she explained.

“It was hard to just constantly feel like you’re making music and doing something you love and then someone spinning something so negative about it.

“It was really hard because sometimes who you were pitted against, you actually genuinely, you know, loved and respected,” she added.

The entirety of Aguilera’s interview can be streamed on ‘Call Her Daddy’ can be streamed on all major platforms.

Christina Aguilera Reflected On The ‘Double Standards’ She Faced On Justin Timberlake’s 2003 Tour

Christina Aguilera revealed quite a lot during her appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast. One subject she touched on was the experiences she had with double standards while on Justin Timberlake’s 2003 Justified & Stripped Tour .

“There was a lot of double standards with it,” the iconic singer said. “Because I went on tour with Justin, we did the Stripped [ & ] Justified Tour and there were things where I was just like, ‘Why is it okay for him and not okay for me, you know what I mean?'”

She added, “It’s just like I was constantly pushing back in my way. I mean, it was so inappropriate sometimes, the things that were asked about that era.”

She continued that at the time, there was “a different business where there was a lot of female comparisons and double standards with women.”

“It just felt like just punches in the face,” she said. “It was hard to just constantly feel like you’re making music and doing something you love and then someone spinning something so negative about it.”

“It was really hard,” she explained, “because sometimes who you were pitted against, you actually genuinely, you know, loved and respected.”

Watch the interview above.

Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera Plan 2007 Arena Tours

By Steve Knopper

Steve Knopper

J ustin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera – who grossed $31.8 million together in their Justified/Stripped tour in 2003 – will kick off the 2007 touring season by launching separate arena headlining tours. So far, Timberlake, who sold out a tour of 2,000-seat clubs in minutes this fall, is seeing brisk sales for his thirty-one-city tour, which begins January 8th in San Diego. In contrast, Aguilera, who starts her first solo U.S. outing February 20th in Houston – three years after canceling a major tour due to vocal problems – is seeing mixed sales results, according to concert-business sources. Both tours have relatively high ticket prices – eighty-five to ninety-nine dollars for prime seats and about fifty dollars for nosebleeds – and some in the concert business question whether such relatively young artists can justify the cost. “We keep our prices pretty low because our fan base is relatively young,” says Steve Feinberg, manager of Good Charlotte, who have never charged more than thirty-five dollars for a ticket and plan a tour next spring. Both Timberlake and Aguilera had major hits this fall: Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds has sold more than 1.3 million copies, and Aguilera’s double disc Back to Basics is up to 837,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Few details were available at press time about Aguilera’s tour, but Timberlake’s show will be a production extravaganza with as many as ten dancers and a set list that includes new favorites such as “ SexyBack ,” hits from Justified and maybe even some old ‘N Sync tunes, according to his manager, Johnny Wright. The singer is hoping to maintain the intimate vibe of his recent club shows, which emphasized live-band interaction over choreography. “We’re trying to re-create a club atmosphere in an arena,” Wright says. “We’re trying to do something that no one’s ever done before. We’re definitely spending a lot of money to make sure that happens.”

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This story is from the November 16th, 2006 issue of Rolling Stone.

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Justified and Stripped Tour

Dates: June 4, 2003 – September 2, 2003 Legs: 2 Shows: 46

The Justified and Stripped Tours were three concert tours that took place in 2003. First American singer Justin Timberlake staged his Justified Tour. Then for the last legs of his routing, he was joined by fellow American singer and fellow-New Mickey Mouse Club alumni Christina Aguilera for the Justified and Stripped Tour. Then after Timberlake was done, Aguilera carried on for her Stripped World Tour.

The Justified & Stripped tour grossed $45 million in the United States alone. Altogether this was the most lucrative tour of 2003.

Justin Timberlake began touring in support of his Justified album.

Justified and Stripped was the third tour for Aguilera, and was sponsored among others by Coca-Cola. Material for the tour came from her most recent album Stripped, together with selections from the previous albums Christina Aguilera and Mi Reflejo, together with “Lady Marmalade” and “At Last”, the classic from Etta James.

The majority of the shows were opened by The Black Eyed Peas, with whom Timberlake had collaborated on the massive hit “Where is the Love?”. The tour itself counted on a team of over 150 people, including technicians of sound, light, video, etc. There were 20 buses of great transport to all carry the material, beyond more than 15 buses to transport the team itself.

In August an overhead lighting grid collapsed from the ceiling of Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, causing major damage to the sound and video equipment below. Because the collapse occurred hours before the performance, only a few stagehands were injured, but a few shows were cancelled and some postponed.

Regardless, Justified and Stripped was one of the top-grossing tours of that year, and sold out most of its venues. Rolling Stone’s Music Awards tabbed it as the Best Tour of the Year via their Readers’ Poll.

In the fourth quarter of that year Aguilera continued to tour internationally without Timberlake, and changed the name of the tour consequently. Her set list remain fundamentally the same, except she added the song “Cruz.” This routing passed through some countries of Europe, Australia and Japan, starting on 22 September 2003 in Hamburg. Also negotiations for Brazil were made, at the beginning of 2004. In 2004 Aguilera part of the tour was shown in a 1 hour WB special with good ratings.

European performances formed the basis for her 2004 Stripped Live in the UK DVD release. Setlist

• Video Introduction: Stripped Intro
• “Dirrty”
• “Get Mine, Get Yours”
• “The Voice Within”
• “Genie in a Bottle”
• “Can’t Hold Us Down”
• “Make Over”
• Dancers Interlude &ndash Latin Dance
• Medley: “Contigo en La Distancia”/”Falsas Esperanzas”
• “Infatuation”
• “Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)
• “Cruz” (international dates only)
• Video Interlude: Loving Me 4 Me
• “Impossible”
• “At Last”
• “I Prefer You” (US dates only)
• “Lady Marmalade”
• Dancers Interlude
• “Walk Away”
• “Fighter”
• Video Interlude: Stripped, Pt. 2
• “What a Girl Wants”
• “Beautiful” (Encore)
• Ethan Farmer – Bass
• Ray Yslas – Percussion
• Brian Frasier – Drums
• Michael Herring – Guitars
• Robert Lewis – Keyboards
• Charlean Hines – Backup singer
• Tracy Nelson – Backup singer
• Brandon Rogers – Backup singer – became American Idol season 6 contestant
• Monique Slaughter
• Tiana Brown
• Telisha Shaw
• Erin Hernandez
• Paul Kirkland
• Leo Moctezuma
• Gilbert Saldivar
• Marcel Wilson
• Luke Bannister

Opening acts

• The Black Eyed Peas
• Fefe Dobson
• Emmanuel Carella

Christina’s tour director is Jamie King.

Justin’s tour director is Erick Pinnick.

Her production manager is Rob Kern.

She goes to the choreography room in the daytime to learn all of the dances, then it was off to the band room to practice with the dancers and band.

There are 75 traveling people with the tour and usually about 100 local helpers.

There are about 16 or 17 semi trucks to carry the stage and equipment.

There are 18 busses to carry 160 people.

There are over 200 moving lights, which are computer programmed that Justin and Christina Share.

There are approximately 250 pyro hits throughout the whole show.

There are two 12″x45″ video screens.

The power for one show equals the power it takes to run 350 households.

On the motorcycle for ‘Can’t Hold Us Down’ the license plate says California Xtina.

The person who dresses her for the ‘quick hanges’ is JD Roeser.

On Tour, Christina does not eat catering instead, she sends people out to bring her fast food.

She likes to be bare footed during sound checks

Christina flys to every Justified Stripped Tour stop, instead of taking a bus.

There are 160 folks in the Justified Stripped crew.

The Justified And Stripped Tour grossed $31.8 million.

D2 made Christina’s opening outfit (black stretch pants with orange strips) for $2,000.

Steve Fatone (Professional Stripper) appeared on the last night of the tour.

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Are Justin Timberlake And Christina Aguilera Still Friends?

"The Mickey Mouse Club" in the '90s was stacked with performers who went on to become stars. Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears , and Ryan Gosling were among the cast of the hit Disney show. After the show ended, and as their fame rose as pop stars, Timberlake and Spears famously dated for a few years before calling it quits in 2002, per Us Weekly . A year later, in the summer of 2003, the duo's relationship and Aguilera made sensational headlines. The "Toxic" singer had a salacious performance with Aguilera at the MTV VMAs, where they both shared on-stage kisses with Madonna. Timberlake was unknowingly thrown into the mix as cameras cut to his reaction while his ex-girlfriend kissed the "Material Girl" singer.

That same summer, Timberlake and Aguilera relationship became further entrenched when they teamed up for their Justified & Stripped Tour.  At the time, the "Genie in a Bottle" singer was protective of her former "The Mickey Mouse Club" castmate. "I just see a lot of girls around [Timberlake] — he knows this — that are just so out to be with him for him and the whole thing," she told E! News  during a joint interview with Timberlake amid their tour.

Besides booming ticket sales, the history between the two singers was a motivating factor to tour together. "We're both going out on tour alone. It's kinda fun to have that camaraderie, somebody to tour with," Timberlake told E! News. However, their "camaraderie" would change over time.

Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera lost touch

Years after Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake toured together, the "Beautiful" singer dropped a bombshell while discussing her fellow "The Mickey Mouse Club" castmates. While appearing on a Carpool Karaoke segment on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" in 2018, Aguilera was asked if she'd had a crush on former cast member Ryan Gosling when the stars were still kids. "There were definitely crushes, but ... I wasn't on the train," she told Corden. The host then asked if Aguilera fancied Timberlake when they were on Disney. "He had swag, I have to say. Even back then, he had swag," the singer responded. Aguilera also revealed that Gosling had a crush on Britney Spears during the show's run, and hinted at her own rift with Spears on the popular kids show.

Seven years after Aguilera and Timberlake toured together, the "Stripped" singer performed at his Justin Timberlake and Friends Concert in Las Vegas in 2010, per J ust Jared . Despite the performance the pair seemingly grew apart since their days of touring together.

While at the premiere of his movie "Bad Teacher" in 2011, the "Cry Me A River" singer was told by Extra that Aguilera wanted to collaborate again. "You know, I don't have a show every week to judge [referencing Aguilera on 'X-Factor'] ... I'm very reachable, Christina. You could just call me," Timberlake said, while looking into the camera with a sly smile. Although they were no longer close, a reunion was not off the table.

Christina Aguilera talks possible reunion

During Britney Spears' public battle over her conservatorship, Christina Aguilera offered her support. "I promise you she deserves all of the freedom possible to live her happiest life. My heart goes out to Britney. She deserves all the TRUE love and support in the world," the "Fighter" singer tweeted in 2021, along with an old photo of her and Spears while they were on Disney together. Shortly after, Aguilera discussed her "The Mickey Mouse Club" co-stars which, of course, included Justin Timberlake. "It was a great experience to have, not only with the two of us but all the kids — Justin and Ryan Gosling and all of us came up together on that show," she told the Los Angeles Times .

Aguilera had previously gushed over her fellow former Mouseketeers. "I love those guys, I mean, are you kidding me?" she told Entertainment Tonight in 2018. She expressed an eagerness to reassemble the old gang. "We definitely need some kind of a reunion at some point," Aguilera added.

A reunion for all the now-famous Mouseketeers would be a tough sell, but perhaps Aguilera and Timberlake could one day reconnect. In 2021, the "SexyBack" singer showed support for his former Justified & Stripped Tour mate when she teased new music on Instagram . "Whatever this is, I'm ready AF #GreatestVoiceOfOurGeneration," Timberlake wrote on Aguilera's post (via That Grape Juice ). 

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Britney Spears Claimed Justin Timberlake Made ‘Flirty Eyes’ at Christina Aguilera

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One reveal after another. Britney Spears tells her life story in her own words in her memoir T he Woman In Me. She talks about her family, conservatorship, and past relationships—one such was Justin Timberlake (who once was rumored dating Christina Aguilera).

Britney first met Justin when she joined The Mickey Mouse Club when she was 11 years old in 1992. She described it as “honestly a kid’s dream — unbelievably fun, particularly for a kid like me. But it was also exceptionally hard work: we would run choreography thirty times in a day, trying to get every step perfect.” She shared a dressing room with Christina Aguilera and looked up to the older cast members like Keri Russell, Ryan Gosling, and Ryan Lucca.

The Woman In Me by Britney Spears

Though she disclosed that behind the scenes , there was a start of her relationship with co-star Justin Timberlake. “[Once] at a sleepover, we played Truth or Dare, and someone dared Justin to kiss me. A Janet Jackson song was playing in the background as he leaned in and kissed me.”

Justin and Britney had a highly publicized relationship from 1998 to 2002. The cause of the breakup is unknown. Right after the breakup, Justin and Christina had a joint tour together—the iconic Justified & Stripped Tour . To promote the tour, the two stunned the cover of Rolling Stone , which Britney recounts reacting to her in her new book with “sexy eyes.” Did Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera date because of this? Read more to find out.

Did Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera date?

Did Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera date? In the words of Christina’s own mother Shelley on the “Beautiful” singer’s website at the time, “There is only a working relationship, not a romantic relationship.”

Though the two worked together in their co-headlining tour in 2003, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera did not date. Though Christina did say that Britney was Justin’s “ideal mate.”

“He and Britney made a great couple. I’ve known the both of them since [ Mickey Mouse Club ], and they kind of had their little crushes even back then,” Aguilera told Rolling Stone in 2003. “Britney has known him for such a long time, too —before he was Justin Timberlake, the star, when he was just Justin, the kid on the  Mickey Mouse Club . I don’t know, I have a feeling that there’s going to be some reconciliation. I know that they talk and everything, and it’s cool. I don’t think it’s over.”

Justin also had a say in the dating rumors. “We’ve been rumored to have had a romance, which is so far off. We’re two people who are just very platonic,” he said. “You know, I can’t say that we’re the best of friends, we don’t hang out all the time, but that’s more or less because of what we do, and the schedule is so crazy.”

In an episode of Carpool Karaoke with James Corden, Christina confessed about all the crushes when everyone was on The Mickey Mouse Club . “There were definitely crushes, but…I wasn’t on the train,” Christina laughed. James then asked: “What train were you on? Were you on the Timberlake train?” The Burlesque actress then admitted, “He had swag, I have to say. Even back then, he had swag.”

She then addressed the rumors of her feud with Britney at the start of their careers. There was me and Britney — well now, you know — there was a thing back then,” she recounted. She also said that Britney may “be regretting” dating Justin because “I know Ryan [Gosling] pretty much…he did have a crush on Britney.”

How did Christina Aguilera react to Britney Spears's book?

How did Christina Aguilera react to Britney Spears’s memoir? On an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live ! , host Jimmy Kimmel asked about how she would feel if she was included in her former co-star’s book.

He asked if Britney had reached out to her about any mentions in the book. “Dude, I don’t know. I don’t know,” the “Feel This Moment” singer replied.  “I’m hoping that everything is all good with her. Everything’s beautiful. The future should be celebrated.”

Jimmy doubled down on the question, “If you had to choose between being in it and not being in it?”

Christina laughed, “I mean, for real? For real?” Kimmel replied, “I would like to be in it.” The “Moves Like Jagger” singer then said, “Maybe you will be in it. Listen, I’d rather it be you than me.”

How did Justin Timberlake react to Britney Spears' book?

Justin Timberlake hasn’t issued an official response to Britney Spears’  Woman in Me  book but sources said, ahead of the huge bombshells revealed by People before its launch, the *NSYNC star was somewhat dreading its release. “Justin’s not going to be happy,” a source told  Us Weekly , hinting that Spears “goes after him hard.” But “it’s not Britney’s intention to skewer anyone,” added a third source. “She’s just going to relay the facts from her perspective.”

Indeed, that aligns with what other sources revealed. “[Justin]’s very curious what she’ll reveal from their relationship,” one source  explained to Page Six . “It’s eating at him.” Another said that the book isn’t a “takedown” of anyone. “This is Britney finally getting a chance to tell her empowering story,” they said, “and it’s nothing more than that.”

Sources told  Entertainment Tonight  that Justin’s main focus is his family. “Justin has been focusing on his own family and trying not to concern himself with Britney’s memoir,” the source says. “In recent years, Justin has tried to be supportive of Britney from a distance. They dated so long ago, but he still has respect for her. Justin and Jessica just want everyone to grow and evolve instead of continuing to bring up the past.”

By far the biggest revelation in  The Woman in Me , Britney revealed that she was pregnant with his baby during the relationship, but they decided to get an abortion. “I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated,” she wrote. “But Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young.”

The pop icon admitted that she “agreed not to have the baby” but seemed to have some regrets about the decision they made more than 20 years ago. “I don’t know if that was the right decision. If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it,” she revealed. “And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.”

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Christina Aguilera Recalls Facing Double Standards During Tour With Justin Timberlake

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Christina Aguilera is the definition of a fighter. Though the singer's sultry early aughts style has become a celebrated staple in pop culture, the "Come on Over" performer recalled a time when she says that wasn't necessarily the case. Most notably, the Grammy winner reflected on the response she received after teaming up with Justin Timberlake for their 2003 Justified & Stripped Tour.

"There was a lot of double standards with it," she said during the April 5 episode of Call Her Daddy . "Because I went on tour with Justin, we did the Stripped [&] Justified tour and there were things where I was just like, ‘Why is it okay for him and not okay for me, you know what I mean?'"

The 42-year-old—who has previously described her Stripped era as " owning her sexuality "—continued, "It's just like I was constantly pushing back in my way. I mean, it was so inappropriate sometimes, the things that were asked about that era."

Christina Aguilera's Best Looks

The "Genie in a Bottle" singer also recalled being pitted against other female artists during that time. She noted that the industry back then "was a different business where there was a lot of female comparisons and double standards with women."

"It just felt like just punches in the face," Christina—who has long been rumored to have had feuds with Britney Spears and Pink —shared. "It was hard to just constantly feel like you're making music and doing something you love and then someone spinning something so negative about it."

She added, "It was really hard because sometimes who you were pitted against, you actually genuinely, you know, loved and respected."

But as Christina, who joined The Mickey Mouse Club alongside Justin and Britney as an adolescent in the early ‘90s, continued, "You're too much of a kid to understand what's happening. I hated that s--t."

That said, Christina thinks the future of women in entertainment compared to the past is beautiful in every single way.

"I'm just so excited to see more women supporting women because now you're cutting through the middle man a lot more," she added. "Which is really, really nice."

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UTA Signs Super Bowl Choreographer Rio Henderson (EXCLUSIVE)

By Jazz Tangcay

Jazz Tangcay

Artisans Editor

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• UTA Signs Super Bowl Choreographer Rio Henderson (EXCLUSIVE) 3 days ago

Global talent, entertainment, sports and advisory company UTA has signed choreographer Rio Henderson for representation in all areas.

Known as Cornithea “RIO” Henderson, his recent work includes choreographing Usher’s “My Way” Las Vegas residency. Henderson was the mastermind behind Usher’s dance moves during his Super Bowl Halftime performance.

Hailing from St. Louis, Mo., Henderson began his career at age 11 and quickly became a powerful and versatile dancer. He received training at the Center of Contemporary Arts in St. Louis, the American Ballet Theatre, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

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He worked with Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Ne-Yo, Prince and many others. His film and TV work include “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “Saturday Night Live,” You Got Served,” “Stomp the Yard” and “Dreamgirls.”

“We are thrilled to be representing Rio Henderson, a truly best-in-class choreographer and creative who has shaped some of the most iconic visual narratives through movement in recent memory,” said UTA production arts agent Tanisha Whiting. “We look forward to working with Rio to expand his opportunities across television, film, touring, commercials and music videos.”

“I’m excited to embark on this new journey with UTA,” said Henderson. “This is a meaningful new partnership that I’m confident will take my work to new heights.

UTA will work with Henderson to expand his opportunities across television, film, touring, commercials and music videos.

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Christina Aguilera & Blake Shelton's Emotional Breakup Song Sounds Like Magic

The OG  The Voice  Coaches collaborated in the most powerful way. 

Back in 2012, Christina Aguilera showed her country side with a little help from Blake Shelton .

How to Watch

Watch  The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock.  

When Xtina and Shelton were both Coaches on  The Voice   Season 3, they did a show-stopping performance of their duet ''Just A Fool.'' During their rendition, Aguilera sang powerfully while Shelton's twang blended perfectly with her voice. And the two sounded like magic together

Check out their performance here here . 

What to know about Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton's song "Just a Fool"

Released off of Aguilera's 2012 album  Lotus , ''Just a Fool'' reached the number 71 position on the  Billboard   US Hot 100 charts. Lyrically, the country pop ballad tells the story of someone struggling to cope with a breakup. 

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"I did something with my favorite on the show, cause he's my big brother," she said about Shelton at the time according to Taste of Country . "He's just a rock star. He's great. He's so playful and so fun, and down-to-earth. He's got a great heart, which... I guess you see on the show."

She continued, "He busted his ass to make the time and God knows where he was. I got the e-mail after he heard [the vocals], because I was the first person to put my vocal down. He was like, 'I had to put a clothespin on my nutsack just to hit some of these notes. Why did you make it so high?' But that's good ole Blake, what's why I love him."

The lyrics to ''Just a Fool'' by Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton

Another shot of whiskey please bartender Keep it coming til I don't remember at all How bad it hurts when you're gone (na na na)

Turn the music up a little bit louder Just gotta get past the midnight hour Maybe tomorrow it won't Be this hard Who am I kidding I know what I'm missing

I had my heart set on you But nothing else hurts like you do Who knew that love was so cruel (Yeah yeah yeah) And I Waited and waited so long For someone who'd never come home It's my fault to think you'll be true (yeah yeah) I'm just a fool (Yeah)

RELATED: Blake Shelton & Christina Aguilera Sound Badass Singing "Pour Some Sugar on Me"

I said that I don't care I'd walk away whatever And I tell myself we were bad together (uh huh) But that's just me trying to move on With out you

But who am I kidding I know what I'm missing

Hey, I had my heart set on you But nothing else hurts like you do Who know that love was so cruel (Yeah yeah yeah) And I Waited and waited so long For someone who'd never come home It's my fault to think you'll be true (yeah yeah) I'm just a fool

For holding on to something that Is never ever gonna come back I can't accept that it's lost

I should have let it go Held my tongue Can't fight the motion Cause now everything's so wrong Wrong, wrong

I'm just a fool A fool for you I'm just a fool

Hey, I had my heart set on you And nothing else hurts like you do Who knew that love was so cruel (Yeah yeah yeah) And I Waited and waited so long For someone who'd never come home It's my fault to think you'll be true (yeah yeah) I'm just a fool I'm just a fool I'm just a fool

It's my fault to think you'll be true (Yeah yeah yeah) I'm just a fool

• Music Performances
• Blake Shelton
• Christina Aguilera

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