AMAs 2019: Classic Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears Red Carpet Photo Posted Amid Alisha Wainwright Drama

A classic AMAs red carpet look resurfaced on Sunday in the midst of the rumors about Justin Timberlake and Alisha Wainwright. The two actors were seen holding hands on Saturday, sparking cheating speculation and reminding fans of Timberlake’s disastrous breakup with Britney Spears in the early 2000s. What they did not want to remember was their AMAs outfit.

Timberlake and Spears once showed up to the American Music Awards in matching all-denim outfits. Spears wore a strapless denim dress that fell into a train on the floor, with a diamond-encrusted denim clutch to match. Meanwhile, Timberlake wore a real denim tuxedo, with an acid-wash suit jacket and matching fedora. He opted for a T-shirt rather than a denim dress shirt as well, but other than that the look was complete.

The photo resurfaced on Twitter on Sunday, and fans had a field day with it. Many had spent the day reliving Timberlake and Spears’ breakup back in 2002, when Timberlake repeatedly accused Spears of cheating on him. He later married actress Jessica Biel, with whom he now has a 4-year-old son, Silas.

In hindsight, fans have little sympathy for Timberlake, feeling he did not handle the situation as well as he should have. They were especially unsympathetic this weekend when Timberlake was photographed with Wainwright at a bar in New Orleans.

The two are in Louisiana filming Palmer, an upcoming sports drama, and paparazzi photos showed Timberlake with his arm around Wainwright and her with her hand on his knee. There was nothing more concrete to these rumors, but the story took over social media.

Reps for both Timberlake and Wainwright have denied the cheating allegations, according to Entertainment Tonight, though they did not offer an explanation for the hand-holding. Some fans speculated that Timberlake was very drunk, but they were still met with outrage.

The only thing that could break the spell this story had cast on social media was the American Music Awards of 2019, which featured decidedly less denim on the red carpet. Neither Timberlake nor Spears made a big appearance at the award show, which featured performances by Lizzo, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and other huge stars.

The night saw some huge awards go out, including Taylor Swift’s Artist of the Decade honor. The end of an era like that had fans feeling nostalgic and analytical, perhaps explaining the fixation on Timberlake and Spears’ past.

Check back for updates on Timberlake’s ongoing relationship drama on PopCulture.com.