Sam Asghari Demurs on Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake Drama: ‘I Was Very Young When They Dated’

Sam Asghari is minding his own business.

The actor and model, 29, was married to Britney Spears from June 2022 until their split in August 2023.

And now, amid all of the back and forth between his ex-wife, 42, and her former flame Justin Timberlake, Asghari says he just wants to be “supportive” of Spears.

“I try to not follow entertainment news. Especially news that was past my time. That’s something I never really get involved in just because I think personal life and professional life are two different things,” he tells PEOPLE exclusively of the recent headlines surrounding the former couple, who dated from 1999 to 2002.

When Spears and Timberlake — who’s married to Jessica Biel — first began their relationship, Asghari would have been 5 years old. “I was very young when they were dating, so I don’t really follow pop culture like that,” he says, adding, “and entertainment news could be completely different from reality.”

The drama between Spears and Timberlake reached new heights while Timberlake was celebrating his 43rd birthday on Jan. 31 with a one-night-only show at Irving Plaza in New York City.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely f—ing nobody,” the former *NSYNC star said to the crowd before singing his hit 2002 song “Cry Me a River.”

Timberlake’s comments came after Spears had shared her thoughts on the iconic music video in her October memoir The Woman in Me, writing, “A woman who looks like me cheats on him and he wanders around sad in the rain.”

Timberlake’s apology (or lack thereof) then became the latest dig between the pair following what seemed to be a brief truce. After Timberlake’s Saturday Night Live performance on Jan. 27, Spears had praised her ex and his new music on Instagram.

“I wanna apologize for some of the things I wrote about in my book. If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about I am deeply sorry … ” she said in a since-deleted post. “I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song ‘Selfish.’ It is soo good.”

At the time, an insider told PEOPLE that Spears “honestly just wanted to wish [Justin] well. She’s a kind person.”

But after Timberlake’s onstage declaration, Spears posted another message on Instagram. “Someone told me someone was talking s— about me on the streets!!! Do you want to bring it to the court or will you go home crying to your mom like you did last time??? I’m not sorry!!!”