Jenna Dewan-Tatum has set the record straight.
Long before she became an actress and judge on NBC's World of Dance, the world knew Dewan-Tatum as one of Justin Timberlake's backup dancers—and that period of her life was briefly touched upon in Lifetime's unauthorized Britney Spears biopic, Britney Ever After. When Dewan-Tatum stopped by Bravo's Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Sunday, a viewer called in to ask whether the dance-off between Spears and Timberlake really happened.
"OK, so this dance-off situation—it never happened, people! No! It was in tabloids and everyone thought this happened. I really wish I could say that happened, because that would be the coolest story in the world! It would be so awesome!" said Dewan-Tatum, who has also danced for Janet Jackson. "I wish I could say that, but no, it never happened—not that I saw."
Dewan-Tatum said she didn't begin dancing with Timberlake until after his split with Spears—well, "like during/after the breakup. It was like the whole drama of all that." At the time, she told host Andy Cohen and guest Tituss Burgess, "I was an actress. I didn't know what was going on. It was the craziest, wildest thing. But there was no dance-off! People ask me this all the time. It's like, 'No!' I don't know what they're talking about. That was made up by Us Weekly."
"Did you ever have a moment with Justin?" Cohen asked.
"Oh, God. Andy! You just go there! You know that I love you. Um, yeah. We dated. Yeah," the actress admitted. "Yeah, we dated. Not that long. We were like friends—friends!—that dated."
Contrary to reports, she added, "I was not the rebound! I was very clear not to be [that]."
"Did you bring the sexy back?" Burgess asked.
"He's sexy. What if I was like, 'No, he's not sexy at all?' Of course he's sexy. But no, I was not a rebound," she answered. "We're still very good friends. It's not as salacious as everyone thinks."
(E! and Bravo are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)