Justin Timberlake Slammed For Twitter Response To Jesse Williams' Racism Call At BET Awards

When you're down a hole, start digging...

Justin Timberlake has been reminded the hard way of one thing about good intentions… they generally pave the way to hell, at least in the Twitter-sphere. 

The 'Cry Me A River' singer no doubt thought he was doing a nice thing, by responding on social media to 'Greys Anatomy' star Jesse Williams' speech at the BET Awards. 

Jesse's speech was a resounding call to the industry to acknowledge black culture, instead of "extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil - black gold, ghettoising and demeaning our creations, then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit". Watch him in action above. 

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Justin Timberlake must have thought he'd be safe saying nice things, but...
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images

Like many, Justin was touched by the speech, sharing his feelings in a tweet "@iJesseWilliams tho… #Inspired #BET2016".

However, it was the "#inspired" that caused the problem, sparking a backlash that must have caught the smiling JT on the hop. 

“Inspired you to do what? Continue to emulate black culture through your music while ignoring issues affecting black people,” one user asked him.

Ah. 

“So does this mean you’re going to stop appropriating our music and culture? And apologise to Janet too. #BETAwards,” another added.

Janet, lest you forget, was Ms Jackson, the victim of the Superbowl 'wardrobe malfunction' when Justin accidentally ripped her costume in front of millions of fans worldwide. 

Surprised by this stream of criticism, Justin was quick to explain himself in a string of tweets thus... 

Jesse has yet to respond to JT's comments, although it seems the singer has said plenty enough for everyone to chew on, for now. 

Tap the picture below to open the slideshow:

Justin Timberlake Through The Years
1997, 'N Sync London Showcase(01 of39)
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1997, 'N Sync(02 of39)
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1998, Billboard Awards(03 of39)
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1998, Z100's Jingle Ball(04 of39)
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1998, 'N Sync(05 of39)
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1998, 'Champions of Children' Gala(06 of39)
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1999, Teen People's 1st Anniversary Party(07 of39)
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1999, American Music Awards with 'N Sync(08 of39)
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1999, Los Angeles(09 of39)
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1999(10 of39)
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1999, 'N Sync(11 of39)
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1999, Irvine, CA Concert(12 of39)
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2000, 'N Sync(13 of39)
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2000(14 of39)
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2000, American Music Awards(15 of39)
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2000, TRL Appearance with 'N Sync (16 of39)
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2000, Time Square Record Signing(17 of39)
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2000, Wango Tango Concert(18 of39)
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2000, New Orleans Concert(19 of39)
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2000, VMAs with Britney Spears(20 of39)
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2000, 'Challenge for the Children' Celebrity Basketball Tournament (21 of39)
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2001(22 of39)
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2001, Grammys(23 of39)
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2001, Super Bowl Halftime Show(24 of39)
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2001, American Music Awards(25 of39)
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2001, American Music Awards with Britney Spears(26 of39)
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2001, VMAs(27 of39)
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2001, VMAs(28 of39)
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2001, Billboard Music Award(29 of39)
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PEOPLE NSYNC(30 of39)
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Justin Timberlake of the pop group *NSync performs during NBC's "Today" show, Monday, Aug. 20, 2001, at Rockefeller Center in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
2001 Billboard Music Awards - Arrivals(31 of39)
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Justin Timberlake arriving at the 2001 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. (Photo by SGranitz/WireImage) (credit:SGranitz via Getty Images)
2001 Fox Billboard Music Awards - Show(32 of39)
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Justin Timberlake of 'NSYNC performs at the 2001 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, 12/4/01. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect) (credit:Frank Micelotta via Getty Images)
Justin Timberlake MTV Video Music Awards (33 of39)
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Justin Timberlake arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards September 2001 at the Shrine Auditorium in LA. (credit:HARVEYA ANTHONY HARVEY (50/50)/PA Images Contributor)
United We Stand Concert - Show(34 of39)
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Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC performs during United We Stand Concert - Show at RFK Stadium in Washington DC, United States. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage) (credit:KMazur via Getty Images)
2001 MTV Video Music Awards - Show(35 of39)
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Justin Timberlake during 2001 MTV Video Music Awards - Show at The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Kevin Kane/WireImage) (credit:Kevin Kane via Getty Images)
The Today Show" Summer Concert Series: NSYNC(36 of39)
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NEW YORK CITY - AUGUST 20: Singer Justin Timberlake of NSYNC performs at 'The Today Show' Summer Concert Series on August 20, 2001 at Rockefeller Center in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage) (credit:Ron Galella via Getty Images)
2002, Grammys(37 of39)
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2002(38 of39)
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2003, Soul Train Music Awards(39 of39)
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