Justin Timberlake is defending Miley Cyrus in the wake of her over-sexualized MTV Video Music Awards performance. While many viewers were critical of the former Disney starlet's ‘twerking’ on stage with Robin Thicke, Timberlake simply brushed the criticism off, stating that “she’s young.”

According to UPI, Timberlake chimed in on the controversy during a radio interview with WWFS-FM, New York, Tuesday.

“She's young, she's letting everyone know she's growing up," he explained. “It was the VMAs, what did you guys expect? It's not like she did it at the Grammys. Let her do her thing.”

Timberlake was on hand at Sunday night’s award ceremony where he received the Michael Jackson VMA Vanguard Award and also performed with his former boyband members ‘N Sync.

Timberlake performed a 15-minute set which included a variety of his hit songs, including ‘N Sync’s “Bye, Bye, Bye,” and “Girlfriend,” among many other hits.

Cyrus, on the other hand, is still raking in from the controversy, celebrating that her performance became one of the most talked about events of the night.

Image: MTV