Justin Timberlake addressed his fans for the first time since his recent DWI arrest in the Hamptons, acknowledging the incident during his ‘Forget Tomorrow’ world tour stop at Chicago’s United Center.
“It’s been a tough week,” the 43-year-old Grammy winner admitted to the crowd.
“I know I’m hard to love sometimes but you keep loving me right back,” Timberlake continued, expressing gratitude amidst cheers from the audience.
Timberlake was booked under DWI
Timberlake’s legal trouble began when he was apprehended after allegedly drinking a $21 James Bond famous Vesper Martini at the American Hotel in the Hamptons, where he had been “having dinner with a bunch of friends”. He then left in a 2025 BMW led to his arrest after reportedly running a stop sign and failing to maintain his lane, as outlined in court documents.
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During the incident, which occurred around 12:15 a.m., Timberlake was charged with DWI, alongside citations for traffic violations. The arresting officer was so “young” he “didn’t recognize” the star, leading to an exchange captured on bodycam where Timberlake said “This is going to ruin the tour”, to which the officer responded incredulously, “What tour?”
Timberlake claimed he just had ‘one martini’
Despite claiming to have consumed only “one martini”, Friends with Benefits star refused a Breathalyzer test three times but “performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests.”
Eyewitnesses from the bar described Timberlake as visibly intoxicated, even going so far as to consume another patron’s drink while they were away from the table.
Cops even said they can smell a “strong odour of an alcoholic beverage” and “he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady a foot.”
Even in his mugshot, Timberlake showed “bloody” and “bloodshot” eyes.
The singer appeared in court the following morning, looking dishevelled in casual attire, and was released without bail. He has a history of publicly acknowledging struggles with alcohol and has previously spoken about his efforts to manage excessive drinking.
ALSO READ| Justin Timberlake’s DWI mugshot shows ‘glassy’ and ‘bloodshot’ eyes
According to sources, his wife, actress Jessica Biel, 42, who was reportedly in Manhattan filming, expressed shock and deep concern over the incident.
Legal experts suggest Timberlake, with no prior criminal record, is unlikely to face jail time if convicted but may face fines and a suspension of his driver’s license in New York State. His attorney, Eddie Burke Jr., said, “He was a gentleman. He didn’t show any entitlement at all. He did refuse the tests, but that is his right.”
The SexyBack singer’s next scheduled tour dates at Madison Square Garden on June 25 and 26 remain pending amidst the ongoing legal proceedings.
