Timberlake, 43, is an actor, singer, songwriter, and former member of the popular boy band NSYNC.
He’s often called the ‘Prince of Pop’ and is known for hits such as ‘Cry Me a River,’ ‘Rock Your Body,’ and ‘Mirrors.’
Last month, the ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling!’ singer embarked on his sixth tour, the highly-anticipated Forget Tomorrow World Tour.
It’s now been overshadowed in the wake of his arrest.
The arrest may ignite another round of unflattering publicity for the ‘Like I Love You’ singer – he continues to face criticism due to his portrayal in pop star Britney Spears‘ 2023 memoir.
The ‘Toxic’ singer claims she had an abortion during her relationship with Timberlake – they dated from 1999 to 2002.
“Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy,” Spears wrote (per People). “He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young.”
She added it was ‘one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life.’
Spears shared support for Timberlake’s song ‘Selfish’ following the release of her memoir – the pop star took to Instagram and said (via NBC News): “I am in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song ‘Selfish.’”
The pop star also wrote: “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.”
Despite this, Timberlake would address a crowd at a concert in New York and say (via Billboard): “I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely f***ing nobody.”
This remark prompted Spears to retract her comment, with the singer seemingly responding to Timberlake’s words: “Someone told me someone was talking s*** about me on the streets!!! … I’m not sorry!!!”
Timberlake, who is married to actress Jessica Biel, is reportedly facing ‘lackluster’ ticket sales for his concert too.
Music journalist Touré, of TheGrio, told Paula Froelich of NewsNation: “A six-year break from your mid-thirties to your early forties is a really long time [for an artist].
Most of [Timberlake’s] fans have aged out of caring about him. It’s like the old saying goes, ‘You don’t retire – the audience retires you.’”
But this is likely to be the least of Timberlake’s problems following news of his arrest.
Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, an affluent village in the Hamptons and a hot spot for celebrities.
The ‘My Love’ artist was reportedly arrested for ‘driving while intoxicated.’
MailOnline reports that before Timberlake’s arrest, the pop star had been out for dinner with friends and was pulled over shortly after leaving the group.
According to the outlet’s source, officers are ‘stationed outside the restaurant’ regularly and are looking for people ‘who might have been drinking.’
The source tells the outlet: “Nobody was hurt and there was no drama at the scene.”
A representative for the Sag Harbor Police Department tells People that as of the morning of June 18, Timberlake remains in police custody.
The pop singer is expected to be formally charged, a court official tells the BBC.
Police are expected to release a statement later today.
