Justin Timberlake breaks silence on drink-driving arrest at Chicago concert
22 June 2024, 09:58 | Updated: 22 June 2024, 10:04
Justin Timberlake has broken his silence after he was arrested and charged with drink-driving earlier this week in the Hamptons.
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The singer, 43, addressed the difficult week he’s had at the United Center Stadium in Chicago on Friday as he resumed his Forget Tomorrow World Tour.
Timberlake was arrested after having dinner with friends on Long Island, New York, according to reports.
Timberlake said to the crowd: “It's been a tough week. I know I'm hard to love sometimes but you keep loving me right back.”
He expressed further gratitude to the fans at his show, saying how they have all faced, “ups-and-downs and lefts-and-rights”.
The father of two was reportedly “freaking out” while in custody amid claims he is struggling to come to terms with the end of his “golden boy image”.
A source told People: “He was freaking out and stayed up all night when he was in custody. He's insisting he only had one drink and it wasn't some wild night out.”
Friday's concert in Chicago was the singer’s first show since his Long Island arrest and he is set to return to New York for shows at Madison Square Garden on June 25 and June 26.
Timberlake’s tour, which is due to end in December, will also include shows in Boston and Cleveland before the international dates commence in July.
This comes after Timberlake's lawyer said he is "looking forward to vigorously defending" the singer.
Lawyer Edward Burke Jr said: "I look forward to vigorously defending Mr Timberlake on these allegations.
"I will have a lot to say at the appropriate time but am currently awaiting full discovery from the District Attorney's office."
His next court date is scheduled for 26 July, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said.
The pop star was driving a BMW when he was pulled over in Sag Harbor at 12.37am local time.
He had failed to maintain his lane of travel and pause at a stop sign, the local police department said.
An officer who stopped him described his eyes as being "bloodshot and glassy" and said a "strong odour of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath", according to a court document.
“He was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardised field sobriety tests," the court papers added.
The 10-time Grammy winner reportedly refused to take a breath test after telling officers he had one martini and was following some friends home.
Sources have said the singer has been disappointed with the lacklustre album sales of his sixth record, Everything I Thought It Was, released in March.
“The album didn't do too well, and I don't see Justin getting big acting roles right now,” a source said to Page Six.
His latest single, Everything I Thought It Was, was his first solo release not to reach the top of the charts since 2002.
Additionally, the sales for his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour have been described as “lacklustre”.
