The media is set up at a New York courthouse on Friday as Justin Timberlake is expected to plead guilty to a lesser charge stemming from his June drunk driving arrest.
Multiple tweets from reporters capture news cameras outside of the Sag Harbor Village Justice Court in anticipation of Timberlake’s 11 a.m. hearing.
The Can’t Stop The Feeling singer was arrested in the Hamptons on June 18 after police said he ran a stop sign and swerved out of his lane following a night out at a hotel.
Timberlake, 43, pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. His attorney, Edward Burke Jr. maintains the *NSYNC leader was not intoxicated at the time of his arrest.
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“The most important fact to know about this case is that Justin was not intoxicated and should not have been arrested for DWI,” Burke told Newsweek in a statement following a July hearing.
Several outlets report Timberlake has agreed to plead guilty to a reduced charge of “driving while ability impaired,” a traffic violation that results in a $300 to $500 fine and a 90-day license suspension. At a hearing in July, Sag Harbor Village Justice Carl Irace suspended Timberlake’s driving privileges in New York.
Friday will mark the first time that the SexyBack singer has physically appeared in court as he is in the midst of his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which currently has a break in the schedule.
Timberlake performed his last show in the European leg of the tour on September 7. His next scheduled performance is at Audacy’s We Can Survive benefit concert in Newark on September 28 and the tour resumes in Montreal on October 4.
Timberlake’s tour was reportedly at the top of mind during his drunk driving arrest. His arresting officer did not know who Timberlake was at the time of the incident, Page Six reported. The singer allegedly said under his breath, “This is going to ruin the tour.” The cop asked, “What tour?” and Timberlake replied, “The world tour.”
Police documents claim Timberlake refused to take a breathalyzer test following his arrest, allegedly telling officers, “I had one martini and followed my friends home.” The documents noted Timberlake’s “bloodshot and glassy” eyes, the “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath,” and his poor performance on all standardized field sobriety tests.
Days after his arrest, Timberlake returned to his tour in Chicago and addressed his viral arrest.
“We’ve been together through ups and downs and lefts and rights. And, uh, it’s been a tough week. But you’re here and I’m here. Nothing can change this moment right now,” Timberlake said “I know sometimes I’m hard to love, but you keep on loving me and I love you right back.”
This isn’t the first time JT and alcohol have resulted in problems for the pop star. In 2019, paparazzi spotted Timberlake holding hands with his Palmer co-star Alisha Wainwright on a New Orleans balcony.
He later issued a public apology to his wife and mother of their two sons, Jessica Biel, 42, in an Instagram post, admitting he had “drunk way too much that night” but insisting that “nothing happened between me and my costar.”
Biel seemingly stood by Timberlake’s side after the drunk driving arrest, honoring him in a Father’s Day Instagram post two days later.
“You’re so many things to so many people. But to us you are THE ROCK. The rock we climb on, we lean against,” Biel wrote in the caption. “The rock that shades us from the sun. And when we recline on you, as we always do, hopefully our butts will keep you eternally grounded and warm. We LOVE YOU ❤️.”
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