Justin Timberlake breaks silence after arrest and DWI charge

J.Just days after pop star Justin Timberlake was arrested in the Hamptons, where he was charged with drunk driving, he took the stage to perform in Chicago, his first public appearance since his arrest. Breaking his silence, Timberlake, 43, addressed the nearly 20,000-strong crowd.

“It’s been a tough week,” he admitted. His fans immediately responded with loud cheers. “But you’re here, and I’m here, and nothing can change this moment right now.”

Timberlake ended his short speech with, “I know sometimes I’m hard to love, but you continue to love me and I love you back.” He then performed his song “Selfish,” asking the crowd to “sing along” with him.

The Memphis-born musician is scheduled to perform another show at the United Center Saturday night in Chicago, before arriving in New York to perform at Madison Square Garden next weekend.

The 10-time Grammy winner was charged early Tuesday morning with drunk driving in a village in the Hamptons, New York, after police said he ran a stop sign and left his way. Around 12:30 a.m., a police officer stopped him and concluded he was intoxicated, according to the Associated Press.

“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, ​​a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanated from his breath, he was unable to divide his attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady and he performed poorly on all sobriety tests standardized in the field,” the report said. According to court documents, according to the AP.

He was charged with a DWI offense and his next court date is scheduled for July 26, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.

On Wednesday, the office of Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke Jr., reportedly said Page six: “Mr. Burke looks forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake against these allegations. He will have a lot to say when the time comes. He is currently awaiting full discovery from the prosecutor’s office.

In March, Timberlake, married to actress Jessica Biel since 2012, released his first new album in six years, the nostalgic Everything I thought it was. The father of two began touring the album on April 29, 2024 in Vancouver, Canada, calling it “The Forget Tomorrow World Tour.” The tour includes more than 85 shows in at least 55 cities, according to Live Nation. The tour is now scheduled to conclude on December 20, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Timberlake’s July court date coincides with a concert in Krakow, Poland, during the international leg of the tour.

The singer also made headlines last year after his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears released her memoir, The woman in me. The two stars dated for three years, from 1999 to 2002, at the height of their fame. Spears’ memoir brought their notoriously messy and toxic breakup back into the spotlight, as she claimed that Timberlake broke up with her over text messages and that they were both unfaithful during the relationship.