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Justin Timberlake is one of the most well-known celebrities and popstars of the 21st Century. From starring on the TV show The Mickey Mouse Club to becoming one of the founding members of the widely successful boy band NSYNC, Justin's career trajectory is very impressive.
That said, Justin has faced several allegations and controversies over the years. Most notably, Timberlake and his reputation were put under the spotlight after his ex, Britney Spears, released her 2023 memoir The Woman in Me. In the memoir, Britney recalls the relationship as being "restrictive," detailing alleged toxic instances from their time together.
Spears and Justin broke up three years after their relationship, seemingly on bad terms, with Britney reporting multiple instances of Justin's alleged infidelity.
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A list of Justin Timberlake's most viral controversies
Seeing as how the singer's career appears to be filled with dramatic press moments, we've put together a list that recounts some of Justin Timberlake's biggest controversies and various allegations he's faced over the years, including his June 2024 DUI arrest.
1) Britney Spears' 2023 Memoir
On October 24, 2023, American singer and songwriter Britney Spears released her official memoir titled The Woman in Me, which went on to become a New York Times Best Seller selling over two million copies since it was distributed.
A significant portion of the book details the mental trauma faced during her rise to stardom, Britney also brings up her relationship with Justin Timberlake citing their break up allegedly led to her getting hooked on Adderall.
Britney also recounts how Justin had supposedly coerced her into getting an abortion after they seemingly got pregnant during their relationship (1999 - 2002), where she stated:
"Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young...If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it."
2) The Cry Me A River Music Video
Justin Timberlake released the single Cry Me A River, almost a year after he and Britney Spears had broken up. The music video for the song features a Britney look-alike, engaging in a cheating scandal, seemingly portraying Justin's perspective of their relationship together.
21 years later, Britney alleges how the music video put her in a bad light when Justin was allegedly the one who had been unfaithful several times during their relationship.
3) Justin leaves NSYNC to go solo
Although this hasn't been officially confirmed, major news publications and insider reports claim that Justin's wish to break away from the boy band and pursue a solo career was one the major reasons why NSYNC disbanded in 2002.
In a 2017 exclusive with The Hollywood Reporter magazine, Justin cited how his decision to leave the group was because he was "growing out of it".
"I felt like I cared more about the music than some of the other people in the group. And I felt like I had other music I wanted to make and that I needed to follow my heart." - Justin Timberlake stated during his exclusive interview.
The band has since reunited and was also featured on Justin Timberlake's newest album Everything I Thought It Was, on the song Paradise. The entire NSYNC group performed at Justin's Los Angeles show in March, marking their first live performance since 2013, with the group performing hit records from their discography like Bye Bye Bye and It’s Gonna Be Me.
4) The Jesse Williams Controversy
During his acceptance speech for a Humanitarian Award at the 2016 BET Award Show, Jesse Williams expressed his views on the media's appropriation of "African American" culture when he stated:
"[Speaking on the entertainment industry] Ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit."
Along with the massive online support Jesse was receiving, Justin also shouted out Jesse Williams and his speech with a tweet, which was not well received by social media.
Many online, took a stance against Timberlake for supposedly appropriating "Black Culture" in his music, eventually leading to the singer deleting his tweet before posting another statement that read:
"We are all one…one human race."
5) The Jessica Biel and Olivia Munn cheating rumors
While in a relationship with his now-wife, Jessica Biel, several rumors of Justin cheating on her with Olivia Munn began to surface after Us Weekly received information from insider sources allegedly claiming that Timberlake had engaged in a "Three-day Fling" with Munn.
Justin Timberlake's representatives dismissed these allegations as pure rumors, with neither Jessica nor her reps, issuing an official statement regarding the scandal.
6) The Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime show "NippleGate" event
One of the most viral controversial moments of Justin Timberlake's career was back in 2004, during the XXXVIII Super Bowl Halftime show, where the singer performed alongside Janet Jackson.
As the duo was closing out their performance with the song Rock Your Body. CBS was later heavily fined by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) for Janet's wardrobe malfunction and even banned her from ever returning to perform at the Super Bowl.
Following this event, Janet's career would find itself in a serious press pitfall, with the singer being questioned on if her wardrobe malfunction was "intentional". Jackson's appearance at the Grammy's that year was also canned after the press-dubbed "NippleGate" Super Bowl event.
Justin however received little to no backlash for his involvement in the mishap, being allowed to perform at events, andaward shows, and even taking home two Grammy awards at the 46th Annual Grammy Award Show.
7) Justin Timberlake and Alisha Wainwright Controversy
During the filming of his 2021 film Palmer, Justin was spotted at a bar in December 2019, alongside his co-star Alisha Wainwright. The rumors allude to an intimate relationship between the two co-stars but sources close to the stars recounted how "nothing inappropriate" had happened.
Justin Timberlake would later issue an official statement regarding this incident stating a "strong lapse in judgment," when he stated:
"Let me be clear, nothing happened between me and my co-star, I drank way too much that night and I regret my behavior. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son [Silas]"
8) 2024 DWI Arrest
On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, Timberlake was arrested in the Hamptons for Driving While Intoxicated. Justin was taken into custody on DWI charges at the Sag Harbor Police Department after the singer reportedly failed field sobriety tests.
Justin was arraigned and released less than 10 hours after his arrest, without posting bail. He pleaded "not guilty" to the DWI charge, for running a stop sign and failing to stay in his lane, and currently has his court date set for July 26. Neither Timberlake nor Jessica Biel have issued an official statement since his arrest and release.
More recently, Justin Timberlake released his fifth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was, back in March, for which the singer is currently on the road as part of his "The Forget Tomorrow World Tour".
