Justin Timberlake Apparently Drank to Cope With Britney Spears Scandal: 'Eyes Were Bloodshot'

Justin Timberlake was arrested on DWI charges on Tuesday, June 18, at 12:37 am. As per CNN, the Cry Me a River hitmaker was spotted operating his vehicle while 'intoxicated' in Sag Harbor, New York. According to a police statement, Timberlake was driving a 2025 BMW X7 when he reportedly didn't halt at a stop sign and failed to stay in his lane.

An insider exclusively revealed to The Daily Mail that the arrest should be a 'wake-up call' for the Sexy Back singer, who turned to booze to cope with the shocking accusations made by Britney Spears in her memoir, The Woman in Me. In her work, Spears alleged that Timberlake encouraged her to get an abortion in the early 2000s when she was just 19. "Justin has been stressed over the Britney drama that happened at the end of last year and some of us noticed that he was drinking more," the insider said.

"He isn't an alcoholic by any stretch, but he was advised to reel the drinking in so he could have a clear head when dealing with any public controversy because he had been accused of handling the Britney and Janet Jackson backlash poorly." The insider also added that Timberlake had been having trouble with the unimpressive sales of his most recent album, Everything I Thought It Was, which debuted in March. Before his arrest, Timberlake had allegedly admitted to 'getting plastered' and 'taking his fair share of narcotics' in private. The Mirrors singer was freed without posting bail, and his next court date is July 26.

In the meantime, his driving privileges in the state of New York stand suspended owing to his refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test. "The guys who were there last night didn't want him to drive because they had been drinking, but they were ignored," the insider revealed. "He is being cooperative now and is working with his lawyer Edward [Burke, Jr.] to help him work his way through it. His friends have wanted him to drop the booze for some time, so this is somewhat of a wake-up call... The pressure of having to compete with artists like Harry Styles and Drake is getting to him, and his numbers [album sales] being lower is bothering him. We've all felt this for a while, and it has affected his writing process on his last few records."

As per court records, Timberlake’s eyes were 'bloodshot and glassy,' and there was a 'strong odor of an alcoholic beverage' emanating from his breath. A Sag Harbor Village Police Department officer stated that the Selfish singer was 'unable to divide attention,' adding 'he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot, and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests.' Another source added, "It's hard to say why anyone drinks but if it has to do with where he is at in his life right now, it makes sense to say he needs an escape...This will likely be his last successful tour and he is aware of this. He has a wife and two young kids at home. He has not been super happy about his album sales but no one at the label really has. Everyone was expecting so much better."

A third source alleged that Timberlake goes out of control after drinking. "It is no secret that Justin drinks, and the dancers know this better than anyone," they said. "He has turned up to rehearse smelling like alcohol on several occasions." They concluded, "When he drinks, he gets super flirty, and Jessica does have to babysit him. She has gone out with the crew several times." 

This article was originally published on 06.19.24.