Netizens Think ‘Hating’ Justin Timberlake Has ‘Brought People Together’ as Users Bash Him After Arrest

Social media users have pounced on the opportunity to poke fun at Justin Timberlake following his arrest for allegedly driving under the influence. The pop star, who has often been under the ire of online fandoms of Britney Spears and Janet Jackson—many of whom feel he's wronged various people over the years—was pulled over by police in Sag Harbor, Long Island, shortly after midnight on June 18 and accused of driving while intoxicated after reportedly failing to stop at a stop sign and straying into other lanes of traffic.

As such, social media users erupted with jokes about the NSYNC star, with many slamming his previous problematic behavior, and one netizen, in particular, found it hilarious that an arrest has brought so many fanbases together. "It's pretty great that "hating Justin Timberlake" brings so many people together. People who love Janet Jackson. People who love Britney Spears. Millennials who resented the bodyshaming of Jessica Simpson. Who else am I missing; what other women did he screw over?" the user slammed. 

Another user mocked, saying, "The internet can be a terrifying place sometimes; unleashing our darkest sides and consistently dividing humanity. But we've all put aside our differences and come together to celebrate Justin Timberlake getting arrested and I love that for us." A user posted a GIF of Janet Jackson eating a snack and smirking, with the caption, "Justin Timberlake has been arrested and I've never been more excited to use this gif." A different user went after the singer when they said, "justin timberlake arrested you see how all the bitch-s who tried jessica simpson get what’s coming to them."

Timberlake has been involved in so many kinds of beef with celebrities over the years, per BuzzFeed. With Spears, Timberlake's former girlfriend, the tension stemmed from their highly publicized breakup in 2002, after which Timberlake released the song Cry Me a River, widely speculated to be about Spears' infidelity—which she recently refuted in her memoir—and contributed to her negative image. 

Timberlake's conflict with Jessica Simpson had been less documented but surfaced in 2021 when Simpson revealed that Timberlake had kissed her in a vulnerable moment just to win a bet. "I knew Justin Timberlake very well. ... After my divorce and he was out of a relationship, he was over at my house and we shared a nostalgic kiss. And I thought, 'Oh, this is interesting.' [But then] he took his phone out and started typing...apparently him and Ryan Gosling had a bet on who would kiss me first when they were 12 years old, and so he texted Ryan to say that he won the bet."

But the most infamous and worst of Timberlake's controversies involved Janet Jackson, per NewsOne. During their 2004 Super Bowl halftime performance, a planned 'costume reveal' went awry when Timberlake tore off a section of Jackson's costume, and her right breast was shown on live TV. The incident led to severe backlash against Jackson, while Timberlake's career emerged relatively unscathed. She was not allowed to perform at the Halftime, and while she was not allowed at the Grammy's, Timberlake was called.