Justin Timberlake cracked a joke about being labeled “white” while in custody following his 2024 DUI arrest in Long Island, New York.
Award-winning pop star Justin Timberlake has recently made headlines following the release of police bodycam footage from his June 2024 DUI arrest in the Hamptons. In the newly surfaced footage, Timberlake is seen reviewing paperwork related to the arrest and makes a joke about his race while in custody.
“White?” Timberlake asked in a clip shared online as he looked at the document. “I’m just kidding. I’m just kidding, man.”
Additional footage shows Timberlake expressing surprise after learning he would have to spend the night at New York’s Suffolk County Police Department following his arrest.
“All night?” Timberlake asked. “Yo, you guys are wild, man.”
Full footage shows officers pulling over Timberlake for swerving, with the singer appearing to struggle to speak clearly as he tells them he’s in town for his world tour.
“I’m Justin Timberlake,” he told the officer when attempting to explain what he was on a world tour for.
“I’m not taking the chemical test,” a handcuffed Timberlake told an officer, adding, “Guys, I don’t mean no harm…”
At another point, he said, “You’re treating me like a criminal,” as officers explained the traffic violations that led to the stop. Timberlake was initially pulled over for allegedly running a stop sign and veering into the roadway. He later struggled to complete field sobriety tests, telling officers, “These are really hard tests.”
The footage also shows a friend of Timberlake attempting to invoke his celebrity status upon learning he was being taken into custody.
“You’re arresting Justin Timberlake?” the friend asked.
“Can you guys please do me a favor because you loved ‘Bye, Bye, Bye’ or ‘Sexy Back’?” she later added.
Timberlake unsuccessfully tried to block the release of the bodycam footage. The “Cry Me a River” singer later reached a plea deal with prosecutors in September 2024, agreeing to a lesser charge and to pay a $500 fine and complete 25 hours of community service.
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