Justin Timberlake Must Appear in Public Safety Announcement, Pay $500 After Plea Deal
Timberlake appeared at the Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on Friday, September 13, to accept the traffic violation, a reduced charge. Per his plea deal, Timberlake is expected to complete 25 to 40 hours of community service with a nonprofit of his choosing and pay a $500 fine. He is also required to issue a public safety announcement.
Timberlake appeared at the Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on Friday, September 13, to accept the traffic violation, a reduced charge. Per his plea deal, Timberlake is expected to complete 25 to 40 hours of community service with a nonprofit of his choosing and pay a $500 fine. He is also required to issue a public safety announcement.
When the judge asked whether Timberlake accepted the terms of his deal, the singer replied, “I would be honored to,” per CNN.
Timberlake appeared remorseful while speaking to reporters after the hearing. “I try to hold myself to a very high standard for myself — and this was not that,” he said, according to ABC News. “I found myself in a position where I could’ve made a different decision. But I’ve had some time to reflect on that.”
He added, “What I’d like to say to everyone watching and listening: Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. There’s so many alternatives. Call a friend, take an Uber.”
Justin Timberlake has reportedly scored a plea deal after he was arrested in the Hamptons in June.
According to TMZ, a judge signed off on the deal to officially drop Timberlake’s DWI charge, instead leaving him with a traffic violation. Timberlake, 43, reportedly owned up to Driving While Ability Impaired, which is not a drunk driving offense. The singer is expected to pay a fine between $300 and $500, the exact amount of which will be confirmed by a judge during a hearing on Friday, September 13.
Last month, Timberlake appeared virtually at an arraignment and pleaded not guilty to a revised misdemeanor charge of drunk driving. His permission to drive in New York was suspended, and Timberlake’s attorney withdrew a previously filed motion to dismiss the case.
Timberlake’s legal win comes three months after Us Weekly confirmed in June that the pop star was arrested by police in Sag Harbor, New York, for driving while intoxicated. He was subsequently taken into custody and was arraigned and released without bail. At the time, Timberlake was charged with one DWI count for allegedly passing a stop sign and failing to stay within his lane on the road. (Timberlake insisted to police that he had “one martini” before getting behind the wheel, per docs obtained by CNN.)
Days after his arrest, Timberlake continued his Forget Tomorrow World Tour — his first in five years — in Chicago. During his June 21 concert, the musician appeared to address his legal troubles on stage.
“It’s been a tough week,” he said while introducing his song “Selfish,” an eyewitness told Us. “I know sometimes I’m hard to love, but you keep on loving me and I love you right back.”
Timberlake’s wife, Jessica Biel, was spotted filming in New York City amid the drama. According to multiple sources, the actress was “extremely upset” about her husband’s scandal.
”She was shocked to hear the news and had no idea as she was working,” an insider exclusively revealed in June. “She was really worried about him.”
One day before his arrest, Timberlake shared rare photos of his and Biel’s children —Silas, 9, and Phineas, 3 — via Instagram in celebration of Father’s Day. “My 2 greatest gifts. I learn more about myself everyday just because you both chose me to be your Daddy,” he captioned the pair of pics. “I will always be there for you through your peaks and valleys… to lift you up and show you how high you can take this life and to pick you up when you fall. And, of course, to flood you with insufferable Dad-jokes all along the way. I love you both so much. Thank you for giving me my biggest purpose.”
Biel shared more sweet photos of Timberlake and their young ones in an Instagram tribute of her own, writing, “You’re so many things to so many people. But to us you are THE ROCK. The rock we climb on, we lean against. The rock that shades us from the sun. And when we recline on you, as we always do, hopefully our butts will keep you eternally grounded and warm. We LOVE YOU.”
Timberlake and Biel began dating in 2007 and went on to tie the knot in 2012. The couple has primarily kept their kids out of the public eye since welcoming Silas and Phineas in 2015 and 2020, respectively.
Biel gave fans another rare glimpse at her kids via Instagram earlier this year, sharing snaps of the two adorably sporting Timberlake’s tour merch. “It’s a family affair y’all,” she hilariously captioned the pics, which did not feature her kids’ faces
