Justin Timberlake pleads guilty to driving while impaired: ‘It was a clear misjudgment’

Here are some photos of Justin Timberlake in Sag Harbor on Friday. He had a court appearance, and at the last minute, Justin accepted a plea deal. Back in June, Justin was arrested and jailed overnight for driving while intoxicated. The arresting officer had ample evidence that Timberlake was sh-tfaced, and Justin is very lucky that he didn’t hurt or kill someone while he was driving under the influence. Instead of immediately accepting responsibility, Justin and his local lawyer spent months making asses out of themselves and trying to convince everyone that Justin wasn’t drunk, etc. That all came crashing down on Friday. Apparently, Justin put the best acting performance of his life in court:

The singer Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty on Friday to driving while impaired, resolving a case that began with his June arrest on drunken-driving charges in the Hamptons. As part of his plea, Mr. Timberlake agreed to pay a $500 fine and serve 25 hours of community service for a charity of his choosing. He also agreed to a 90-day suspension of his driver’s license in New York.

The singer, who was originally charged with the more serious crime of driving while intoxicated, entered the plea during an appearance at a 30-seat courthouse in the village of Sag Harbor. He wore a black cardigan and khaki slacks, with a double strand of pearls peeking out from beneath a dark T-shirt.

During the hearing, Mr. Timberlake looked on with his hands folded in front of him. His original plea agreement stipulated that he would make a public safety announcement discouraging drinking and driving. Justice Carl Irace, the village court judge overseeing the case, said on Friday that it would be more meaningful for the singer to commit himself to “a period of reflection and contemplation” through community service.

Mr. Timberlake agreed, and acknowledged that he had erred in driving rather than calling a taxi or getting a ride from a friend.

“It was a clear misjudgment,” he said. Justice Irace, satisfied with Mr. Timberlake’s contrition, commended him for his sincerity. The judge also asked about drug and alcohol counseling for the singer, calling its absence from the plea deal “concerning,” but did not impose it.

Speaking in front of a throng of reporters and cameras outside Sag Harbor Police Headquarters after the hearing, Mr. Timberlake urged people following the case to learn from his mistake.

“Many of you have probably been covering me for a lot of my life, and as you may know, I try to hold myself to a very high standard, for myself, and this was not that,” he said.

[From The NY Times]

“The judge also asked about drug and alcohol counseling for the singer, calling its absence from the plea deal ‘concerning,’ but did not impose it.” When Justin was arrested, I wondered if his giant ego would allow him to show some kind of humility or contrition, and whether he would do some kind of rehab program, something to show the court that he was taking this seriously. Instead, he pushed stories about how he wasn’t drunk and that the cop was evil for arresting drunk drivers. Justin was so awful, he had ACAB Nation saying “actually, it’s good when cops arrest drunk drivers.” Anyway, I also wish the court had imposed some kind of counseling or something, but whatever. At least he pleaded out and he better do that community service.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.

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51 Responses to “Justin Timberlake pleads guilty to driving while impaired: ‘It was a clear misjudgment’”

  1. Boxy Lady says:

    The double strand of pearls part is an interesting detail.

    • Giddy says:

      Yes! What was that? Is this a new trend or was he trying to appear prim and proper?😂

    • Bad Janet says:

      i am also trying to figure this out.

      I can think of three possibilities: 1) pearls have been de-gendered, at least in some cultures or subgroups, and I’m just not aware of it yet – but we know Justin is happy to jump on trends that he thinks make him look cool); 2) he is trying to set a trend; 3)
      he is a Kamala supporter.

      • Ariel says:

        Possibility 4
        He holds the proceedings in utter disdain and beneath his “greatness”. He is making a mockery of taking responsibility for his wrongdoing. He has to show public contrition for his public image. But it’s a performance. The proper, upright, moral pearls are his inside joke with his friends.

        Because as it turns out/ this didn’t “ruin” the tour, the world tour.

      • Bree says:

        I had to do a deep dive as someone i was hiring (a man) showed up with a pearl necklace on, and i had no idea what was going on. My teenage niece says it’s all the rage – for men and women to use pearls as all sorts of decor, but even more hip to be a more edgy guy and throw on pearls. So read this as JT trying to look “edgy”.

      • Mama says:

        Yes, it is to support Kamala. A “quiet” endorsement her supporters will know. Jessica probably made him do it.

      • guilty pleasures says:

        Bad Janet, your suppositions are on point. My name is Guilty Pleasures because I do watch far too much reality TV and the young buff males started wearing pearls last year. It seemed odd at first, but now its just a cool thing the youngs are doing 🙂
        IMO Justin maybe trending a moment or two too old to be jumping into the trend, but no hate from me about that as a 60+ who still does my own thing- age be damned.
        I am more angered about his low key ‘I made a mistake, I misjudged, I wasn’t drunk.’ Suck it up, take it on the chin. ‘I committed a crime’ is the message dude.

    • Kelly says:

      It’s from the “How do you solve a problem like Maria” Sound of Music apology tour.

    • Stacey says:

      It has been a trend for young men to wear pearls for a few years. My son wore out his first pearl necklace and is on his second. When I had my cell phone serviced, the clerk wore pearl earrings.

      • notsoanonymous says:

        Yes; pearls on men has been a trend for a while now and in a lot of ways they have been degendered as another comment stated. He wore them in promos and on stage during the tour (the WORLD TOUR that was RUINED!)

  2. Jes says:

    His outfit undermines his message to me. Particularly the pants. Its like his fashion forward version of his sorry statement but it still looks like — i don’t know, an unserious fashion moment for him instead of a grown-up, serious apology (wearing elder millennial grown up pants.)

    • Bad Janet says:

      Yup. Court is a business-formal event. You go in a suit, and if you can’t afford one, the most business-oriented clothing you can. This is barely one level up from jeans and a t shirt. It’s a choice.

      • Smart&Messy says:

        I agree he looks unserious and douchey in that outfit. He would still be all those things in a suit and tie, but at least he would appear respectful to the court system.

      • BeanieBean says:

        I recently had to do a deposition over zoom, and even for that I was advised by my lawyer to wear business attire. @Smart&Messy said it perfectly, ‘he looks unserious and douchey’.

    • Lookatme says:

      I am surprised that his lawyer didn’t insist on more formal court appropriate attire. This is an odd choice.

      • Elizabeth says:

        @ Lookatme : Sometimes there is only so much a lawyer can do. I would tell my clients to do XYZ (including telling them to dress properly for court) and they would say “Oh, I don’t need to do that”. A-holes.

    • GorgeousGecko says:

      Yeah, these pants read old Italian grandpa to me. All respect to Italian grandfathers. Very little to Timberlake.

  3. North of Boston says:

    “It was a clear misjudgment”

    Ya think?

    As was every other choice he made in the aftermath of being stopped, from being all ‘don’t you know who I am?’ to having his team attack the cop doing his job to trying to throw other people under the bus.

    Do better, Timberlake.

    • Alicky says:

      What’s missing are the words “…on my part.” He talks as if the “misjudgment” had nothing to do with him. Typical. I wish he’s gotten a stiffer sentence — why should he get to decide where he does community service? He’s being coddled, IMO.

  4. Digital Unicorn says:

    Well well, someone had a big boy talk with him as its clear he was made to take this deal even after trying to throw everyone else under the bus – the judge should have made an example of his ass but here we are.

    I wonder if he will use ‘the tour’ as an excuse to beg out of doing community service as his ego ain’t gonna want to do that.

  5. ML says:

    Thank you to police officer Michael Arkinson—it’s wonderful when police officers remove impaired drivers and JT went after this guy for doing his job. I hope that his police department honors him, and I still hope that the body cam footage becomes public. I’m not sure if JT received the right punishment, because this reads as really watered down. I do notice that his wife seems to be missing from this tableau.

    • kirk says:

      Cash donations to Sag Harbor Police Dept are an allowable charitable contribution deduction under IRC Sec 170. As are cash donations to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Thank you cards to Sag Habor Police Dept could specifically cite the actions of Michael Arkinson. Especially for giving a ticket to the dude called ‘Spencer’ in a NY Post story that was probably part of JT’s PR moves.

  6. Roo says:

    I wonder who had the big boy or come to Jesus talk with him? His tour investors? Record label? Because it was someone who represents the money, I am certain. He wouldn’t listen to anyone else.

    • Jay says:

      Bingo! Most likely his label and his management – this was hurting his brand, which means hurting his earnings and in turn their own earnings. It’s actually stunning that he and his legal/ PR team were allowed to bungle this so spectacularly and drag it out rather than immediately settling and making this exact prepared statement right away.

      It’s what other celebrities have done before going away for awhile to “focus on themselves and their family” and then ta-da! A brand new album and interviews where he talks about how humble he is.

  7. Mustang Sally says:

    Perhaps the judge read up on Justin and some of his other drunk shenanigans (recall his canoodling with his co-star in New Orleans years back, where he blamed it on a few drinks & bad judgment). Clearly Justin + alcohol = bad judgment. The statement of, “The judge also asked about drug and alcohol counseling for the singer, calling its absence from the plea deal “concerning,”” is possibly a wake-up call/hint to Mr. Timberlake.

  8. pme says:

    I think Laineygossip made a good point. After all the news of the 2 brothers , one a hockey player, being killed by a drunk driver in New Jersey, Justin saw the headlines. Drunk driving can lead to a fatal outcome, and he was fortunate for him, that it did not. Read the room, as they say.

    • Eurydice says:

      Both brothers were hockey players – Johnny with the NHL and Matthew in the minor league ECHL. And they both played for Boston College – it’s still a big story here.

      • LittlePenguin says:

        It’s still a big story here, in Alberta too. (Johnny played for Calgary).

        I don’t know if I buy Lainey’s theory; I think a bunch of people had a talk with Justin and it involved money and that had him play dress up and plead guilty

  9. sevenblue says:

    I guess going after the police officer with a PR team didn’t work. What an as*hole. He should be grateful that the police officer stopped him before he ruined some innocent person’s life.

  10. Eve Pave says:

    Why do people ignore that fact we have Ubers and Lyfts?
    He could have hired a limo this way you can drink without worrying about someone else taking you home.
    I live in Philly and watching the news all week about the two brothers is heartbreaking. And on their sister’s wedding day.
    I watched the suspect in court. He was impatient about traffic being slow.

  11. slippers4life says:

    I totally empathize with the general public pushing things like court ordered counseling, but in my experience as a therapist, and the research supports this, that unless someone is ready for therapy and, while may have worries and feel resistant to it, they deep down really want help, court ordered therapy can not only be ineffective, but can actually make things worse. I mean we work very hard to build connections and help people, but if someone genuinely sees no need for change, 10 sessions with me isn’t going to help. As the old adage goes, how many therapists does it take to change a lightbulb? The lightbulb has to want to change.

    Im not wholeheartedly opposed to court ordered therapy because I have seen people benefit, but those are the folks who, in spite of external protest and bravado, for peers, actually do want help. To make a change. I’m not convinced Justin Timberlake wants change. His life isn’t falling apart enough for him to accept any kind of accountability.

    Accountability is absolutely crucial in getting help and motivation towards meaningful change . If his community service is something ridiculous like making a bs PSA, this will not help him. It will only perpetuate the problem. If they are really looking at restoration he needs to do real community service where he really has his eyes opened …AND is at a place where they test him for drug and alcohol use. Maybe then this will force him to look in the mirror and actually see a need to make a change and access support.

    But right now he doesn’t even see that he could have killed someone. He chose to go after the cop and he continues to say emotionally abusive things about Britney. Justin needs accountability before anything else

    • Paleokifaru says:

      I tend to agree. If we face things – we’re ready to and we’re either healthy enough to do so or desperate enough to get better. I’m in AA. It saved my life in a way that nothing court ordered did. I had lost all hope in my life and the combination of AA and my parents getting me away from my abusive husband, allowed me to see hope again. But before that I was in many different therapies and despite their very good efforts, I was not ready to talk about my marriage. I was blaming everything and everyone else. If I admitted the abuse then I would have to 1) face it and change my life 2) I had to take care of my alcoholism. Somehow those things seemed scarier than living in the hellscape of external and internal abuse.

      I don’t see JT as hopeless and desperate enough for change. And I have yet to see that from folks who come into the AA rooms on court orders. They insist they’re not alcoholics and they look for all the differences to justify to themselves they’re not “one of us.”

    • BeanieBean says:

      Unfortunately, I know someone who’s been on the court-ordered side of things. They were just going to stay out of jail, they got their certificate, but the thinking was, oh, the stupid DA, oh the stupid lawyer, oh the stupid judge. It’s everyone else’s fault & I shouldn’t even have to do this. So, yeah. That tracks with a professional’s side of things. That must be frustrating.

    • bisynaptic says:

      🎯

  12. Libra says:

    I’m surprised that he pled guilty to DUI, plea bargained down from DWI. Doesn’t DUI also include being “driving while impaired” due to drugs as well as alcohol? DWI is “driving while intoxicated “with an elevated blood alcohol level only. Every state has different guidelines, it seems.

    • ArtFossil says:

      DUI is driving under the influence. DWI is driving while impaired, a lesser offense. Timberlake pleaded guilty to DWI ( blood alcohol .05) instead of the DUI (blood alcohol .08) he was originally charged with.

  13. Chrawi says:

    If you watch the video of his speech, on Laineys site…he sure does snap his tongue a lot…Seems like he’s trolling and not taking it seriously

  14. Jaded says:

    I hate the word “misjudgment” in this instance. *Misjudging* something is when you inadvertently mess up, like flubbing parallel parking your car or not gauging how heavy your bags of groceries are when you have to lug them home on foot. This effing weasel DELIBERATELY got behind the wheel of his car when he was stinko, drove on the wrong side of the street and was weaving back and forth when he was caught. Oh, and he refused a breathalyzer. Take your poncy string of pearls and stuff them Timberlake.

  15. Call_Me_AL says:

    “Many of you have probably been covering me for most of my life…”
    Lame, narcissistic, disrespectful.
    This was not about your story of your press coverage, JT. This was supposed to be taking responsibility for a crime that could have hurt someone, that did hurt people.
    Smh

  16. Peanut Butter says:

    He’s always been so punchable. What an insufferable douche.

  17. Whalesnark says:

    He took this so seriously that he couldn’t bring himself to put on a suit; way to show respect for the court and the process. More stupid, empty words that are belied by thoughtless actions.

    I’m taking bets that he insisted that there be no jail time because his fragile ego couldn’t bear the inevitable D*ck in a Box memes.

    He is a vacuous poseur, always has been.

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