Justin Timberlake is celebrating his birthday today (January 31) and, here at ED!, we’re looking back on some of his most shocking scandals.
The *NSYNC star has been on our screens and playing on our radios since the 1990s, so it isn’t surprising that he has made some major headlines…
Justin Timberlake celebrates birthday
It seems Justin hasn’t shared much about his birthday, as one look at his social media gives the impression that he hasn’t got any celebrating in store.
It may be that the hitmaker is opting for a more lowkey day after having to cancel several big shows late last year, whilst on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour.
In October he told his fans: “Hey guys. I haven’t been feeling great the last few shows and turns out I have bronchitis and laryngitis. I’m so sorry to say I do need to reschedule the next few shows. Thank you for understanding. I’ll make it up to you.”
However, a show switch-up is extremely tame compared to other times the Cry Me A River singer has raised eyebrows…
Britney Spears’ tell-all memoir
Justin’s famous ex, pop princess Britney Spears, released a tell-all memoir called The Woman In Me last year. This is where Britney lifted the lid on her rocky relationship with the beloved boyband member and set the record straight on allegations of infidelity against her.
The pair dated from 1999 to 2002 and battled cheating rumours throughout. Justin later released the song, Cry Me A River, with lyrics like “you don’t have to say, what you did I already know, I found out from him”, which only fuelled the fire.
Justin continued the drama by casting an actress with resemblance to Britney Spears in the music video for the hit. A move which Britney said made her feel like “a harlot who’d broken the heart of America’s golden boy”.
Britney also admitted that she did cheat on Justin “one time” when she kissed a backing dancer but said he had already been unfaithful “a couple of times” during their relationship.
The Piece Of Me singer also discussed the difficult decision to have an abortion when she fell pregnant with Justin’s baby. She alleged: “It was a surprise. But for me, it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day.
“This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated, but Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young.”
The star went on to claim: “If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.”
Justin Timberlake scandals – Janet Jackson’s Superbowl ‘nipplegate’
In a performance during the huge Superbowl halftime show in 2004, Justin Timberlake accidentally gave viewers a little bit more than they bargained for by yanking a piece of fabric from Janet Jackson’s outfit during their performance, which exposed her nipple.
This incident prompted criticism from the FCC head Michael Powel, who condemned it as a “celebration tainted by a classless, crass, and deplorable stunt”.
Meanwhile, broadcasters CBS, were fined a record $550,000 – more than £400k!
The Federal Communications Commission’s subsequent investigation led to Congress passing legislation that aimed to increase fines for “indecency” on TV.
Unfortunately, the backlash caused Janet Jackson’s career to stall, although Justin managed to dodge similar consequences. He even headlined the show in 2018.
Reflecting on the scandal in 2018, he told Beats 1: “I stumbled through it, to be quite honest.
“I had my wires crossed and it’s just something that you have to look back on and go like, okay, well you know, you can’t change what’s happened, but you can move forward and learn from it.”
Justin Timberlake scandals – infidelity allegations
The Mirrors singer has also faced cheating allegations whilst with his wife, Jessica Biel. In 2019, Justin apologised to Jessica, whom he wed in 2012, after he was photographed holding hands with his Palmer co-star Alisha Wainwright.
He wrote to social media at the time that he had “displayed a strong lapse in judgement” and blamed having too much to drink.
He said: “I stay away from gossip as much as I can, but for my family I feel it is important to address recent rumors that are hurting the people I love. A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse in judgment – but let me be clear – nothing happened between me and my co-star.
“I drank way too much that night and I regret my behaviour. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son. I apologise to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be.
“This was not that.”
Justin Timberlake drink-driving arrest
In June 2024, Justin made headlines again – this time after another run-in with booze. The star was arrested for drink-driving after police said he “ran a stop sign” and veered out of his lane whilst driving in the early hours of the morning in The Hamptons.
“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy. A strong odour of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath. He was unable to divide attention. He had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardised field sobriety tests,” the court papers said, according to reports.
Justin was charged with a driving-while-intoxicated misdemeanour.
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