Jessica Biel ‘not happy’ about Justin Timberlake’s arrest

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Jessica Biel is reportedly upset after her husband Justin Timberlake was arrested for driving under the influence this week.

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Timberlake, 43, was charged early Tuesday morning with drunk driving in New York’s Hamptons, after police said he ran a stop sign and drove in the wrong lane of traffic in the posh enclave of Long Island.

The 10-time Grammy winner was driving a 2025 BMW in Sag Harbor around 12:30 a.m. when an officer stopped him and alleged he was intoxicated, according to a court document reviewed by the Associated Press.

His wife was in the midst of filming her new Prime Video series, The Better Sister, and was spotted back on set the next day after her husband spent several hours in the slammer.

A source now tells PEOPLE that Timberlake’s arrest was a “distraction” for the actress and that “she’s not happy” about it. 

“She had to film yesterday. She doesn’t like any attention on the family, especially not negative,” they say.

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But PEOPLE’s insider says that Biel will “will always be by his side,” adding that Timberlake is a “great dad and husband.”

Timberlake was forced to apologize to Biel back in 2019 after pictures surfaced of him holding hands with his Palmer co-star Alisha Wainwright during a night out.

The Cry Me a River hitmaker said he regretted his behaviour after the photos made the rounds online.

“A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse in judgement – but let me be clear – nothing happened between me and my co-star,” he wrote in a message to his Instagram followers. “I drank way too much that night and regret my behaviour. I should have known better.”

Timberlake continued: “This is not the example I want to set for my son. I apologize 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.”

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Following his arrest early Tuesday, Timberlake, who listed his occupation as “professional” and said he’s “self-employed,” denied being drunk when he was pulled over, telling authorities he had drank one martini and was following some friends back home.

But in what must have been considered a big blow to the singer’s ego, an insider told Page Six that the arresting officer “was so young that he didn’t even know” who Timberlake was.

“He didn’t recognize him or his name,” the source told the outlet.

A second insider added, “Justin said under his breath, ‘This is going to ruin the tour.’ The cop replied, ‘What tour?’ Justin said, ‘The world tour.’”

According to court documents, the arresting officer observed that Timberlake’s 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 standardized field sobriety tests.”

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In addition to being charged for driving while intoxicated, Timberlake is also accused of running a stop sign and failing to stay in his correct lane of travel.

When at the station, Timberlake reportedly refused to take a breathalyzer test.

“No, I’m not doing a chemical test,” the musician said (per Us Weekly). When asked again, Timberlake responded, “I refuse (to take a chemical test).”

The arrest came during a break in Timberlake’s Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which is in support of his latest album, Everything I Thought It Was. But it is yet another hiccup in the vocalist’s personal life.

Last year, Timberlake made headlines when Britney Spears alleged in her memoir, The Woman in Me, that he made her get an abortion when they dated more than 20 years ago.

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Following Timberlake’s arrest, Spears seemingly threw shade at her ex when she shared an Instagram post toasting the “little things in life.”

Meanwhile, Timberlake’s tour has been hit with slow ticket sales with some speculating that the star has lost currency with younger music listeners.

“Most of (Timberlake’s) fans have aged out of caring about him. It’s like the old saying goes, ‘You don’t retire – the audience retires you,’” music journalist Toure of TheGrio told Paula Froelich of NewsNation.

Timberlake’s latest album also landed with a thud. After its release in March, not one of the record’s singles were among Spotify’s 200 most-streamed tracks. He didn’t fare much better on Billboard, where Everything I Thought It Was sold a paltry 67,000 copies in its first week of release — the lowest of his career.

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The soloist’s next court date is scheduled for July 26.

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As he gets ready to resume his tour in Chicago later this week, sources close to Timberlake tell TMZ he has no plans to enter rehab. People who’ve spent time around singer tell the website that he’s never had a problem with alcohol, and he’s “typically in control while out in public.”

Timberlake also was quick to reassure his team that the show will go on. In the hours after his arrest, an insider who works with Timberlake’s entourage told the U.S. Sun that he held a conference call with his touring crew to let them know that his upcoming concert dates won’t be affected.

“He made sure that this arrest didn’t create tension in the crew, he reacted like a boss, like someone who owns his s—,” said the insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“He said sorry for bringing this kind of attention to the team. Everyone was happy to hear what he said.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com

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