Officer bodycam footage from Justin Timberlake‘s DWI arrest has been released as part of a settlement of his privacy lawsuit against the local police department.
The former *NSYNC star was arrested in 2024 after allegedly driving through a stop sign and swerving out of his lane, and was charged with the misdemeanour offence of driving while intoxicated at the time. He allegedly told the officer that he’d had one martini and was following friends home in his car.
It was reported that he refused a breath test and spent the night at the local police station.
Earlier this month, Timberlake sued to block the release of the bodycam footage from his arrest, with his legal representatives saying it would cause “severe and irreparable harm to [his] personal and professional reputation” and “subject [him] to public ridicule and harassment.”
It came as a response to public records requests seeking the video submitted by multiple news outlets that cover the singer and his career.
Yesterday (March 20), footage was released by local paper The Sag Harbor Express after the singer agreed to redactions as part of a settlement of his privacy lawsuit against the local police department.
In the video, Timberlake is standing beside his vehicle as an officer administers sobriety tests. “Guys, I’m just following my friends back to my house,” he says. “I’m not doing anything. I’m just following my friends back to my house.”
Officers instruct him to walk a straight line, which he struggles with. “Sorry, I’m a little nervous,” he says, before taking more steps than requested.
Timberlake also appears to have difficulty with another test, which requires him to lift one foot six inches off the ground and count out loud. “Sorry, my heart is racing,” he says. “These are like, really hard tests.” He is later placed in handcuffs and arrested.
The judge’s order blocking release was lifted Friday after Timberlake and Sag Harbor officials reached an agreement on redactions. In the settlement filed with the court, Timberlake’s lawyers said the edited footage did not constitute “an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy”.
The video largely aligns with what law enforcement officials described after the arrest in 2024. Officers said he ran a stop sign and failed to keep to the right side of the road for several blocks.
Following his arrest, Timberlake agreed to a plea deal for the charge to be dropped from driving while intoxicated (DWI) to driving while ability impaired (DWAI), and called for fans to think again if they considered driving under the influence of alcohol. The judge sentenced the singer to a $500 (£380) fine with a $260 (£198) surcharge, and 25 hours of community service at a non-profit of his choice.
In other news, in March 2024, he released his sixth album, ‘Everything I Thought It Was’. In a three-star review, NME wrote: “Timberlake is a less beloved pop superstar than he probably should be 25 years after he sang ‘It’s gonna be may’ on an era-defining NSYNC banger.
“‘Everything I Thought It Was’ shows he hasn’t lost his vocal chops or ability to work a groove, but it doesn’t do enough to make you block out past misdemeanours. For now, Timberlake’s problematic fave era will have to wait.”
Last summer, the singer shared that he had been diagnosed with Lyme Disease. In February, he returned to performing for the first time since revealing his diagnosis.