J.Just days after pop star Justin Timberlake’s arrest in the Hamptons, where he was charged with drunk driving, he took the stage to perform in Chicago, his first public appearance since his arrest. Breaking the silence, Timberlake, 43, addressed the crowd of nearly 20,000 people.
“It’s been a difficult week,” he admitted. His fans immediately responded with thunderous joy. “But you’re here, and I’m here, and nothing can change this moment now.”
Timberlake ended his short speech with, “I know I’m hard to love sometimes, but you keep loving me and I’m loving you back.” He then performed his song “Selfish”, asking the audience to sing along with him.
The Memphis-born musician will perform another show at the United Center on Saturday night in Chicago before arriving in New York City to perform at Madison Square Garden next weekend.
The 10-time Grammy winner was charged Tuesday morning with driving while intoxicated in a village in the Hamptons, New York, after police said he ran a stop sign and left his lane. At around 12:30 p.m., a police officer detained him and deduced that he was drunk, according to the Associated Press.
“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of alcohol emanated from his breath, he was unable to divide his attention, his speech was slow, he was unsteady, and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” the court documents said. , according to the AP.
He was charged with misdemeanor DWI and his next court appearance was scheduled for July 26, the Suffolk County district attorney’s office said.
On Wednesday, the office of Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke Jr. cited as revealing Page six: “Mr. Burke looks forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake against these allegations. He will have a lot to say at the appropriate time. He is currently awaiting full discovery from the prosecutor’s office.”
In March, Timberlake – who has been married to actress Jessica Biel since 2012 – released his first new album in six years, the nostalgic Everything I thought I was. The father of two began touring the album on April 29, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada, calling it “The Forget Tomorrow World Tour.” The tour encompasses more than 85 shows in at least 55 cities, according to Live Nation. The tour is set to end on December 20, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri.
Timberlake’s July court date coincides with a show in Krakow, Poland, during the international leg of the tour.
The singer also made headlines last year after his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears released her memoir, The woman in me. The two stars dated for three years, from 1999 to 2002, at the height of their fame. Spears’ memoir brought her notoriously messy and toxic breakup back into the spotlight, as she alleged that Timberlake broke up with her via text message and that they were both unfaithful during their relationship.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
