Justin Timberlake has been drinking more to ‘escape’ the backlash over Britney Spears’ explosive memoir and increasing pressures to stay on the charts, and inside sources claim he arrived at tour rehearsals reeking of alcohol on more than one occasion. chance.
The singer, 43, was arrested for drink-driving after having drinks at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor in New York on Monday night, with footage showing him looking shaken as he was led into court in handcuffs from the Hamptons police station the next morning. .
Justin was pulled over shortly after midnight when he flew through a stop sign in his BMW X7; He had reportedly already been observed by police while crossing the road.
The father of two performed a field sobriety test and was asked to take a breathalyzer test, which he refused.
Insiders claim the incident should serve as a “wake-up call” for the singer who consumed alcohol to address the explosive accusations leveled against him by Britney, 42, including that he urged her to have an abortion earlier in the day. of the 2000s.
Justin Timberlake was arrested for drunk driving after having drinks at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor in New York on Monday night (pictured)
Justin, 43, turned to alcohol after becoming embroiled in controversy last year following accusations made by Britney Spears, sources told DailyMail.com.
On top of this, sources allege that he has been crumbling under the increasing pressure of competing with popular artists like Harry Styles, and has struggled with the lackluster performance of his latest album, Everything I Thought It Was, which failed to top the charts. popularity. its launch in March.
“Justin has been stressed about the Britney drama that happened late last year and some of us noticed he was drinking more,” a source told DailyMail.com exclusively.
“He is not an alcoholic by any means, but he was advised to stop drinking so he could have a clear head when dealing with any public controversy because he had been accused of mishandling Britney and Janet Jackson’s reaction.”
Justin, who had previously confessed to secretly “getting drunk” and “doing a fair amount of drugs,” had been out to dinner with friends before his arrest on Monday.
The Sexy Back singer was arraigned on a DWI charge and also cited for running a stop sign and failing to stay in his lane. His next court appearance will be July 26, after being released without bail.
For refusing the breathalyzer test, Justin had his driving privileges suspended in New York State.
The source continued: ‘The guys who were there last night didn’t want me to drive because they had been drinking, but they were ignored.
“He’s now cooperating and working with his attorney Edward (Burke, Jr.) to help him get over it. His friends have wanted him to quit alcohol for some time now, so this is kind of a wake-up call.
Inside sources told DailyMail.com that Justin, on several occasions, showed up to rehearsals for his Forget Tomorrow world tour “smelling of alcohol.”
Justin, who had previously confessed to secretly “getting drunk” and “doing a fair amount of drugs,” had been out to dinner with friends before his arrest on Monday.
“The pressure of having to compete with artists like Harry Styles and Drake is getting to him and the fact that his numbers (album sales) are lower is definitely bothering him.
“We’ve all been feeling this for a while and it’s affected his writing process on his last few albums.”
A second insider echoed the concerns, claiming that Justin’s latest alcohol-fueled incident stems from a need to “escape” following poor album sales.
“It’s hard to say why someone drinks, but if it has to do with the current moment in their life, it makes sense to say they need an escape,” they said.
“This will probably be his last successful tour and he is aware of that. He has a wife and two young children at home.
‘He’s not very happy with his album sales, but no one at the label really is. “Everyone expected much better.”
A third source claimed that his drinking habits are well known among those closest to him.
“It’s no secret that Justin drinks and the dancers know it better than anyone,” they said. “He has come to rehearse smelling of alcohol on several occasions.”
Insiders say the incident should serve as a “wake-up call” for the singer, who has also been crumbling under increasing pressure to compete with popular artists like Harry Styles.
A source said Justin often “puts on a good show by getting drunk,” but can also get “flirty,” and his wife Jessica Biel joins in on nights to “take care of him.”
The pop star has two upcoming shows in Chicago later this week as part of her Forget Tomorrow world tour, followed by back-to-back nights at New York City’s Madison Square Garden next week.
The source said he often “puts on a good show by getting drunk,” but can also get “flirty,” and his wife Jessica Biel joins in on nights to “take care of him.”
“When he drinks, he gets super flirty and Jessica has to take care of him,” they continued. ‘She has gone out with the crew several times.
“He has blamed alcohol for his past behavior, including when he was caught ‘holding hands’ with Alisha (Wainwright).”
In 2019, Justin claimed he had drunk “too much” after photos emerged of him holding hands with his Palmer co-star Alisha at a New Orleans bar.
He later issued a public apology in which he said that “showed a strong error in judgment,” before insisting that “nothing happened between my co-star and me.”
“I drank too much that night and I regret my behavior,” he said. ‘I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son.’
In October, Justin was dealt a blow when Britney made multiple accusations against him in her memoir The Woman In Me, including criticizing his 2002 song Cry Me a River for how it made her look.
Justin and Britney dated from 1999 to 2002 and when they split, her career skyrocketed, with her albums promoted under the narrative that she broke his heart.
In the music video for Cry Me A River, he even used a Britney lookalike and she was vilified for their breakup.
Justin has two children with Jessice, who is currently filming her upcoming movie The Better Sister in New York.
Reflecting on the separation, she wrote about how she felt voiceless and ‘she felt there was no way at that time to tell (her) side of the story,” as it had made her seem like a “whore who had broken the heart of America’s golden boy.”
“I don’t think Justin realized the power he had to embarrass me,” she wrote. “I don’t think he understands it to this day.”
The Toxic singer also detailed the “agonizing” decision to terminate her pregnancy after conceiving in late 2000, when they were both 19 years old.
The star claimed that although he wanted the baby and “dreamed of having a family” with Justin, he “wasn’t ready” for the responsibilities of fatherhood and thought the couple was too young.
She wrote: ‘It was a surprise, but for me it was not a tragedy. She loved Justin very much…
“He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were too young.”
In January, Britney apologized to Justin for the comments and insisted she was “deeply sorry.”
He took another hit in March following the release of his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was.
Despite receiving mixed reviews, the album was not a breakout success and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200, earning only 67,000 album equivalent units calculated from 31.13 million on-demand streams and 41,000 pure copies of albums.
His four previous solo studio albums topped the chart, while his debut Justified peaked at number two.