Justin Timberlake has been mercilessly mocked for the lengthy speech he gave outside a Sag Harbor courthouse after pleading guilty to a DWI charge following his arrest on June 18.
The 43-year-old singer appeared somber on Friday as he spoke to reporters in the Hamptons after being ordered to pay a $500 fine and perform 25 hours of community service, and urged people not to “get behind the wheel of a car” if they’ve had “one drink.”
After watching his speech, viewers immediately took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts as one person said: ‘I don’t know who this Timberlake clown is but when you do something wrong just admit it and say sorry.
“But enough of the moral sermons. You are the last person qualified to give moral sermons to others,” they added.
Another person raged: “Justin Timberlake you are not an actor and I can tell your speech is bullshit,” while a third wrote: “Justin Timberlake is giving a tearful press conference about his one time DUI charge like we care. He really thinks it’s the year 2000.”
Justin Timberlake has been mercilessly mocked for a speech he gave outside a Sag Harbor courthouse on Friday.
The singer was arrested in the Hamptons on June 18 and pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence.
Someone else sarcastically said: “Justin Timberlake looked very convincingly remorseful when giving his speech after leaving the courtroom,” and someone else wrote: “Justin Timberlake’s advice to not drive after drinking rings hollow, given his own drunk driving incident. Actions speak louder.”
When a clip of his speech was shared on TikTok, people continued to mock the star as one person said: ‘Haha preaching after he got caught,’ while another joked: ‘Thanks Justin, you’ve changed my life with this eye-opening information.’
However, others defended Timberlake, with one person posting: “Kudos to Justin Timberlake for owning it,” while another said: “I can appreciate and respect Justin Timberlake for accepting responsibility for his irresponsible driving.”
“In a world where there was no accountability, this was a rare occurrence. Whether it was court-ordered or not, he did it! Thank you,” they added.
Dressed in a charcoal T-shirt and matching sweater, Timberlake told the crowd: “A lot of you have probably been following me for a lot of my life and as you know, I try to hold myself to a very high standard. This was not the case.
‘I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision, but I’ve had some time to reflect on that and I also understand that I have a platform, you have a platform, we share that platform, so what I would like to say to everyone watching and listening is: if you have a drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car.’
She continued: “There are so many alternatives, call a friend, take an Uber, take a taxi. This is a mistake I made, but I hope everyone watching and listening can learn from this mistake. And like I said, even if you just have one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car.
‘I grew up in a small town, so I can appreciate and understand the stress this must have put on the people of Sag Harbor. To everyone involved I am very grateful and thankful.’
People quickly began to mock his speech when someone described it on X as having “tears in his eyes.”
One person called Timberlake’s speech “bullshit” and said he was “not an actor.”
Someone else called Timberlake a “clown” and described his speech as a “moral lecture.”
During his speech, Timberlake talked about alternatives to driving like Uber or calling a friend.
As part of his plea agreement, Timberlake agreed to make a public statement about the dangers of drunk driving.
The pop star added: “I guess in closing I’d just like to say that we can all be safer and I’m going to do my part. I hope everyone else will do theirs. Thank you very much.”
As part of his plea agreement, Timberlake agreed to make a public statement about the dangers of drunk driving.
Judge Carl Irace initially expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed statement and preferred a public service announcement.
However, he eventually accepted the deal under certain conditions.
Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke Jr., also spoke to reporters outside the Sag Harbor courthouse, saying: ‘My client finished the contents of a drink in two hours at the American Hotel, and contrary to what was reported, he was not drinking other people’s drinks nor was he warned beforehand not to drive.
“He was not rude, obnoxious or belligerent. He was polite and respectful throughout his encounter with law enforcement, as they were with him,” she added.