Justin Timberlake Breaks Silence On DWI Arrest Telling Fans During Concert, “It’s Been Tough”

Sag Harbor Police Department/Getty Images

Justin Timberlake has spoken for the first time about his arrest and night in jail, addressing the crowd at a concert in Chicago Friday night.

It was the first public outing for the singer since his DWI arrest in The Hamptons on June 18, and Timberlake told his fans, “It’s been a tough week.”

He was performing inside the United Center Stadium in Chicago as part of his Forget Tomorrow World Tour.

CNN reports that that Timberlake told the crowd:   

“It’s been a tough week. I know I’m hard to love sometimes but you keep loving me right back.”

He added that all his fans, too, have faced “ups-and-downs and lefts-and-rights.”

He is scheduled to return to New York for two nights at Madison Square Garden on June 25 and June 26. 

Timberlake was arraigned and released from custody June 18 after he was charged with driving while intoxicated in Sag Harbor, New York, the previous evening. The Grammy-winning singer spent the night in Sag Harbor’s jail.

Sag Harbor police say he was pulled over after he ran through a stop sign and his 2025 BMW was weaving along the road. He is next scheduled to virtually appear in court on July 26, the same day he’s set to begin a two-night stand in Krakow, Poland. Timberlake reportedly denies the charge, saying he “only had one martini.”