Justin Timberlake Finally Admits To Driving Impaired As Judge Accepts Plea Deal
By Favour Adegoke on September 13, 2024 at 1:17 PM EDT
Updated on September 13, 2024 at 2:34 PM EDT
Justin Timberlake made a remorseful appearance in court today to enter his plea for driving while ability-impaired.
The singer agreed to plead guilty to the less serious offense compared to his initial drinking while intoxicated (DWI) charge and is expected to pay a fine of $500.
Sources close to Justin Timberlake say he's ready to put the whole issue behind him, as his family and ongoing world tour are his "priority."
Justin Timberlake Finalizes Plea Deal, Gets Community Service
The "SexyBack" singer arrived in court earlier today looking stern as he prepared to enter his plea in his driving while ability-impaired case.
According to TMZ, he entered a plea deal where he agreed to do 25-40 hours of community service and would make a public service announcement, presumably of driving while impaired.
Timberlake managed to escape a heavy punishment and would only pay a fine of around $300- $500.
He turned up for the hearing in a navy blue sweater, brown-gray slacks, and rose-colored sunglasses covering his eyes.
Justin Timberlake Admits He Consumed Alcoholic Beverages Before His Arrest
As the court session progressed, the "Mirrors" singer told the judge that he had had time to reflect on his actions and didn't think he lived up to his standards.
According to the news outlet, he noted that he was grateful for the "opportunity to learn" and admits that he "should've made a better decision for himself" as he was raised on a "certain set of values."
Timberlake guaranteed the court that he wouldn't repeat his actions, saying with "the utmost honesty, I won't be back here again" in court. The judge then accepted his plea deal and thanked him for all that he said and for speaking from the heart.
While in court, Timberlake admitted to consuming alcoholic beverages before a rookie Sag Harbor cop pulled him over in June.
His guilty plea is a 180 from his attorney's initial assertion that he wasn't drunk at the time he was pulled over.
The Singer Accepted To Plead Guilty To 'Move On'
According to People, a source shared that Timberlake is ready to put the legal drama behind him and "move on," as his family and ongoing tour are his priorities.
"He's a family man, and this is his focus. He accepted a plea deal because he wants to move on," the source said. "The court case has been a distraction. He doesn't want his family to be affected by it."
In an August hearing, he had his license suspended for a year in the state of New York, which his lawyer, Edward Burke Jr., said was "standard."
"It's not like he's getting off completely — his license is still suspended," the insider added. "Jess has not been happy about it. She's encouraged him to accept the plea deal."
Timberlake is currently on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which the source says is "his priority as well."
Justin Timberlake Was Charged For DWI
The "Friends With Benefits" actor was arrested in the early hours of June 18 after a night out with friends in the Hamptons enclave of Sag Harbor, New York.
He reportedly blew through a stop sign in his BMW X7 salon car and swerved off his lane at some point, forcing cops to pull him over. A police filing said he appeared "glassy-eyed" with a strong odor of alcohol emanating from him.
"His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests," the court filing claimed.
Timberlake performed poorly in a field sobriety test that was conducted at the time and was asked to take a standard breathalyzer test, which he refused. He told the officer he had one martini and was following some friends home.
Justin Timberlake Is Reportedly 'Cleaning Up His Act' For His Wife
Following his DWI arrest, Timberlake reportedly decided to cut back on his drinking and other vices.
His wife was reportedly unhappy with the negative attention Timberlake's actions caused their family. To appease her, he is making efforts to "clean up his act" and win back her approval.
"Part of Justin's mea culpa to Jessica was to admit that he'd gotten into some bad habits and that he needs to dial everything way back," the source shared about the actor, per In Touch Weekly.
"He was busted with a vape pen, which is a big worry because of the [effect] it can have on his lungs," the insider continued. "So he's now agreed to totally ditch that for good, and he's gone pretty much cold turkey on the booze, too."
