The former NSync singer, Justin Timberlake, who once dominated airwaves, has now become the subject of internet memes. Hours after Timberlake was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated, jokes about his encounter with police started going viral, reducing the pop superstar to a meme.
Page Six reported that when Timberlake was stopped by police, he remarked, “This is going to ruin the tour.” When the officer, seemingly unaware of his identity, asked, “What tour?” Timberlake reportedly replied, “The world tour.”
This exchange, along with jokes about Timberlake being unrecognized by law enforcement and his glassy-eyed mugshot, quickly took over social media. While Timberlake has been the subject of memes before—such as the “It’s Gonna Be May” posts every April 30—this time, the jokes were at his expense.
Timberlake, known for hits like “Cry Me a River” and “Friends with Benefits” transitioned from a child performer to an NSync breakout star and solo hitmaker. However, his reputation has recently been scrutinized, particularly regarding his treatment of women.
In 2018, Timberlake headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, prompting a reevaluation of his 2004 performance with Janet Jackson, which led to the “Nipplegate” scandal. Jackson faced most of the backlash, while Timberlake escaped relatively unscathed.
Similarly, the public’s reexamination of Britney Spears’s treatment by the media brought renewed scrutiny to Timberlake’s behavior during their relationship. They dated from 1999 to 2002, and his “Cry Me a River” music video implied she had cheated on him.
The 2021 documentary “Framing Britney Spears” further illuminated their complex relationship. Facing backlash, Timberlake apologized to both Spears and Jackson on Instagram. “I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed,” he wrote.
Spears’s October 2023 memoir “The Woman in Me” revealed more about their split, alleging Timberlake encouraged her to have an abortion and repeatedly cheated on her. Timberlake has also faced multiple allegations of infidelity with his wife, Jessica Biel, though he denies them.
On January 25, Timberlake released “Selfish,” a single from his first solo album since 2018. By January 29, Spears apologized on Instagram to anyone she had “offended” with her memoir and praised Timberlake’s new song. However, by January 31, Timberlake dismissed any notion of an apology during a free New York City concert, saying, “I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize—to absolutely f**ing nobody,” before performing “Cry Me a River.”
Music journalist Brittany Spanos commented that Timberlake’s decision to release new music soon after Spears’s memoir was “bizarre.” She noted that Timberlake’s public image has been severely damaged by the revelations in Spears’s book and his delayed music releases compared to peers like Beyoncé or Usher.
Timberlake’s March 2024 album, “Everything I Thought It Was,” debuted to the smallest audience of his solo career, signaling his declining relevance in the pop music zeitgeist. Spanos suggested that some, especially Spears’s fans, might find satisfaction in seeing Timberlake face consequences.
Despite his arrest, Timberlake’s next “world tour” performance went on as planned. He thanked his fans, saying, “I know sometimes I’m hard to love, but you keep on loving me and I love you right back.”
To rehabilitate his image, Spanos advised that Timberlake needs to address the public’s issues with him honestly and straightforwardly. She added, “The goofiness is not enough to mask a pretty shattered relationship he has with his own celebrity right now.”