Justin Timberlake admitted to drinking ‘way too much’ years before DWI arrest

Justin Timberlake confessed to drinking excessively several years prior to his DWI-related arrest.

In November 2019, photos surfaced of him holding hands with his “Palmer” co-star Alisha Wainwright at a bar in New Orleans.

The following month, the former *NSYNC member, who has been married to Jessica Biel since October 2012, publicly apologized for the incident.

“I stay away from gossip as much as I can,” he began his since-deleted Instagram post. “But for my family, I feel it is important to address recent rumors that are hurting the people I love.”

Timberlake, 43, went on to explain his “strong lapse in judgment [sic]” but was “clear” in stating that “nothing happened” romantically with Wainwright, 34.

“I drank way too much that night and I regret my behavior. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son,” insisted the singer, who now shares two sons – Silas, 9, and Phineas, almost 4 – with Biel, 42.

The musician went on to “apologize to [his] amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation” and maintained that he was “focused on being the best husband and father” moving forward.

Sources told the Sun at the time that Timberlake “appeared to have been drinking heavily and was unsteady on his feet” on the evening he was seen with his on-screen love interest.

The Grammy winner publicly admitted to concerning drinking habits twice before his PDA scandal with Wainwright.

In a 2014 interview with Oprah Winfrey, he revealed he once “drank a whole bottle of whiskey.”

And in 2006, he told Observer Music Monthly, “I’m just like everyone else – I get completely plastered, I’ve done my fair share of drugs and I’ve been caught places with my pants down. It’s just I make sure there are no cameras around.”

Timberlake has not yet addressed his recent encounter with the law.

As Page Six reported, the actor was pulled over in Sag Harbor, NY, just after midnight on Tuesday after allegedly running a stop sign and swerving following dinner with friends at the American Hotel.

According to the criminal complaint, the arresting officer observed Timberlake with “bloodshot and glassy” eyes and noted that he had “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage… emanating from his breath.”

He was also allegedly “unable to divide attention,” “had slowed speech,” “was unsteady afoot,” and “performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests.”

According to the officer, Timberlake also gave the “oral admission:” “I had one martini, and I followed my friends home.”

He allegedly thrice “refuse[d]” to take a breathalyzer test before being charged with one count of driving while intoxicated and cited for two traffic violations.