Justin Timberlake admitted to having a “tough week” before a Chicago audience on Friday as he returned to the stage for the first time since his drink-driving arrest.
The singer and actor has been charged with driving while intoxicated in the Hamptons on New York’s Long Island after being pulled over on Tuesday.
According to reports, Timberlake was arraigned on one count of DWI and was also cited for running a stop sign and failing to stay in his lane.
To add insult to injury, the officer who cuffed the star was so young that he did not recognise Timberlake - who has released albums sparingly since his FutureSex/LoveSounds pomp in the 2000s.
The 43-year-old whispered “this going to ruin the tour” during the arrest, a source said.
“I know sometimes.. I’m hard to love. But you keep on loving me and I love you right back.”
— AdoreJT (@adorejt_ig) June 22, 2024
- Justin Timberlake speaking to his SOLD OUT crowd in Chicago tonight!
🎥: wright7680 pic.twitter.com/NLCp2qr1VY
He is next in court on July 26 after being released without bail, allowing him to continue his Forget Tomorrow World Tour at Chicago’s United Centre.
“It’s been a tough week, but you’re here and I’m here, and nothing can change this moment right now,” Timberlake told a cheering crowd.
“I know sometimes I’m hard to love but you keep on loving me and I love you right back.”
A fan who attended the concert said some concertgoers wore T-shirts with Timberlake’s mugshot on it.
Vilmarie Rosario, a 37-year-old legal project manager from Chicago, Illinois, said: “Overall, the concert venue was packed and had a great, fun energy to it.
“There was not an empty seat in the entire venue.
“When Justin made his passing remarks on the incident of this week, (he really just mentioned that he’s had a rough week and I could sense genuine emotion from him) he received nothing but support and love and cheers from the audience.
Love hearing the roar of the crowd as Justin Timberlake makes his entrance at his sold out Chicago show tonight 💛 pic.twitter.com/NM1CFJWZaZ
— fixyo (@jcjustinho) June 22, 2024
“I’ve been a fan since I was 12 years old and I’m 37 now so I knew he would mention it without mentioning it directly.
“But I think he kept it short and simple and was grateful to the fans for sticking with him through the good and the bad.
“I appreciated that small gesture because he really didn’t have to make a statement at all. He could’ve just kept going on as if nothing had happened.”
She added: “Some fans in the crowd had shirts made of his mug shot, which was really funny and I hope he was able to see it, but everyone was just kind of making a joke of it, but they were all invested and happy to be at the show.
“Overall, he put on an amazing show, and he captivated the audience.”
Barring cancellation, Timberlake will play four shows in the UK in August - including two nights at the O2 Arena.
The tour, his first in five years, is in support of his sixth album Everything I Thought It Was - which has received mixed reviews, the Evening Standard giving it two stars.
The Forget Tomorrow World Tour has received better reviews - the star’s stage presence earning him praise as a “genius entertainer”.
A one off gig at the Roundhouse was cancelled with less than 24 hours notice after Timberlake went down with an illness in February.
