Gayle King recently stood up for Justin Timberlake after the award-winning singer was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. King, 69, came to the Mirrors singer’s defense during Wednesday’s episode of CBS Mornings.
“Justin Timberlake is a really, really great guy,” the television personality said, per US Weekly. “Listen, this is clearly a mistake. I bet nobody knows it more than he does.”
King came to the 43-year-old singer’s defense when she and her co-host’s Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson touched on his highly-publicized Tuesday arrest. “He’s not an irresponsible person. He’s not reckless, careless,” she said. “Clearly this is not a good thing. He knows that.”
And though King had good things to say about the Grammy winner, she made it clear that drunk driving is inexcusable. Timberlake made the news after he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. The incident happened in the Hamptons in the wee hours of Tuesday.
“On June 18, 2024, at 12:37 AM, Justin R. Timberlake, age 43, of Tennessee, was observed operating a 2025 BMW southbound on Madison Street, failing to stop at a duly posted stop sign and failing to maintain his lane of travel,” the Sag Harbor Police Department said in a statement.
“A traffic stop was initiated by a Police Officer from the Sag Harbor Village Police Department and upon investigation it was determined that Mr. Timberlake was operating his vehicle in an intoxicated condition.”
CNN also reported that court documents revealed Timberlake refused to take a chemical test on three occasions. He also informed police that he “had one martini and I followed my friends home.”
Authorities said the Cry Me a River singer was ultimately “placed under arrest, processed, and held overnight for morning arraignment.” Timberlake, who was eventually released without bail, faces a count of DWI.
“The charge was a single count because he refused the breath test,” Timberlake’s lawyer, Edward Burke Jr., told US Weekly on Tuesday. “Mr. Timberlake was also charged with two other court citations, running a stop sign and not traveling in the correct traffic lane.”
Timberlake’s next court date is set for July 26.
