Justin Timberlake Might Not Want You to See His Arrest

You may recall that Justin Timberlake was arrested in the Hamptons on suspicion of drunk driving in 2024, an incident that “Page Six” claimed had him really concerned about his world tour. Well, it sounds like he does not want us to know exactly what went down that night. Per NBC, Timberlake filed a petition on Monday against the Sag Harbor Village Police Department to try and prevent the release of video of his arrest.

Back in 2024, the former ’N Sync member was pulled over in Sag Harbor after apparently driving through a stop sign, and per “Page Six,” he insisted to police he’d had “one martini” that night. A police report, which was obtained by TMZ, reportedly stated that Timberlake had “bloodshot” eyes and refused a Breathalyzer test three times. The detail that people really latched onto, though, came from an anonymous source who claimed in “Page Six” that the officer who arrested him was too young to know who Timberlake was and that Timberlake had muttered under his breath mid-arrest, “This is going to ruin the tour.” Timberlake later pleaded guilty to a noncriminal traffic violation of “driving while ability impaired,” avoiding the criminal charges he’d initially faced for driving while intoxicated.

We may never find out what he really said to that policeman, because Timberlake is now claiming the release of police body-camera footage from his arrest would violate his privacy, per NBC. Attorneys for the singer reportedly argued the video includes information that is not relevant to “any law enforcement action of public concern.” “The harm from public exposure — stigma, harassment, reputational injury, and the permanent loss of privacy — is immediate and irreparable,” his attorneys wrote. One of his lawyers, Edward D. Burke Jr., apparently said that the footage “captures approximately eight (8) hours of continuous recording and encroaches upon areas of Petitioner’s life and emotional state that have no relevance at all to Petitioner’s arrest.”

Vincent Toomey, a lawyer for the Village of Sag Harbor, told NBC that the town and its police department had planned to release some of the footage with “certain” redactions after several news outlets filed public-records requests to access it. “Mr. Timberlake sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the Village from doing so,” he said, referring to Monday’s petition. According to Toomey, the judge presiding over the case has not yet ruled on Timberlake’s petition. Do you think he will consider how this might affect the tour, the world tour?

The Cut has reached out to Timberlake and the court for comment and will update this post if we hear back.