Justin Timberlake‘s DWI arrest was seemingly the butt of a joke on CBS’ hit show Elsbeth.
During the season 2 premiere, which aired last week, Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) and fictional NYPD officer Kaya Blanke (Carra Patterson) had a conversation about crime being down in New York throughout the summer.
“What happened to all our high-profile cases?” Elsbeth asked, to which Kaya replied, “Oh, they’re all in Martha’s Vineyard, Tuscany … [or] driving drunk in Sag Harbor.”
Elsbeth and Kaya shared a look before laughing at the comment, which had some similarities to Timberlake’s recent legal issues. Us Weekly confirmed in June that Timberlake, 43, was taken into custody after being stopped by authorities in the Hamptons.
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According to a statement from the Sag Harbor Police Department, Timberlake was observed “failing to stop at a duly posted stop sign and failing to maintain his lane of travel.”
“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,” the statement continued. “Mr. Timberlake was placed under arrest, processed and held overnight for morning arraignment. Mr. Timberlake was arraigned at the Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on June 18, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. where he was released on his own recognizance.”
Timberlake was officially charged with one count of driving while intoxicated after his arraignment. “The charge was a single count because he refused the breath test,” the singer’s lawyer, Ed Burke, told Us at the time. “Mr. Timberlake was also charged with two other court citations, running a stop sign and not traveling in the correct traffic lane.”
According to court documents, Timberlake told the authorities that he “had one martini.” His eyes were allegedly “bloodshot and glassy,” and there was a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath.”
Timberlake rejected a breathalyzer test three times after an officer observed his “slowed speech” and how “unsteady” he appeared. After news broke about his arrest, the singer joked about the incident while on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour.
“So uh, is there anyone here tonight that is driving and … no, I’m just kidding,” he said at a June show in Boston. “I’m kidding.”
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Timberlake subsequently agreed to a plea deal, accepting a lesser charge of traffic violation. He’s set to complete 25 to 40 hours of community service with a nonprofit, pay a $500 fine and issue a public safety announcement.
“Many of you have been covering me for a lot of my life and, as you may know, I try to hold myself to a very high standard for myself,” Timberlake said during a press conference in September. “This was not that. I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision, but I’ve had some time to reflect on that.”
He continued, “What I’d like to say to everyone watching and listening: Even if you have one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. There’s so many alternatives, call a friend, take an Uber, there’s many travel apps [or] take a taxi. This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Elsbeth airs on CBS Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
