Gayle King weighs in on Justin Timberlake's DWI arrest with bold statement live on-air

The Cry Me a River singer was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated


Gayle King weighs in on Justin Timberlake's DWI arrest with bold statement live on-air© Getty Images
US Deputy Editor
June 19, 2024

Justin Timberlake's arrest for a DWI made headlines after his June 18 arrest and sparked conversations on-air soon after. 

The CBS Mornings crew joined in the breakdown of events on Tuesday, with Gayle King stepping up to the plate with a bold statement about the singer's actions. 

Gayle and her co-hosts, Tony Dokoupil, 43, and Nate Burleson, 42, discussed Justin's situation insisting "he's a great guy."

Despite the incident which saw him run a stop sign and veer to of his lane following a night out with his friend in Sag Harbor, Gayle defended him. 

"But Justin Timberlake is a really, really great guy," she said on-air, before adding: "Clearly, this is not a good thing. He knows that. I love when they stopped Billy Joel and he said, 'you know, wait, not everybody judge at this particular time'."

Gayle went on to say: "He's not an irresponsible person. He's not reckless, careless," but did clarify: "Listen, driving drunk, there's never any excuse ever, ever."

Gayle discussed Justin's arrest on CBS Mornings

Gayle and Justin aren't believed to be friends, but she has expressed her adoration for the singer in the past, admitting she's crazy about his music - and the fact loves his mom. 

Justin was stopped around 12.30 a.m by a police officer who determined he was intoxicated following night out with friends, according to a report obtained by AP

© Handout

Justin's mug shot

"His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests," the court papers said.

Justin insisted to the arresting officer that he had one martini but then refused a breath test, according to the paper. 

© CBS Photo Archive

Gayle discussed the situation with her co-hosts

He will appear in court on Sunday July 26. The court date is the same day he is scheduled to perform at New York's Madison Square Garden for his Forget Tomorrow World Tour.

His wife, Jessica Biel was spotted for the first time since his arrest on Long Island.

© Instagram

Justin with his wife Jessica

Hours after his release on Tuesday morning, the 42-year-old actress was photographed back at work, filming scenes for her new thriller series, The Better Sister in Manhattan.

Jessica looked tense as she put on a brave face while pictured on set between takes with the cast and crew of the Amazon series.

© Christopher Polk

Justin will head to court in July

On Tuesday, the police department released a statement detailing Justin's arrest.

"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," it read.

"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."

© Instagram

Justin and Jessica normally like to keep their kids and personal life away from the spotlight

The statement added: "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 AM where he was released on his own recognizance."

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