Gayle King Stands By Supporting Justin Timberlake After DWI Arrest Despite Backlash: ‘We’re So Quick To Cancel & Criticize’

Gayle King Stands By Supporting Justin Timberlake After DWI Arrest Despite Backlash: ‘We’re So Quick To Cancel & Criticize’

Update (June 26, 2024): Gayle King is standing ten toes down for Justin Timberlake. After receiving criticism for defending his character following his DWI arrest, the talk show host was approached by TMZ and asked if she was surprised she received so much “backlash.” She stated,

“What backlash?”

Gayle King then clarified her initial remarks and added,

“I said I don’t see him to be an irresponsible person. I don’t. But I was in no way saying drunk driving is okay, and I made that clear. But nobody picked up on the rest of the sentence.”

She reiterated,

“I don’t consider him reckless or irresponsible. Was that a bad thing? Did he make a huge mistake? Yes. I think he acknowledged that. But we’re always so quick to cancel and criticize anytime somebody makes a big mistake. I’m just sort of tired of that, that’s all.”

She said that she “wouldn’t put” Justin Timberlake in the category of “reckless” or “irresponsible,” and made it clear she does not support drunk driving.

Original Story (June 20, 2024): Gayle King shared her initial thoughts on Justin Timberlake’s arrest for driving while intoxicated, and the reaction on social media has been largely negative.

On June 18, singer and actor Justin Timberlake, 43, was reported to have been arrested for driving while intoxicated in Sag Harbor, New York. He appeared in court later that day.

Shortly after the news broke, Justin Timberlake’s mug shot was released, along with the contents of the police report.

Justin Timberlake’s Mug Shot June 2024

The report stated,

“[Justin Timberlake] was operating said vehicle in an intoxicated condition in that 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.”

During her coverage on CBS This Morning, Gayle King, 69, shared her thoughts on the situation, defending Justin Timberlake while also emphasizing that there is no excuse for driving under the influence.

Gayle King (CBS)

Defending Justin’s character, Gayle King stated,

“Justin Timberlake is a really, really great guy. This is clearly a mistake. He’s not an irresponsible person, he’s not reckless. He’s not careless.”

However, she mentioned,

“Clearly, this is not a good thing. He knows that. Driving drunk, there’s never any excuse for that, ever.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Jasmine Brand (@thejasminebrand365)

Video of Gayle King’s statement quickly spread across social media, sparking a wave of criticism from many users.

One X user commented,

“Janet Jackson’s t**** didn’t harm nobody, but he could have. Let’s not come to this yt man’s defense.”

In defense of Gayle, another X user wrote,

“I’m not defending him but, in theory, I understand what Gayle’s saying. It’s not as if he’s perpetually involved in situations like this (that I know of). Although I have opinions of some of his decisions in the past, I wouldn’t hold that against him in this separate situation. I hate to see folks kick anyone when they’re down.”

See more reactions below:

Amid the social media frenzy, Justin Timberlake’s lawyer made a statement asserting that JT is prepared to fight the allegations:

“[We] look forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake against these allegations. He will have a lot to say at the appropriate time. He is currently awaiting full discovery from the DA’s office.”

What are your thoughts on Gayle’s comments? Share your opinions below!