Justin Timberlake Jokes About Being White, Calls Police Officers 'Wild' in DWI Arrest Footage

Bailey RichardsSun, March 22, 2026 at 9:17 PM UTC

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Justin Timberlake joked about his race while in custody following his June 2024 arrest on a DWI charge, newly released police bodycam footage shows

“White? I’m just kidding. I’m just kidding, man,” the musician joked about his race as listed on police paperwork

Timberlake also called the police officers he interacted with "wild," and told them, “You boys [are] treating me like I’m a criminal,” per the bodycam footage

Justin Timberlake joked about his race while in police custody following his arrest on a DWI charge in June 2024.

In newly released bodycam footage from the arrest, an officer with the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) in New York asked Timberlake, 45, to look over some paperwork before signing, and the pop star jokingly questioned why the cop listed his race as white on the form.

“White?” Timberlake asked, before turning to look at the officer who handed him the paper. “I’m just kidding. I’m just kidding, man,” the star then said while laughing.

The singer also told SCPD officers that they were “wild” while standing in a holding cell, according to the newly released footage.

In the video, an officer informed the star that he was being held until the following morning, after which Timberlake smiled and asked if he had to remain in the cell “all night?” After a police officer confirmed that yes, he would be held overnight, Timberlake then said, “Yo, you guys are wild, man.”

Justin Timberlake's June 2024 DWI arrest, as seen on police bodycam footageCredit: Sag Harbor Police Department via AP

The “Mirrors” musician then sat down and, after the officers told him he was able to make a phone call, sighed loudly.

Elsewhere in the footage from Timberlake’s time in police custody, the singer told SCPD officers that they were “treating” him like he was a criminal, and refused to do a post-arrest test.

“No, I’m not doing the chemical test,” he said after one of the officers asked for his consent. “Guys, I don’t mean no harm, like…,” he then said, trailing off.

“You boys [are] treating me like I’m a criminal,” Timberlake said elsewhere in the bodycam footage.

He also asked one of the cops if they were following standard protocol for a DWI arrest, and inquired whether it's standard for an arrestee to be in handcuffs, as he was in the footage.

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Justin Timberlake's mugshot from June 2024 arrestCredit: Sag Harbor Police Department

Timberlake was arrested after he left the American Hotel and restaurant on Long Island, N.Y., on June 18, 2024. He was initially charged with one count of driving while intoxicated and two citations, one for running a stop sign and one for failure to keep in the lane. (Timberlake's lawyer, Edward Burke Jr., has maintained that the singer was “not intoxicated” when he was arrested, and in September 2024, Timberlake reached a plea deal, where he agreed to plead guilty to a lesser offense.)

While in police custody, Timberlake said that he “had one martini” before getting behind the wheel, and asked an officer to clarify what traffic violations he had allegedly committed.

After a police officer explained that he failed to stop at a stop sign, failed to keep right and “continuously moved off and veered to the left of the roadway,” Timberlake replied, “Well, I was just following my friends,” the newly released footage shows.

“I appreciate you boys for doing your job, man,” he said in the footage. “Yeah, I appreciate you boys for doing your job. I had one martini and I followed my f---ing friends home and I appreciate you boys for doing your job.”

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Newly released footage begins with the moment when Timberlake was arrested for the DWI while in a vehicle. In this portion of the bodycam video, the musician — who was headlining his Forget Tomorrow tour at the time — awkwardly explained to a police officer who he is.

Justin TimberlakeCredit: Andrew H Walker/Variety/Penske Media via Getty

After Timberlake explained that he was in a rental car for a couple of days, the arresting officer asked the father of two if he was visiting the area, and he answered, "Yeah, I'm on tour ... I'm on a world tour," per the footage. When the officer asked for clarification, Timberlake said, "It's hard to explain ... um ... I'm Justin Timberlake."

Timberlake previously took legal action to block the release of the police bodycam footage from his 2024 DWI arrest, alleging in a petition filed in Suffolk County Supreme Court that releasing the police body camera footage of his arrest would invade his privacy.

“Public dissemination of this footage would cause severe and irreparable harm to [Timberlake’s] personal and professional reputation, subject [Timberlake] to public ridicule and harassment, and serve no legitimate public interest,” the petition, which was obtained by PEOPLE, stated.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”