Justin Timberlake returns to social media after DUI arrest

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Justin Timberlake has shared his first Instagram post since he was arrested and charged for allegedly driving while intoxicated on Long Island last week.

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As he brought his his Forget Tomorrow World Tour to New York’s Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, the pop star shared a look at some tour T-shirts that showed off the blue and orange colours worn by the city’s New York Knicks basketball team.

 “This is so important right now … let’s go! Got y’alls Knicks colours,” Timberlake said in the clip posted to his Instagram Stories. “We had to do it!” 

Along with Timberlake’s wife Jessica Biel, Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese was in the crowd Tuesday night with singer giving the famed director a shoutout from the stage.

“The G.O.A.T. came to see me,” Timberlake said, per The Mirror. “The one and only Martin Scorsese, right?”

He continued: “So many family and friends. But something that just keeps washing over as we continue on through this tour, I look around and I see faces, that I’ve seen so many times before.”

Timberlake, 43, is back on the road following his arrest in Sag Harbor for allegedly driving while intoxicated last Tuesday.

During his show in Chicago just days afterwards, the 10-time Grammy winner thanked his fans for their unwavering support in fan-captured footage posted to social media.

“We’ve been together through ups and downs, lefts and rights,” Timberlake said. “It’s been a tough week, but you’re here and I’m here, and nothing can change this moment right now … I know sometimes I’m hard to love but you keep on loving me and I love you right back.”

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According to the New York Post, the arresting officer, Michael Arkinson, warned Timberlake not to drive before putting the cuffs on the Cry Me a River hitmaker.

“He was stopped and advised not to drive,” a source said of the crooner. “The officer didn’t recognize him; he’s a young guy. And he still gave Justin a break, because he didn’t pose an immediate danger.”

But not long afterwards, Timberlake “was observed by the same officer” behind the wheel. 

“What a dumbass,” the Post’s insider said. “I am thinking he could afford a driver. How’s that for entitlement?” 

Timberlake, who listed his occupation as “professional” and said he’s “self-employed,” denied being drunk and told authorities he had drank one martini and was following some friends back home.

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According to court documents, the arresting officer observed that Timberlake’s eyes were “bloodshot and glassy, a strong odour 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.”

In addition to being charged with driving while intoxicated, Timberlake is also accused of running a stop sign and failing to stay in his correct lane of travel.

A bartender at the restaurant confirmed Timberlake’s one martini claims, with another employee telling PEOPLE, “If he was drinking more, it wasn’t here.”

He is due back in court on July 26.

mdaniell@postmedia.com

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