CHICAGO (NewsNation) — As news of Justin Timberlake’s arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated quickly spread, so did a false report of the singer’s alleged drug use.
“Justin Timberlake allegedly had traces of molly, poppers, Truvada, and coke in his bloodstream following his DWI arrest in New York,” a parody X account called “PooCrave” posted.
The drug allegations against Timberlake are false and were quickly spread across social media without proper vetting.
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X users were able to add a community note to the post — which remains online — informing other users that PooCrave is a satire account and that Timberlake’s lawyer confirmed the singer faces just one DWI charge.
“The charge was a single count because he refused the breath test. Mr. Timberlake was also charged with two other court citations, running a stop sign and not traveling in the correct traffic lane,” lawyer Ed Burke told Us Weekly.
However, before the post was countered, it was quickly shared with users taking the claim at face value.
Timberlake arrested on DWI charge
Timberlake, 43, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated Monday night in Sag Harbor, New York. After being held overnight, Timberlake was arraigned and released without bail Tuesday, with another court date set for July 26.
Timberlake came to Sag Harbor, which is part of the Hamptons on Long Island, following a stop on his “Forget Tomorrow” tour in Miami last week.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that Timberlake had been partying with friends at the American Hotel, a well-known celebrity hangout, before his arrest.
Police said in a news release an officer pulled Timberlake over after he failed to stop at a stop sign and failed to maintain his lane of travel.
“Upon investigation, it was determined that Mr. Timberlake was operating his vehicle in an intoxicated condition,” police said. Court documents state he had “bloodshot and glassy eyes,” and that officers smelled alcohol on his breath. When offered a breathalyzer test, he refused, the document said.
Timberlake, according to the court documents, told officers he had one martini and was following his friends home.
According to court documents, the arresting officer reported Timberlake had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol and failed sobriety tests.
Timberlake’s career woes
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NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: Singers Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake in the audience at the 2000 MTV Music Video Awards in New York, in the United States of America on the 7th of September 2000.(Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) -
FILE – Britney Spears, left, and Justin Timberlake arrive at the 28th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2001. Spears’ memoir “The Woman in Me” releases Oct. 24. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File, File) -
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 1854 — Pictured: Musical guest Justin Timberlake performs “Selfish” on Saturday, January 27, 2024 — (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images) -
Justin Timberlake on Nov. 9, 2023 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/WWD via Getty Images) -
Justin Timberlake of N’Sync performs at World Aids Day Benefit Beacon Theater, New York, December 1999. (Photo by Steve Eichner/Getty Images) -
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – APRIL 29: (Exclusive Coverage) In this image released on June 4, Justin Timberlake performs onstage during his “The Forget Tomorrow” world tour at Rogers Arena on April 29, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation) -
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 01: Justin Timberlake performs onstage during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre on April 01, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) -
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 01: Justin Timberlake performs onstage during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre on April 01, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) -
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. ET and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Monday, March 11 included Dwayne Johnson (“WrestleMania 40” and “Papatui”), Robert De Niro, and musical guest Justin Timberlake. (Disney) -
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. ET and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Monday, March 11 included Dwayne Johnson (“WrestleMania 40” and “Papatui”), Robert De Niro, and musical guest Justin Timberlake. (Disney) -
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 10: Justin Timberlake attends the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 10, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Timberlake later addressed the controversy during an appearance on “The Tonight Show,” saying he didn’t know it was illegal and was merely trying to inspire people. According to Reuters, authorities in Tennessee did not investigate the incident.
As part of his tour, Timberlake has concert dates scheduled in Chicago this weekend, with ones in New York and Madison Square Garden to follow.
NewsNation previously reported that Timberlake has been struggling to sell tickets for “Forget Tomorrow.”
The DWI arrest compounds Timberlake’s career woes after his latest album flopped and concert tour sales struggled. It also follows controversy last year when Britney Spears alleged in her memoir that Timberlake had cheated on her and pressured her to have an abortion during their relationship in the early 2000s.
NewsNation’s Paula Froelich, Kelley Connors and Ava Pittman contributed to this report.
