Justin Timberlake has addressed fans for the first time since he was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated earlier this week.
The 10-time Grammy winner took the stage in Chicago for a concert stop Friday night amid his Forget Tomorrow tour, telling the crowd at the United Center that he’s had a “tough week.”
“We’ve been together through ups and downs, lefts and rights,” he said as concertgoers cheered, according to video clips posted on social media. “It’s been a tough week. But you’re here, and I’m here, and nothing can change this moment right now.”
He continued: “I know sometimes I’m hard to love. But you keep on loving me, and I love you right back. Thank you so much.”
Timberlake was taken into police custody just before 1 a.m. Tuesday in Sag Harbor, a village of Long Island, New York, after his BMW ran a stop sign and failed to stay in its lane, according to Sag Harbor police.
An officer described the singer as having “bloodshot and glassy” eyes, “slowed speech” and “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” on his breath at the time of his arrest, court documents said.
Timberlake refused a breath test and “performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” police said.
Edward Burke Jr., the singer’s attorney, said in a statement to HuffPost that he looked “forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake on these allegations.”
“He will have a lot to say at the appropriate time,” Burke stated.
Timberlake is scheduled to return to Chicago’s United Center for another performance on his world tour Saturday.
His next stops are set for Tuesday and Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
