Justin Timberlake's arresting officer reportedly unaware of singer's fame, internet reacts

Justin Timberlake's arresting officer reportedly didn't recognize him, leading to viral social media reactions.

Justin Timberlake was recently arrested for driving while intoxicated on Long Island, New York, after leaving The American Hotel in Sag Harbor on June 18. According to Page Six, the arresting officer did not recognize the Grammy-winning artist, sparking widespread amusement on social media.

Gonna start saying “this is going to ruin the tour” as a response to every slight inconvenience in my life https://t.co/xxvYcHOrN0

— nico (@NicosTwtAccount) June 18, 2024

A source told Page Six, "The cop didn’t know who he was at first. Justin said under his breath, ‘This is going to ruin the tour.’ The cop replied, ‘What tour?’ Justin said, ‘The world tour.’” This exchange quickly became a viral sensation, with many social media users humorously referencing Timberlake's apparent expectation that officials would be aware of his Forget Tomorrow World Tour.

pic.twitter.com/s9MM3AbiRd

— Heben Nigatu (@hebennigatu) June 20, 2024

One user on X (formerly Twitter) remarked, "I already feel like 'this is going to ruin the tour. the world tour' is gonna enter my vocabulary for the next six months." Another commented, "Gonna start saying 'this is going to ruin the tour' as a response to every slight inconvenience in my life." A viral post read, "'This is going to ruin the tour,' I whisper when my PTO request gets denied," garnering over 121,000 likes.

Memes about the reported exchange referenced Timberlake's involvement in the Trolls franchise and Adam Driver's iconic wall punch scene in Marriage Story. Some users also joked about Timberlake completing field sobriety tests.

Timberlake, 43, was pulled over in the morning after spending time with friends, a source told PEOPLE. The insider added, "Nobody was hurt." Timberlake was charged with one count of DWI and received citations for running a stop sign and failing to keep in lane.

The arrest report noted that Timberlake's "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."

Attorney Edward Burke Jr. released a statement the following day, stating, "Mr. Burke looks 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."

Timberlake has not yet commented publicly on the arrest. His world tour continues with scheduled stops in Chicago on June 21 and June 22, and in New York City on June 25 and June 26.