Justin Timberlake struggled with a drinking problem for several years before his recent arrest for driving while intoxicated in New York.
An insider told Page Six that the *NSYNC singer has been facing the problem for years but is trying to mask it.
"It's not a secret. Everyone knows," the insider revealed, noting that the problem has since been there for two years. "He has a real drinking problem, a lot of weed - but a major alcohol problem, and he's been hiding and masking it for years."
However, a different source claimed to the outlet that the singer has since been sober and had not drunk for a while before his recent DWI arrest. The source even noted that the singer had tried to lose weight and lived a healthier lifestyle to prepare for his world tour.
"It's a real thing, and when you have a drinking problem, it's apparent, yet they've pushed this tour on him, and he's been a very dark place," the source added.
The source even noted that Timberlake's drinking problem was exacerbated after he was subjected to intense backlash after the release of Britney Spears' controversial memoir, The Woman in Me.
"He was very concerned about his career and acting. People were very worried about him," the insider confirmed.
READ ALSO: Justin Timberlake DWI Arrest Can Be Traced Britney Spears, Harry Styles: Report
An interview with Today was recently unearthed on social media, revisiting Timberlake's history with drug usage.
"I've done way too many drugs already. I've already inhaled and I've already ... who knows?" Timberlake told Observer Music Monthly in 2006. "I'm just like everyone else, I get completely plastered, I've done my fair share of drugs and I've been caught places with my pants down."
Timberlake was eating out with friends at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor on June 18, 2024, before he drove off in his car. Cops stationed outside the hotel spotted and followed him.
"[Timberlake] was out to dinner with friends, and cop cars were stationed outside the restaurant like most nights," an insider told The Daily Mail. "They look for people who are leaving after midnight who might have been drinking."
He was charged with a count of driving while intoxicated and cited for two traffic violations. Eventually, the singer was released without bail on Tuesday morning.
Although Timberlake maintained that he only had one martini, the complaint listed him as someone who "was unable to divide attention," having "slowed speech," "unsteady afoot, and even "performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests."
