Justin Timberlake’s arrest might’ve tanked his world tour but it’s somehow propelled his last one to surprise streaming success

Justin Timberlake was arrested for driving while intoxicated, but one of the singer’s biggest concerns is his ongoing world tour. While that might tank, it turns out the “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” singer has a surprise ace up his sleeve.

On June 18, Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, Hamptons, New York, and was released the same day. However, his arrest started a conversation that included funny memes and outraged comments. The singer allegedly missed a stop sign while going for a “short drive” to a friend’s house, and was unable to walk in a straight line when asked by the cop who pulled him over. Furthermore, the “Cry Me a River” singer refused a breathalyzer test three times despite claiming he only drank “one martini.” His refusal led to him being taken to a police station and getting a magazine cover-worthy mugshot with bloodshot eyes.

An incident like this might be a career suicide, even if JT got lucky and his drunk driving didn’t lead to something more serious. Naturally, it seems like Justin was concerned his drunk driving might ruin his world tour.

Justin Timberlake’s drunk driving led to a surprise hit

Following his arrest, the cop who stopped JT was reportedly “so young” that he had no idea who the superstar was, a source told Page Six. Timberlake is currently on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, and that was a major concern when he got pulled over, the source added. The 43-year-old singer reportedly said, “This is going to ruin the tour” when dealing with the cop, but he didn’t act difficult or entitled, as he seemed aware he was in the wrong.

One thing he likely didn’t expect was for his latest film to grow in popularity. Trolls Band Together, the third installment in the popular Trolls franchise, has seen an increase in popularity on streaming services just after the announcement of JT’s arrest. The animated musical, which was a hit with the audience, made $209.6 million at the box office in 2023, as per The Numbers, and holds a 63% rating from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Following JT’s recent drunk driving, the film has also become more popular on streaming services. Since June 18, Trolls Band Together hopped three spots on Max’s charts, becoming the fourth most popular film in the U.S., per FlixPatrol.

The singer and actor hasn’t publicly addressed his arrest as of this writing, although he might be right about his poor decisions’ impact on his tour. Drunk driving often has dire consequences, with people getting hurt or worse. According to NHTSA, every day 37 people lose their lives in crashes where one of the parties was driving while intoxicated. This roughly translates to around one person every 39 minutes. Since we usually hold celebrities to a higher status, we also hope for them to set a good example.

As a father of two, Justin Timberlake, who has previously admitted having “excessive drinking” problems in the past, has really dropped the ball with this incident, and the potential impact on his tour is the least of his problems. Instead, he should focus on learning from this incident and understanding the impact of his platform.