Fact Check: Real Footage of Justin Timberlake Failing Sobriety Test?

Claim:

Authentic footage shows singer Justin Timberlake falling face-first onto the ground as a police officer attempted to administer a sobriety test in June 2024.

Rating:

Miscaptioned ( About this rating? )

Context:

No authentic footage of Justin Timberlake undergoing a police sobriety test is known to have been released to the public as of this writing. The clip in question is a joke video that has circulated on the internet since 2009 and does not feature Timberlake.

On June 18, 2024, pop singer Justin Timberlake was arrested in the Hamptons, New York, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, according to police.

After the news broke, many on social media posted joke videos riffing on the idea of police administering a sobriety test to the singer. One video in particular went viral for purporting to show real footage of Timberlake taking a sobriety test. It shows a police officer telling a man (identity unknown) to help him place tape on the ground. As the man does so, he falls face-forward onto the concrete, injuring himself.

The above video does not show Timberlake, much less Timberlake undergoing a sobriety test. Currently (as of this writing), there is no public footage available of the test itself, though we will update this story if it becomes available. This video was published on the internet years before Timberlake's 2024 arrest. As such we rate this video, and this claim, as "Miscaptioned."

Using Google's reverse-image search tool, we traced the original video as far back as 2009, when it appeared on YouTube . The time stamps on the top right of the footage dated the incident as occurring in October 2006.

The footage in the X post appeared to be a zoomed-in and blurred version of the video above.

The same blurred version of the video with the "Sky2" logo on the top left was published on YouTube as early as 2016.

According to new reports , surveillance footage showed Timberlake's vehicle being driven in the Hamptons before his arrest. The Sag Harbor police department released his mugshot on July 18.

The pop star reportedly failed field sobriety tests, according to police, and was arraigned and released without having to post bail around nine hours after being arrested. Timberlake pleaded not guilty to driving while intoxicated, and a court date was set for July 26, 2024.

Sources:

Bernstein, Jacob. "After His Arrest, Justin Timberlake Is the Talk of Sag Harbor." The New York Times, 19 June 2024. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/19/style/justin-timberlake-arrest-sag-harbor-local-reaction.html . Accessed 19 June 2024.

"Drunk Man Falls Down Face First During Sobriety Test." 2016. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D2U9HUuGtc . Accessed 19 June 2024.

Evon, Dan. "Snopes Tips: A Guide To Performing Reverse Image Searches." Snopes, 22 Mar. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/ . Accessed 19 June 2024.

"Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST): Walk And Turn Face Plant." Infinitely Qurious, 2009. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQkwXkPS5Co . Accessed 19 June 2024.

"Surveillance Photo Shows Justin Timberlake Driving on Empty Street Before Arrest." Peoplemag, https://people.com/justin-timberlake-photo-shows-driving-before-dwi-arrest-8665820 . Accessed 19 June 2024.