Justin Timberlake was trying to salvage his reputation when he made a big mistake.

Seven months on from his arrest for a DWI, Justin Timberlake has been on one hell of an apology world tour.

After a brief social media hiatus after the Sag Harbor incident, Timberlake returned to Instagram to promote his tour merchandise for his Madison Square Garden shows.

"This is so important right now," he, rather oddly, said for the announcement.

Since then, Timberlake has been performing sell-out shows for his (tour, the world tour!!) Forget Tomorrow World Tour, where he addressed the arrest directly to his fans.

On stage on June 21, 2024 in Chicago, he told concertgoers, "It's been a tough week. I know sometimes I'm hard to love, but you keep on loving me and I love you right back."

He's been performing all sorts of spectacular stunts across Canada, North America and Europe, with one involving a harness which happened to cup his nether region rather tightly.

@quin__t

Mirrors @ Sportpaleis Antwerpen #justintimberlake #forgettomorrowtour #concert #fyp #concerts

♬ original sound - quinty

Then in December, he reunited with Jimmy Fallon for a bromance Christmas carol called 'You'll Be There' which they performed on The Tonight Show.

The collaboration was heavily promoted on Timberlake's Instagram in the lead-up to the song's release. Considering just how beloved the duo were for their iconic Saturday Night Live sketches, it's no coincidence that the 'Girlfriend' singer picked 2024 to remind fans of this unproblematic friendship.

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He ended 2024 by hosting a holiday decoration competition just to make it clear that he's super wholesome.

But wait, there's more.

The singer has kicked off the new year by joining an initiative that encourages kids to ride bikes to school. He took a ride with Bike Bus co-founder, Sam Balto, and other bikers for a journey through Portland, Oregon.

"BIKE BUS! Thank you @coachbalto for letting me and @thetnkids join your morning ride yesterday," he caption an Instagram Reel.

"You're bringing joy to a lot of people out here."

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A post shared by Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake)

During a Portland gig, he spoke warmly about the experience.

"What you're doing here in your local community [is] inspiring people, doing good things, inspiring young minds," he told the Forget Tomorrow World Tour audience.

At this point, shall we just anoint thee, Saint Justin?

Well, as the pop star has truly hustled to redeem himself and fix his public image in recent months, a slightly inconveniently timed video has surfaced featuring a painfully awkward interaction between Timberlake and a group of fans.

As some people spotted the 43-year-old in a car driving parallel to them, they shouted out asking him a question.

"Wind down your window, let's race!" asked an excitable passenger.

"You want something? You want something?" Timberlake bizarrely hammered the group, with an angry expression on his face.

why is justin timberlake so mean omfg😭??? pic.twitter.com/LehKauwOOj

— 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆🫧💚 (@beyoncegarden) January 12, 2025

Granted that Timberlake was probably just trying to mind his own business and go about his night, this rather aggressive response is still at odds with this 'nice guy' persona he's been platforming since his arrest.

Whether you buy his redemption arc or not, Timberlake is set to have a busy 2025. His tour (yes, the world tour) is heading to Mexico before a bunch of dates throughout Europe will keep him busy through July.

In May, Timberlake is set to headline the 2025 BottleRock Napa Valley festival, performing alongside artists like Benson Boone, Ice Cube and Kaleo.

Watch Justin Timberlake reflect on what happened with Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl. Post continues after video.

Back in June, Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor after being pulled over for running a stop sign and failing to stay in his lane. The singer initially faced DWI charges after refusing a breathalyser test and performing poorly on field sobriety tests.

CNN reported that Timberlake told police that he only had one martini but his eyes appeared "bloodshot and glassy" and he had a "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage" on his breath.

On September 13, 2024, Timberlake accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to a lesser charge of driving while ability impaired (DWAI).

"I try to hold myself to a very high standard, for myself, and this was not that," he said at a press conference.

"Even if you've had one drink, don't get behind the wheel of a car… This is a mistake that I made, but I'm hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have."

As part of the plea deal, he was ordered to pay a $500 fine and complete 25 hours of community service.

Feature image: Getty.