Justin Timberlake breaks silence on DWI arrest during Chicago concert

Justin Timberlake made his first public performance since his arrest on DWI charges in Long Island, New York, earlier this week.

He took the stage at the United Centre in Chicago on Friday night. 

The singer, 43, acknowledged to the audience that "it's been a tough week" before breaking into a moving performance of his song Selfish during the event.

"I know sometimes I'm hard to love but you keep on loving me and I love you right back," he added as concertgoers cheered.

He joked around with a couple who were celebrating their sixteenth wedding anniversary earlier in the performance.

The "verdict is in," Timberlake informed the fans, saying that this was "the best crowd of the tour."

On Tuesday, a statement released by the Sag Harbor Police Department stated that Timberlake “was observed operating a 2025 BMW southbound on Madison Street, failing to stop at a duly posted stop sign and failing to maintain his lane of travel.”

The hitmaker was found to be "operating his vehicle in an intoxicated condition" after an officer stopped him for a traffic infraction. 

As a result, he was "placed under arrest, processed, and held overnight for morning arraignment." Later that morning, he was freed on his recognisance.