Justin Timberlake’s Ethnicity Explained After “White?” Comment Goes Viral

Footage from Justin Timberlake’s June 2024 arrest has hit the web, and folks cannot stop talking about one specific moment. The clip from his Sag Harbor stop shows him joking about paperwork that listed his race as white.

In a video obtained by the AP, Justin looks at the form and says, “White? I’m just kidding. I’m just kidding, man.” The same footage also shows him telling officers, “You boys [are] treating me like I’m a criminal.”

Now people are questioning Justin’s ethnicity. His joke has some wondering if he might not be white after all.

The public record from the DWI arrest lists him as white, and Justin has previously said genealogy research shows he is of British descent. “I’ve had my genealogy studied and I want to say that I am of British descent,” he told GMTV, per The Irish Examiner.

Justin’s “White? I’m just kidding” comment gained traction because he has spent a huge part of his career making music influenced by R&B, soul, and hip-hop. His solo debut Justified included tracks produced by The Neptunes and Timbaland. In a 2002 interview with Billboard, Justin spoke about creating the album and highlighted its mix of musical influences.

“For the six weeks that we worked on these songs, I got to live in my own musical dream world and play a little hip-hop, a little old-school R&B, a little classic rock,” Justin said. “It was so much fun — and I learned a lot about making music in a totally different way than I was used to."

Because of that, some listeners may have made assumptions about his background. However, the facts around his background are not actually murky. Justin is widely identified as a white American artist.

The arrest itself was serious. According to People, Justin failed to stop at a stop sign and twice drifted out of his lane while driving through Sag Harbor. Court documents state that officers observed bloodshot and glassy eyes, smelled alcohol on his breath, and said he was unsteady on his feet. They also said he performed poorly on field sobriety tests.

In the bodycam footage, Justin said he had “one martini” and told officers he was following his friends home.

He struggles with the walk-and-turn and one-leg-stand tests. At one point, he tells police, “Hard to explain,” before adding, “World tour. I’m Justin Timberlake,” when an officer asks why he is in town.

Justin later pleaded guilty to the reduced traffic offense of driving while ability impaired. As part of the plea deal, he received a $500 fine, a $260 surcharge, 25 hours of community service, and a 90-day license suspension. He also recorded a public safety message, where he said, “Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car.” In that same post-plea message, he urged people to call a friend, use a rideshare app, or take a taxi instead of driving after drinking.