Justin Timberlake is still catching some heat for the mistake of his DWI arrest. This time, however, an aggrieved and heartbroken mother is the one leading the chant against the singer. After Timberlake made a joke about his arrest, Sheila Lockwood, who lost her son to a drunk driving incident, expressed her disappointment, saying she is done being a fan.
During his Saturday show in Boston, Timberlake made light of his June 18 arrest, telling the crowd, “So, uh, is there anyone here tonight that is driving โ no, I’m just kidding.” He then went on to thank his fans for supporting his three-decade career. Although the crowd found the moment funny, Lockwood couldn’t look past the severity of drunk driving. She declared that “there is nothing funny about” the singer’s joke.
“It’s very disappointing. He has a huge platform that he could be using to bring awareness to this. It is a national crisis. Every 79 seconds, someone’s killed or injured from drunk driving, and he’s standing on stage making a joke of it. It’s not funny.”
Sheila Lockwood
Lockwood, the national ambassador of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), believed the SexyBack singer should have used his arrest as a teaching moment. “As a mom that has lost a son, it’s very disheartening. He lost a fan here,” she lamented to Fox News. “I don’t think it was appropriate. What message does it send to young fans?” Lockwood lost her 23-year-old son Austin in 2018 while on a trip from Illinois to Wisconsin.
MADD Wants Justin Timberlake To Bear The Consequences
Lockwood isn’t the first MADD member to publicly chastise the 10-time Grammy winner. Last month, MADD CEO Stacey D. Stewart stated that she wanted Timberlake to own up to his mistakes. Stewart, in an interview, echoed her colleague’s sentiment, urging Timberlake to use his platform to raise awareness.
“MADD would be very disappointed if Justin didn’t realize that this moment of his poor judgment could be a moment that could pivot the behaviour of so many tens and tens of thousands of people.”
She also noted it would be good to see Timberlake suffer the true consequences of the legal system rather than get a slap on the wrist. The 43-year-old was arrested in Sag Harbour after a night of drinking and partying with friends. He was charged with one count of driving while intoxicated and two other traffic violations.
