Justin Timberlake is under fire after a viral video from one of his recent tour stops sparked major backlash online, and fans aren’t exactly singing his praises. In the now-widely circulated clip, Timberlake is seen holding the mic out to the crowd while letting the audience sing large portions of one of his biggest hits. But instead of hyping up the moment, viewers were quick to call him out for what they saw as a lackluster, half-hearted performance.
“He’s bringing lazy back,” one viewer joked, referencing his iconic 2006 hit, SexyBack. Another added, “I want a refund and I wasn’t even there.” The criticism didn’t stop there. Several users noted that Timberlake repeatedly handed off the vocals during the show, prompting accusations of ego and minimal effort.
“Did he forget he’s not in *NSYNC anymore so he has to sing all the parts himself?” one fan quipped. “The fact he did this for several songs is so upsetting. He needs to be humbled fast,” another wrote. One particularly scathing take read, “Now I get it why people left when he was performing.” Others slammed the performance as a prime example of celebrity entitlement, “The ego big enough to think fans will be satisfied just for him being there…”
TikToker Roasts Justin Timberlake’s ‘Karaoke Tour’
TikToker Peter Chao jumped into the conversation with a viral video of his own, poking fun at Timberlake’s performance by lip-syncing to a sound clip from the concert where the singer hands the vocals off to the crowd. In the clip, Chao dramatically gestures and mouths along to the fans singing, while Timberlake’s voice is notably absent.
He cheekily captioned the post, “Justin Timberlake might as well host a listening party vs a concert at this point.” The mockery didn’t stop there. The comment section was filled with more digs at the pop star’s performance style. “That performance could have been an email,” one user wrote. “The Audience ft. Justin Timberlake,” another quipped. “Justin’s karaoke tour is unbelievably funny,” one person joked, while another added, “I hate when singers do that. I didn’t pay to hear a crowd singing.”
Chao’s video only added fuel to the growing backlash, reinforcing the sentiment that fans expect more than just a presence on stage. They want a performance.
