The mother of a victim of a drunk driving accident expressed disappointment after Justin Timberlake appeared to downplay the June 18 incident during his Boston show on Saturday.
“So, is anybody here driving tonight? No, I’m kidding,” he said during the show, seemingly joking that some in the audience might be drinking and driving. He went on to thank his fans for their support over the past 30 years.
The former *NSYNC star was charged with one count of DUI, as well as failing to keep to the right and failing to stop at a stop sign, following an alleged drunk driving incident that occurred late at night in the Hamptons, New York, last month.
Sheila Lockwood, whose 23-year-old son Austin died in a drunk driving accident in 2018, told Fox News Digital that she has lost one of Timberlake’s fans since his Boston comments.
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Justin Timberlake’s arrest photo taken at the Sag Harbor Police Department. (Sag Harbor Police Department)
The national goodwill ambassador for Moms Against Drunk Driving (MADD) said there was “nothing strange” about the charges against the international pop star.
“It’s such a shame. He has a huge platform that he can use to bring attention to this issue,” Lockwood said. “This is a national crisis. Every 79 seconds, someone is killed or injured by a drunk driver and he gets up on stage and makes a joke out of it. It’s not a laughing matter.”
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Sheila Lockwood, whose 23-year-old son Austin was killed in a drunk driving accident in 2018, told Fox News Digital that she has one less Timberlake fan since his Boston comments. (Handouts)
Lockwood noted that Timberlake’s lawsuit is still ongoing, adding that he “shouldn’t have mentioned it at all” or “should have used it as a learning opportunity to raise awareness and acknowledge that the choices he made that night were poor.”
“It’s not funny and I’m very sad as a mother who lost a son. He lost a fan over this. I don’t think it was appropriate and there’s nothing funny about it. What kind of message does it send to young fans?” she said.
Justin Timberlake’s driving video just before he was arrested for drunk driving
Austin Lockwood’s mother said she was disappointed that Justin Timberlake joked about his DUI charge instead of using his platform to spread an important message about the dangers of drinking and driving. (Handouts)
Lockwood noted that 37 people die every day in the United States from drunk driving. Her son, Austin, was one of those people on June 8, 2018. He left Illinois that day and headed to Wisconsin to help clean out a friend’s cabin because he would “do anything for anybody,” she said.
According to Lockwood, Austin was driving with a friend that Saturday evening when the friend “attempted to go over 70 miles per hour on a narrow, tree-lined road that was extremely dangerous, striking a tree and taking Austin’s life.” The driver was sentenced to three years in prison and four years’ probation.
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The drunk driver who killed Austin Lockwood was sentenced to three years in prison and four years extended probation. (Handouts)
MADD CEO Stacey Stewart similarly told Fox News Digital that the organization is “deeply disappointed in Justin Timberlake’s recent comments at a concert in which he made light of drunk driving, a serious crime with devastating consequences.”
“Drunk driving deaths have increased 33% since 2019. More than 13,000 people will die in alcohol-related crashes in 2022,” Stewart noted. “Drunk driving is no laughing matter, and it’s disturbing and disappointing to see a public figure make light of such a serious issue. Timberlake has a significant platform and an opportunity to impact millions of people. Instead of joking, he can use his voice to educate his audience about the dangers of drunk driving and urge everyone to prioritize getting home safely.”
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Stewart added that MADD is looking at a variety of solutions to “end this worsening public health crisis,” including equipping all new cars with “drunken driving prevention technology” through the federal HALT Act.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Timberlake’s attorney and media representative.
