How Justin Timberlake's alleged affair with Alisha Wainwright nearly hurt 'Palmer' star's marriage to Jessica Biel
'Palmer' starring Justin Timberlake, Alisha Wainright and June Squibb is all set to hit the screens on January 29, Apple TV+. The film promises to be a tearjerker, going by the trailers itself. As the lead character, Timberlake is ready to scorch screens as a former All-American collegiate football star named Eddie Palmer who is trying to find his life's purpose, after spending 12 years in jail.
In the trailer, we can see Palmer with his grandmother, played by June Squibb as well as a little boy named Sam (Ryder Allen). Sam has been abandoned by his mother and is being bullied in school. Palmer finds solace in mentoring him. The film has been creating much buzz, for several reasons, of course, one being the alleged affair between Timberlake and Wainright, which reportedly almost cost him his marriage to actress Jessica Biel.
Timberlake-Biel's marriage began on a rocky note?
On October 19, 2012, Timberlake and Biel tied the knot in Italy after dating sporadically for five years. Back in March 2011, the couple had gone their separate ways. A few weeks after the split, one of Timberlake's friends told People that calling it quits was what he needed. "Justin was dying to be single and have fun," the source revealed. "He was torn, because Jess is an amazing woman and considered to be 'marriage material,' and he loved that about her. But he couldn't drag her along just because one day in the far future he'd want to marry her. It was making her crazy, and it was making him hate himself." Ironically, though he wasn't ready to walk down the aisle, he proposed to Biel that very year itself, leaving many to speculate whether he was just putting a band-aid on the situation.
Enter, Alisha Wainwright
In November 2019, Timberlake found himself in marital soup. In pictures and a video seen that had spread like wildfire, the 38-year-old was caught getting super cozy with Wainwright, 30. The two were spotted holding hands. This led to frenzy and speculation, which left both Timberlake and Wainwright's PR's fighting a tough battle. It was left to be questioned whether they were stopping false news from spreading or in fact, covering up something more. In November 2019, Wainwright was spotted putting her hand on Timberlake's knee and holding hands with him. Timberlake was too close to her for comfort, as several outlets reported. And...he was without his wedding ring that night. *Gasp*Sources told the media outlet that Timberlake had been "drinking heavily" that night, but obviously, many did not buy that.
In fact, in July 2020 when the couple welcomed their second child, speculations were rife that Timberlake may have cheated on Biel while she was pregnant. Rumors were abound that Biel was headed for a divorce as a few sources claimed she was “upset and embarrassed by her husband’s behavior”, according to the US Weekly. In fact, at the time, many of their fans were convinced that the couple was splitting and seemed shocked upon learning about the secret pregnancy.
Clarifications
A source gave People the lowdown on what exactly went down that night. "It's a balcony with a group of people and it was definitely nothing happening," the source said. "He's down there shooting [his film] Palmer, they're starring in the movie together and they're cool and everybody was just hanging out." The source went on to say, "The video may look a way, but literally it was nothing. It was some friends, members of the team, crew and people like that. They all know each other and were hanging. Like come on, they're on an open balcony in New Orleans and he's famous. It was nothing." Wainwright's camp also issued a statement to the outlet saying,"There is no validity to this speculation. They are currently working on a project together. Members of the cast and crew were all together."
A public apology
Timberlake posted a lengthy apology on Instagram, "I stay away from gossip as much as I can, but for my family I feel it is important to address recent rumors that are hurting the people that I love," he wrote. "A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse in judgement (sic) — but let me be clear — nothing happened between me and my costar. I drank way too much that night and I regret my behavior. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son. I apologize to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be. This was not that."
And for some reason, plugged in his film 'Palmer'. I am incredibly proud to be working on Palmer. Looking forward to continuing to make this movie and excited for people to see it."
This isn't the first time Timberlake has been accused of cheating. Hark back to the days of 'Friends With Benefits', when he was reportedly a little too friendly with co-star Mila Kunis. A source close to the actress told US Weekly (via HollywoodLife), "Mila knew he had a girlfriend and made it clear it wasn't going to happen."