Signs Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel's Marriage Is On The Rocks

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have faced many a divorce rumor, but they're still going strong despite the whispers. That isn't to say they haven't weathered plenty of storms. The *NSYNC alum's drunk driving arrest is believed to have heightened existing tension in the marriage. That's because the run-in with the police happened just months after Britney Spears revealed an unflattering side of Timberlake in her description of their relationship in her memoir, which reportedly embarrassed Biel.

These headline-grabbing events came when the couple had reportedly just found its footing after Timberlake's cheating rumors with actor Alisha Wainwright in 2019. It also doesn't help that the pop star has been busy on a nearly year-long tour, leaving little room in his schedule for his family. To heal from all the highly publicized drama surrounding their marriage, Biel and Timberlake are said to have sought therapy. But Biel is positive they'll find a way to make it work.

After all, they've done it before. After four years of relationship, Biel and Timberlake split in 2011 amid rumors he had fallen for his "Friends With Benefits" co-star Mila Kunis, which they denied. "No one came between them," reps for the couple told People. But the breakup didn't stick. They reconciled a few months later and tied the knot the following year. More than a decade and two sons later, they're still together. But the signs are clear that the marriage has hit a rough patch in recent years. 

Justin Timberlake's DWI arrest shattered Jessica Biel's projection of their perfect marriage. Just days before he was pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving in Sag Harbor in June 2024, Biel had been singing his character's praises. "You're so many things to so many people. But to us you are THE ROCK. The rock we climb on, we lean against. The rock that shades us from the sun," she shared on Instagram. Unsurprisingly, his arrest didn't sit well with her. "Jessica is extremely upset," a source told Us Weekly.

It didn't help that she didn't learn about the arrest right away. "She was shocked to hear the news and had no idea as she was working," the insider added of Biel, who was working on "The Better Sister" in New York City. But she believed Timberlake when he told her he had just had one drink when he was pulled over. "She always gives Justin the benefit of the doubt," the insider said. Timberlake has argued in court that he drank one martini before getting behind the wheel, People reported.

The bartender who served Timberlake at the hotel where he had been hanging out with friends confirmed his claim. "If he was drinking more, it wasn't here," the employee told People. The court case is ongoing, and Biel hasn't commented on it. But she supported him by attending his concert at Madison Square Garden just days after the arrest. 

Justin Timberlake's encounter with the police wasn't the first time his behavior caused Jessica Biel to experience public embarrassment. In November 2019, a paparazzo caught him acting a bit too cozy with his "Palmer" co-star Alisha Wainwright (seen above) on a New Orleans balcony. In some of the most damning moments, they were captured holding hands, and Wainwright was seen caressing Timberlake's leg. "Then he clutched her hand with both of his and was playing with her hands," a source told The Sun.

Jessica Biel was not happy at all with the videos and photos going viral. "Jessica was very upset and embarrassed by Justin's behavior and thought it was completely inappropriate," a source told Us Weekly. A few weeks later, Timberlake addressed the PDA scandal in a since-deleted social media post that included a direct apology to Biel. "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," he wrote on Instagram, according to the Daily Mail.

Biel was reportedly the one who urged Timberlake to issue a public apology. "She felt embarrassed by his actions and wanted him to take accountability and feel embarrassed as well," an Us Weekly source said. Despite her humiliation, Biel believed that nothing beyond what was captured on video had happened between Timberlake and Wainwright. "[They'll] work through this," a source told People. 

Ahead of the release of Britney Spears' 2023 memoir, Justin Timberlake was reportedly apprehensive about the picture she would paint. It turned out he had good reason for feeling so. "The Woman in Me" made a series of revelations about Spears and Timberlake's highly publicized relationship, including that he pressured her to have an abortion when she was 19. "Justin definitely wasn't happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren't ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young," she wrote.

The Princess of Pop acquiesced, but she wasn't happy with the decision. "If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it," she shared. Spears' revelations are said to have caused a rift between Timberlake and Jessica Biel. While he didn't condemn her for writing about their relationship, he was upset about having to deal with the consequences of events he had long put behind him. "This book is a nightmare for him because of how it throws the whole family into chaos," a source told The U.S. Sun.

Part of the problem is that Timberlake has put a lot of work into his public persona, and the image cast by Spears has put a dent in it. "Justin owns who he was when he and Britney were together, even though his personality, career, lifestyle, and personal priorities are radically different now, 20 years later," the insider said.

Between Jessica Biel's filming schedule and Justin Timberlake's tours, they often struggle to find time for each other. Throw two kids in the mix, and time alone becomes an elusive commodity. Biel admitted as much. "It's always a work in progress," she said on "The View" in May 2024. "It's constantly trying to find the balance, find the time we can connect." But technologies like Zoom and FaceTime help. "For traveling families — for everybody, really — but for parents who are gone a lot, that's been really helpful," she said.

She acknowledged that it takes a lot of planning and having their priorities aligned. "Just finding the time we can connect and see each other in person and get him with the kids," she said. Their time together has become more restricted amid Timberlake's 2024 "The Forget Tomorrow World Tour" that's set to last through the end of the year. But Biel tried her best to avoid painting the picture that the time apart was a source of strain for them. "I don't know how we're going to do it, but we're going to get through it," she said.

To keep the family cohesiveness, Biel and Timberlake spend as much time away from the coasts as possible, choosing to spend time in their Montana and Tennessee homes. "We're just trying to create some normalcy for these kids," she said on the "Let's Talk Off Camera With Kelly Ripa" podcast.

On the heels of the Alisha Wainwright debacle, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel agreed that their marriage could use some external help. Between 2019 and 2024, the two have reportedly been in couples therapy on and off to address some of their issues, according to Radar. Biel believed they had made significant progress until the DWI arrest pulled the rug out from under her feet. "[She thinks] they're right back where they started," a source told the outlet.

However, another insider spilled that Biel had been questioning the efficacy of the sessions since before Timberlake's embarrassing brush with the law. "Though they do love each other, all of the couples therapy they've undergone simply isn't fixing some of their underlying issues," a source told Life & Style in January 2024. While Biel argued that she and Timberlake often retreat to Montana to reconnect as a family and take the kids away from the prying eyes of paparazzi, insiders say the picture isn't as rosy.

Perhaps they were hoping the time away would remind them of the love they have for each other and start anew. "But you can't run away from your problems," the Life & Style source said. However, others disagree that the couple's decision to be in couples therapy is indicative of marital trouble. "They make sure to have a good balance and occasionally will see a therapist for a check in," an insider told ET in February 2024.