Jessica Biel Reportedly Pushed Justin Timberlake to Issue Public Apology

Even though their lives were recently touched by a bit of a scandal, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel remain a united front. According to a new report from Us Weekly, Biel supposedly wanted to make sure the world knew that the couple was indeed "still united." So, she reportedly encouraged her husband to make that very public Instagram apology.

In case you missed it, on Dec. 4, Timberlake wrote an apology to his wife after he was spotted getting close to his Palmer co-star Alisha Wainwright. Now, a source has told Us Weekly that Biel was the one who encouraged him to take that apology public.

"Jessica encouraged Justin to put out his statement on Instagram because she felt embarrassed by his actions and wanted him to take accountability," the source revealed. Additionally, they added that the couple is "still united" following all of the drama.

This whole matter began in late November when Timberlake was first spotted hanging out with Wainwright in New Orleans. The Sun published photos of the pair, one in which they could be seen holding hands under the table and another with Wainwright's hand on Timberlake's knee. After they were spotted together, a source told E! News that there was nothing going on with the two actors.

"They were out with all the cast, crew, makeup artists, and everyone was just hanging out in a social setting," the insider told the publication. "They are just working together. No validity to any other rumor other than that they are filming together."

Timberlake ultimately issued his own apology on Dec. 4 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 I love," he began. "A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse in judgement — 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. I am incredibly proud to be working on Palmer. Looking forward to continuing making this movie and excited for people to see it," he ended his message.

After he first released his apology, E! News gave some insight into how his message came to be. Apparently, the singer "hopes by addressing what happened and apologizing to her publicly that they can put this behind them and start to move on."

The source continued to tell the publication, "Justin feels like the story isn't dying and hopes this will be the end of it. He always tries to keep his private life private, but he knows he made a big mistake in public and now has to own up to it."