Justin Timberlake Breaks Silence on Alisha Wainwright Hand-Holding Photos

Justin Timberlake is sending a clear message to his fans after the controversy surrounding photos of himself and co-star Alisha Wainwright in New Orleans. Weeks after the images surfaced online featuring the singer holding hands and seemingly getting cozy with the Raising Dion actress, Timberlake took to Instagram to break his silence on what happened.

“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 to make this movie and excited for people to see it,” he ended his post.

Timberlake’s comments come as the first response from him about the scandal, which surfaced on Nov. 24 after Timberlake was seen at a New Orleans bar with his co-star in the upcoming film. The photos showed the pair’s hands intertwined, and in another photo Wainwright’s hand rested on the singer’s leg.

The statement also comes as reports claimed he and wife Jessica Biel had been having trouble even before the photos were released.

“Justin and Jessica have been arguing for months,” a source told InTouch of the parents, who share 4-year-old, Silas together. “They’ve been fighting to save the marriage for the sake of Silas, but the photos of him wasted and being all handsy with Alisha is the final nail in the coffin.”

After the photos surfaced, sources as well as Wainwright’s rep spoke out saying the pair were in an outing with the rest of the cast of the film, which is currently filming in New Orleans. They maintained the photos did not signal to any romantic relationship going on between the two actors.

Biel has not publicly commented on the controversy herself and has stayed relatively away from the public eye.