Before he was caught up in a hand-holding scandal with his Palmer co-star Alisha Wainwright, Justin Timberlake was spreading the holiday cheer on a pre-taped episode of NBC’s Ellen’s Greatest Night Of Giveaways that aired this Thursday. According to the Daily Mail, the “Can’t Stop This Feeling” singer appeared on the third and final episode of the NBC special, where he helped surprise the Bender family from Troy, Ohio, whose patriarch, Stan Bender, was diagnosed with ALS in December of 2016.
“It’s kind of like we lose a little bit of him each day. His hugs aren’t as tight anymore, but he can still hug,” Stan’s wife, Dee Dee, said in a taped video that aired before the family took the stage.
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Timberlake then joined DeGeneres and the family before they were presented a gift of $400,000 to help with expenses, including medical expenses, college expenses, and future expenses.
“I am not used to walking onto a show crying, but wow,” Timberlake said as he greeted the family. “It is just an honor to be here with you. What an inspiration.”
But the giving didn’t stop after the commercial break.
“I’m burning up with giveaway fever,” Timberlake said after DeGeneres felt his forehead to check his temperature. “And you know, there’s only one thing that helps with that. It’s not more cowbell. It’s if we give stuff away to the whole audience.”
Throughout the remainder of the episode, Timberlake and DeGeneres went on to surprise audience members with a $500 Fandango gift card, a Victorinox watch worth more than $500, a $750 Harley-Davidson gift card, a $600 Southwest Airlines gift card, and a “luxurious vacation” with a six-day stay at their choice of Garza Blanca Resorts and Hotels destinations in Mexico.
The episode was recorded prior to the scandal that broke in late November after Timberlake, who is currently in New Orleans filming Palmer, and his co-star were photographed holding hands at a bar in the Big Easy. The PDA sparked rumors regarding his relationship with Jessica Biel, whom he married in 2012, though Timberlake on Dec. 4 set the record straight in a public statement.
“A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse in judgement — but let me be clear — nothing happened between me and my costar,” he wrote in part. “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.”
Although Biel has returned to social media, she has not yet publicly addressed the drama.
