Apple TV+ has dropped the trailer for its new inspirational drama Palmer, but Justin Timberlake‘s personal scandal behind the scenes of the project is drawing away some of the attention. Palmer, which will release on Jan. 29, sees Timberlake appear as a former college football star who takes a job as a janitor after serving time in prison. Additionally, he begins to look after a young boy who doesn’t conform to gender norms.
As the trailer shows, Palmer — directed by Fisher Stevens and written by Cheryl Guerriero — will surely send an uplifting message of acceptance and perseverance to viewers. However, some have chosen to focus on the infamous paparazzi photos captured during the movie’s production. In the notorious images, Timberlake, who is married to Jessica Biel, held hands with co-star Alisha Wainwright, which many saw as a sign of infidelity. (Both parties have denied there was an affair of any sort, and Timberlake apologized to Biel in a public statement.)
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First look at #PALMER directed by Fisher Stevens (script by Cheryl Guerriero). This story is really important to me and I’m proud to be part of it. Coming to @AppleTV JAN 29 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/hNA1Af11wG
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) December 17, 2020
Some, such as Perez Hilton, chose to zero in on this aspect of the film when discussing the trailer. Timberlake’s supporters flocked to condone Hilton’s headline, as did Guerriero. However, he was not the only person online that had the scandal in mind. Scroll through to see some of the tweets around the topic.
Hey Perez, as a fellow queer & the writer of Palmer for that to be your chosen headline instead of the trailer’s message of acceptance, love & redemption is truly disappointing. Come on man, do better.
— Cheryl Guerriero (@uncle_cher) December 17, 2020
And just to dispel any rumors & having been there—no one cheated. Peace 🤞🌈
Dude really?! Come on. Sh*t is done and over with, no one cheated. This is going to be a damn good movie. If you don’t like Justin then don’t promote it. This headline is out of pure ignorance.
— Kayla Huppman (@cocobutt2002) December 18, 2020
I’ll rarely miss an opportunity to shit on Justin Timberlake – this new movie looks awful and I’m sure Alisha Wainwright regrets taking the heat for him in that scandal bc this movie
— ariel nguyen (@missarielnguyen) December 18, 2020
Say what you want.. But he is a great actor. Holding hands isn’t cheating 😉
— Deestraction 🦋 CEO (@duh_dee) December 17, 2020
You know what has me feeling emotional… Justin Timberlake’s abuse of Britney Spears and how that contributed to her mental and physical breakdown… Also, is the movie he was doing when cheated on Jessica Bielefeld with his co-star? https://t.co/xiyIMFFejW
— The Traumageddon Project (@trauma_project) December 18, 2020
This movie does look good NGL but it’s also the one where he kinda sorta cheated on his wife behind the scenes 😅https://t.co/eBGQjI53Ul https://t.co/oiwR6ZIqLk
— Kent (@4outof4kents) December 18, 2020
You should post a tik tok abou….oh.
— 👑 Mrs. Bozzie (@MrsBozzie) December 17, 2020
Seriously, grow up. Did you even watch the trailer? It is clearly about learning to overcome prejudice & finding your chosen family. It also addresses bullying so I really think you should give it a watch & learn something.
— Marissa Jade (@RissJade) December 18, 2020
I’m hoping you & this film do us parents with transgender & gender nonconforming kids proud. You have an opportunity to help along those who refuse to even listen-let alone support-our children’s authentic selves.
— Erin Kotecki Vest (@QueenofSpain) December 18, 2020