Critics are going after Justin Timberlake after he made an appearance in a video package honoring Taylor Swift with the Innovator Award at the iHeart Radio Music Awards. The backlash wasn’t about what Justin said or did in the video — it was his appearance.
Taylor was honored March 27, 2023, at the iHeart Radio Music Awards.
Taylor accepted the award onstage at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, but before she took to the stage, a tribute video played with words from famous fans and past recipients of the Innovator Award.
Justin was one of those famous faces saying a few words about Taylor and her mark on the industry. He won the Innovator Award in 2015, but the backlash he got was only about his appearance.
A tweet that had a screenshot of Justin from the video went viral.
With more than 2.3 million views on the tweet, a critic wrote, “oh he looks terrible,” with the screenshot of Justin from the video.
And it didn’t take long for that to spark a discussion across the social platform.
People saw that tweet as an invitation to share their own feelings. And critics were brutal.
“Anyone know if Justin Timberlake aged out of the game at 42 or had bad plastic surgery,” another person tweeted. “I’m 48 and aged significantly over the last 5 years, but look 37.5x better than him.”
“Is that Justin? … Timberlake?” someone else questioned.
"Justin Timberlake was always trailer trash," another person wrote. "Why is everyone surprised he has aged like trailer trash."
"He looks like he’s drinking too much. You can tell by the puffiness of his face," shared someone else.
Another person shared "Karma is a b—-."
There were others, however, who defended him and reminded people it’s not cool to poke at someone’s looks.
“Justin Timberlake is a 42-year old white man, idk what ya’ll were expecting???” someone else asked. “He doesn’t look terrible at all tho, lmfao. Maybe tired… but not terrible.”
“Sorry Twitter but who has aged badly?” another person questioned. “Justin is still so sexy!!! Look at him!”
Others made sure to let people know this type of talk around someone’s looks is never OK.
“I see too many people saying justin timberlake ‘looks bad’ but in reality, he's just aging like every other human,” someone hit back. “And he's aging exceptionally without filters, editing, or surgery! y'all need to grow up and accept that, he doesn't look 25 anymore, but he still looks INCREDIBLE!!”
“The Justin Timberlake commentary underscores how ageism continues to be a big issue,” shared another Twitter user. “Just because it continues to be socially acceptable doesn't make it right.”
“Ppl that r absorbed w celebrities cannot fathom the idea that they r just human being,” someone else theorized. “They grow old, gain weight, lose weight, get gray hair, get wrinkles. If ppl want someone to not grow & not mature, then stick to comic book characters & stay out of real life.”
It’s never cool to poke fun at someone’s looks — whether you like the person or not. But we’re sure Justin is unbothered by the social media chatter because he’s been in this business for a long time.
