Justin Timberlake hilariously explains how he ‘accidentally’ broke into Alcatraz

The singer revealed all on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
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Marissa Desantis12 March 2020

Justin Timberlake shared he has a bit of a criminal past, but it’s not at all what you’re thinking (it is pretty funny though).

The singer appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday in support of his upcoming movie, Trolls World Tour, where he played a game called ‘Spill The Tea’ alongside SZA and Anderson Paak.

Both artists are featured on the animated film’s soundtrack with Timberlake.

Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

After the talk show host matched a series of secrets to the celeb (and Carol, one fan who was also asked to play), it was revealed that Timberlake once broke into Alcatraz, a historical prison located in San Francisco Bay.

“I accidentally broke into Alcatraz one time,” the 39-year-old confirmed. Timberlake then revealed that the incident took place back in his boy band days while filming a video with the rest of his *NSYNC bandmates near the former prison, which is now open to visitors for tours.

Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

“We ended up shooting this one scene on the pier directly across from Alcatraz. At that time, I was watching The Untouchables over and over again, and I was obsessed with the fact that Al Capone was - they put him in Alcatraz,” Timberlake explained of one of the notorious criminals imprisoned there.

“And I said, ‘Who wants to go see Alcatraz with me?’ And Joey, who is usually game for anything, was like, ‘I’ll go with you,’ Timberlake said of his former bandmate, Joey Fatone.

Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, JC, Chris Kirkpatrick and Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC at the 2000 Grammy Awards
Getty Images

With an hour before the band was set to resume shooting, Timberlake and Fatone asked the fire department for some help. “The fire department was sort of waiting around, and they came up and [said], ‘Hey, can we take some pictures with you guys?’ And Joey and I were like, ‘Sure! Would you take us to Alcatraz?’” said ‘The Man Of The Woods singer.

“So they take us over, [and] we realize that on the mainland you’re supposed to buy your tickets and then get on the ferry. So we get to the main gate, and they’re like, ‘Tickets, please.’ I was like, ‘The guy behind me has the tickets,’” he said.

Justin Timberlake
Getty Images

“We ended up sort of sneaking in and getting the earphones and weaving our way into one of the tour groups. By the time we got like halfway through, and had just gotten to Al Capone’s cell, we get a tap on the shoulder and they’re like, ‘Come with me.’

Naturally, that set Timberlake into a panic. “I was like, ‘Joe, we are going to go down in history as the dumbest people ever. We got caught breaking into a prison,’” he recalled, adding that it all worked out in the end. “They let us go away with a warning, and obviously, we had to pay for the tickets.”

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