Justin Timberlake doesn’t want to be ‘weirdly private’ with his kids, hmm

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel enjoy a family lunch

Justin Timberlake is now the father of two – he and Jessica Biel are parents to son Silas, 5, and Phineas, who is still a baby. It’s also worth noting – because I think about it every time I’m covering them – that I totally believe Biel and Timberlake are anti-Vaxxers and that their children are unvaccinated. But according to Justin, the thing he and Jessica worry about the most is how their children will handle their parents’ enormous fame. Justin chatted with Dax Shepard on Dax’s Armchair Expert podcast. Some highlights:

Justin wants his sons to have a normal childhood: “I try to be conscious of making sure we can live a life where we’re not weirdly private but we’re conscious of making sure they can be kids for as long as possible. And not have the weight of somebody else treating them differently because of something that their parents do.” The 39-year-old Tennessee native adds that he worries his children will not be able to form true friendships because of his and Jessica’s line of work. As he puts it, “It’s a lot to unpack.”

He doesn’t want his kids’ peers to just be friends with his kids because of him: “Yeah, we have this same thing where like the kids at school with my five year old are like, ‘Your dad is Branch.” For guys like us, you know, the hope is that we just keep instilling in them that we got really fun jobs, but it’s not who we are. Hopefully down the road, then that has more weight to it I guess.”

Dax & Justin bonded over how privileged they are: Both Dax and Justin confessed that they’ve struggled with privilege too, with the singer sharing that he’s “become skilled in the art of self-deprecation.” Justin says that he often makes fun of himself because it makes others laugh, especially on shows like Saturday Night Live, but knows it can come off as “false humility.” Dax, who’s experienced this too, explained that at a certain point his self-deprecation “developed into this pattern as well where it’s like, I feel guilty that I have great s–t. And so everything I get that’s good, I add this layer of why it sucks to everyone.” But Justin’s trying avoid making jokes at his own expense because he’s just “shaming himself” over achievements that he’s actually proud of.

[From E! News]

I get that Impostor Syndrome is a real thing and it’s fine to talk about it, but this struck me as navel-gazing horses-t from both men. They’re both like “oh we’re so super-famous and our lives are so great, that’s why we struggle to act with humility, our privilege is a prison!” GMAFB. I laughed when Justin said “we’re not weirdly private” because it felt like a pointed comment towards Dax and what’s her guts, who are “weirdly private” about their kids and yet they constantly overshare everything about parenthood, potty-training and their private lives.

Anyway, Justin and Jessica seem like they’ve moved permanently to Montana to raise their sons there for a while, and I think that’s fine? Lots of celebrities get the hell out of LA once they become parents specifically because they don’t want their kids to have to deal with industry sh-t like “your mom’s movie was #1 at the box office” or “your dad screwed around with his costar on set!” But it’s also inevitable that kids will know who Silas’ parents are no matter where they live.

Stars take the photocall at the S/S 2020 Louis Vuitton Show in Paris

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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21 Responses to “Justin Timberlake doesn’t want to be ‘weirdly private’ with his kids, hmm”

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  1. Emm says:

    Ugh, agree 100%. I find I only really feel for woman who talk about imposter syndrome and maybe I’m an asshole for that but whatever. I have no feelings to give for these two privileged white men and no Justin, I’ve never felt like you shame yourself about anything. You have always come off as very pompous and proud of all the appropriation you’ve done.

  2. SarahCS says:

    Will other 5 year olds care?

    Not meant in a snarky way, but will it actually matter beyond being ‘Silas’ mum/day’? When they’re older I can see things changing but hopefully by then they will have good friends who like them for who they are.

    • Louise177 says:

      That was my thought too. He’s just Justin Timberlake not Big Bird. A lot of celebrity parents have said their kids don’t know they are famous until they are several years older. Justin really thinks a lot of himself when adults barely do. He’s not that big of a deal anymore.

      • SarahCS says:

        Ok thank you @Lousie177! I wasn’t sure if my general cynicism (and dislike of him) was just coming through and influencing my perspective on this.

      • Granger says:

        I think he’s more worried about the *parents* of his son’s friends–the people who are around JT’s age and know who JT is. What he’s not saying is, I don’t want adults to tell their kids to become friends with my kid just so they (the adults) can get to me. Frankly, I can understand why the thought of that would bother him.

      • Mle428 says:

        @louise177 your comment made me laugh so hard! He’s not Big Bird. As a mom to a 4 year old, that is so true.

  3. damejudi says:

    Here’s some news JT:
    your kids will be treated differently due to what you DIDN’T do, you proud anti-vaxxer.

  4. Nev says:

    Sit down.
    Horsesh-t. WORD KAISER.

    #neverforget

  5. Jules says:

    Lol talk about diverting. Instead of blaming his fame and how it will impact his kids, maybe try to keep his d*ck in the box and out of the tabloids and gossip. Dude gets caught with another woman and yet he is the victim here. Same story, different day.

  6. Merricat says:

    Ugh, I really hate that first look; they both look like they got dressed in the dark.

  7. Summergirl says:

    I don’t believe any 5-year-old child said to his son, “Your dad is Branch.” Bullshit. Unless JT’s kid goes around telling people that. The Trolls movies aren’t even very popular with kids. And kids have no idea who voices those characters and they couldn’t care less!

    • Marie55 says:

      I actually like JT and this is exactly what I thought. Like, no child cares that you’re in the Trolls movie and no one in general would know if you didn’t think it was SO important or whatever. Same with Dax talking about Kristen. Kids don’t care who the voices are in animated films! In fact they shouldn’t even tell them…kids should be allowed to immerse themselves in a fantasy world and don’t need to know what goes on behind the curtain. You don’t NEED to tell them that you went into a studio to voice that character!

    • emu says:

      I mean, it’s entirely possible that some family watching Trolls told their child that it was voiced by that child’s friend’s father. Even if the kid didn’t particularly care that the voice was Justin, I’m sure it’s kind of mind-blowing that they would know the person that voiced it and a factoid the kid would want to show off.

  8. ItReallyIsYou,NotMe k8 says:

    Sorry, but neither JT nor DS are still such A-list celebrities/gossip column banks that they have to worry about the paps showing up wherever they go. In JT’s NSync days, yes, but he’s a relatively low-key dad these days.

    That said, I do feel like celebs can’t win when it comes to humility. If you’re proud of yourself, you come off as an ass. If you’re humble, people think it’s false humility. I actually think it was the right approach to just acknowledge their privilege but not be fake-humble about it.

  9. Pulplove says:

    The stories people tell themselves. Timberlake thinks he developed self-deprecation?
    When did that ever happen? When he was hanging Janet Jackson out to dry, making fun of and dissing Prince, bad-mouthing and profiting off of Britney, denying an affair while simultaneously promoting his movie?
    Self-deprecation, my a$$.

  10. Rae says:

    This made me laugh…Sorry JT, neither you or Jessica are THAT big enough of stars now that any friends on your son is going to give a crap anytime soon. Let alone in 10+ years when they’ll get to an age that they would even care what the other’s parents do.

    Also, aren’t they weirdly private about their kids anyway? Didn’t it just take half a year for them to confirm a boy being born (not that anyone was massively interested anyway).

  11. Tiffany says:

    The more we forget about this clown, the more he is out here reminding us he is one.

  12. molly says:

    While I don’t care one bit for JT, I’ll agree with him that parents very much push their kids on kids with famous parents. We have a former pro football player in a neighbor school district, and you should see the lengths parents will go to try and get in his orbit.
    There was this whole thing with bribes to get on a kindergarten T-ball team. Teachers have gotten emails requesting their kid be put in his kid’s class because “they’re such great friends!” People are absolutely shameless.

  13. Kelsea says:

    Holy Haunted Doll!

  14. Serena says:

    Ugh, he’s so self-absorbed, I can’t stand him.