Justin Timberlake’s Friends Aren’t Telling Him ‘Harsh Truths’: It’s ‘Led Him Down a Bad Path’

Justin Timberlake is surrounded by people who kiss up to him and tell him how wonderful he is, a source exclusively tells In Touch, adding that it’s the main reason he refuses to go to rehab or admit he has any type of problem.

The “Cry Me a River” singer, 43, had fans worried after he was arrested on June 18 for allegedly driving while intoxicated in Sag Harbor, New York. Making matters worse, he seemed to make light of the incident during his recent Boston concert at TD Garden.

“It’s not 2004, and this isn’t an episode of Entourage,” says a longtime pal of the singer in his L.A. friend group. “It’s real life, and Justin clearly needs to work on more things about himself than his golf swing. The problem has always been that he lives in a bubble, and honestly, it’s the way his mother treated him growing up — like a little prince who could do no wrong — that set the tone for how he lives his life as an adult. And that extends to why he totally lacked any remorse in the aftermath of his arrest.”

The pop star, who was thrust into the spotlight as a child when he was a main cast member on the Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse Club and then went on to be part of the boyband ‘NSync, appears to surround himself with a circle of friends who don’t have his best interests at heart.

“Since he was a kid, Justin has been very careful to surround himself with people who only shower him with praise and adoration, and that’s clearly led him down a bad path,” says the source. “People who are living right don’t get pulled over for drunk driving, especially on a Monday night!”

It was an embarrassing situation, especially for his wife of nearly 12 years, Jessica Biel. “It’s a bad look all the way around, and you wish Jessica would step up and be the one to set Justin straight, but she’s still just as much of a fangirl as everybody else in his circle,” says the source.

According to the insider, “Justin has plenty of friends who aren’t on the payroll and who just enjoy his and Jessica’s company as people, but they are decidedly not telling him the harsh truths he needs to hear, when it comes to his songwriting, his lifestyle, his live performing and even his haircut!”

To be fair, the source notes, the singer has been under stress amid his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which began on April 29 in Vancouver and is scheduled to conclude on December 20.

However, the insider adds, “There is absolutely no excuse for getting behind the wheel when you’re sloshed. Is anybody actually saying that to Justin’s face, though? I really don’t think so!

“Justin needs to take a long look in the mirror and realize that surrounding himself with suck-ups hasn’t served him well and he needs to correct this by inviting some constructive criticism into the mix. He needs it badly!”