Justin Timberlake caused a media frenzy when he was spotted holding hands and getting cozy at a New Orleans bar with his Palmer costar Alisha Wainwright.
In photos posted by The Sun, the “SexyBack” singer, 38, was seen chatting and drinking with Wainwright, 30, on Thursday, November 21, at the Absinthe House on Bourbon Street around midnight. An onlooker told the outlet that the Raising Dion actress put her hand on Timberlake’s thigh and stroked his knee before the two held hands under the table.
The pair were on a break from filming their newest movie, Palmer, where they star as lovers. Timberlake, who is married to Jessica Biel, was also shown putting his arm around Wainwright’s waist in a video obtained by The Sun. The “Cry Me a River” crooner, who appeared to have been drinking heavily, was not wearing his wedding ring in the snaps.
A representative for Wainwright addressed the dating rumors in a statement on Saturday, November 23: “There is no validity to this speculation. They are working on a project together.”
Timberlake and Wainwright are “just friends” a source told Us Weekly exclusively. “Several cast members were there and it was just a cast gathering,” the eyewitness explained. “Nothing remotely romantic is going on with Justin and Alisha. The whole cast is shooting out there and like to hang out together. They were very much in public and nothing inappropriate was happening.”
A second source added that the costars are ” like brother and sister.” “They are definitely not hooking up. She has been dating an actor who lives in LA,” the insider revealed.
Timberlake and Biel, 37, tied the knot in October 2012 after five years of dating. The couple welcomed their first child, son Silas, 4, in April 2015.
The “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” singer gushed about his wife while delivering a speech at the 2019 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York City in June.
“To my wife, who is here tonight and who has given me the greatest gift of love,” Timberlake said. “Our son is 4 now, and he’s dope too! I’ve written so many songs because of that that I’m so proud of and I just … I’m extremely humbled. I hope that I can represent this award for all of you.”
The 7th Heaven alum, meanwhile, dressed up as her hubby during his ‘NSYNC days for Halloween. Biel donned a metallic jumpsuit and curly wig for her ’90s Timberlake costume and told Jimmy Fallon one week before the holiday that she never really listened to the band as a teen.
“We were hanging out again in Italy somewhere,” Biel said at the time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “We were trying to play Truth or Dare, which is the dumbest thing to do with a bunch of late 30-year-olds …. So, we just played Dare, and my dare was I have to sing an ‘NSYNC song, all the lyrics, all the melodies, and I literally … I couldn’t. I only know three words: ‘Bye, bye, bye,’ which I guess is one word three times.”
In light of the news of Timberlake’s recent outing, Us Weekly rounded up five things to know about Wainwright.
1. She Got Her Start on YouTube
The Perception alum began her career in Hollywood on a web comedy sketch series on the YouTube channel Smosh in 2012. Wainwright went on to star in Criminal Minds and Lethal Weapon before landing her breakout role on Freeform’s Shadowhunters.
2. She Loves to Travel
Wainwright has several snaps of herself traveling the world on her Instagram. The actress has shared photos of her trips to Toronto, San Francisco, Miami, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Tulum, Mexico, and Wanaka, New Zealand, just to name a few. “🙏🏽😌🐆— seeing a jaguar in the Peruvian Amazon is pretty rare. So soooo grateful for the experience,” she captioned one video of the Amazon rainforest in April.
3. She’s Good Friends With Her Raising Dion Costar Michael B. Jordan
The actress is close with the Black Panther actor. The twosome star together on the hit Netflix series Raising Dion, which was released in October. Wainwright posted a series of selfies with Jordan, 32, on Instagram with the caption, “Throwback of a flashback.” She also opened up about her friendship with the actor during an interview with BET in October. “He is one of the most kind and generous people on our producing team,” the Netflix star said. “Obviously, he’s a beautiful person, but I also think he’s so admirable in what he’s trying to do with his business, and I respect that. I would love to emulate that myself. So, more so than a heartthrob, I think of him as a role model. ”
4. She Is a Boxer
Wainwright is all about staying in shape and is an active boxer. The 30-year-old has shared photos and videos of herself with trainer and boxing coach John Aiden. “Boxing and twerk lessons brought to you by @hitmonjohn,” she wrote alongside a video of her sparring in July.
5. She Has Caribbean Roots
The Shadowhunters actress was born and raised in Florida but her parents originally come from the Caribbean. Her mother is from Jamaica, while her dad hails from Haiti.
With reporting by Travis Cronin
