There's been a lot of chatter in recent months about whether or not Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake's relationship is on the rocks. Ever since Justin was spotted looking a little too cozy with his costar Alisha Wainwright, the singer has been under the spotlight. Now Jessica has been seen out and about without her wedding ring on, and rumors are flying even faster.
While Justin and his costar of the film Palmer denied that anything romantic was going on, they definitely looked flirtatious in the pictures that surfaced back in November. The singer, 38, was photographed on the balcony of the Absinthe House on Bourbon Street in New Orleans along with Alisha and several other members of the film's cast and crew. Justin and Alisha were engaging in some PDA, for sure, which was apparently alcohol-induced, but either way, it's not something that would make most wives very happy to see. The two were even spotted holding hands under the table, and Justin's hand was on her knee. Yikes.
Justin came out and publicly apologized for the displays of affection. He took to Instagram to share his sentiments with his wife, as well as with the rest of the world. It was a good move by Justin to apologize, but it didn't do much to quiet rumors that he may have been unfaithful to his wife.
"I stay away from gossip as much as I can," Justin wrote at the time in a post on Instagram. "But for my family I feel it is important to address recent rumors that are hurting the people I love." He apologized for a "strong lapse in judgment" but insisted "nothing happened between me and my costar."
He continued: "I drank way too much that night and I regret my behavior. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son. I apologize to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be. This was not that."
Now new pictures obtained by the Daily Mail have speculation building around the couple's relationship. On Saturday, February 29, Jessica, who is an executive producer and costar of the TV series The Sinner, ran errands around Beverly Hills. But she was noticeably not wearing her wedding ring.
The couple had reportedly been working on their relationship. They'd been seen together a number of times. By the looks of things, all was well, though we can never know for sure what goes on behind closed doors. Now it appears that perhaps they simply were putting on their poker faces for the public.
On top of that, an insider spoke to Us Weekly. “He has been making big promises and not sticking to them as much as she thinks he can and should,” the insider said. “He promised that he would be more involved with their family and she doesn’t feel like he’s doing that.”
Aside from Justin's Instagram apology, the couple is pretty notorious for posting about one another on social media. They are always sharing kind messages and acknowledging the amazing things each other are doing. Sometimes, they seem very playful and in love with those shares, too.
Jessica shared some sweet words to Justin just this January in honor of his birthday. "Happy birthday to the most timeless man I know. You somehow grow up without growing old. We love you so much ❤️," Biel captioned her post. The message came just a few months after all of the drama surrounding the flirty photos.
Justin has been just as public about his love for his wife. Just two weeks ago, he made an adorable Valentine's post for his wife on Instagram that included a throwback photo. "Throwback to our first year together. It ain’t hard to tell from my face!!! When you know, you know," he wrote. "I love you, my funny Valentine. Every day the 14th!!! Happy Love Day, y’all!!"
Jessica and Justin have always appeared to be a pretty flawless couple. Until recently, no drama has really surrounded them. But now, since this recent scandal, it seems like it might be following them. We aren't sure yet if the pictures and the kind words to one another are all for show or if not wearing the wedding ring was just simply that, no deeper meaning.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Perhaps the ring was simply at the cleaners! Getting resized? Maybe she just forgot to wear it? Until there's an update from the couple — or another scandal — we'll just have to wait to find out. Hopefully for Justin and Jessica, things are on the mend.
