While Justin Timberlake had hoped his Forget Tomorrow World Tour would be the band aid he needed to put him back on the pop pedestal, the Sexy Back singer was instead hit by reports that his latest series of gigs had been a ‘trainwreck’.

Now, several weeks on from when he was forced to cancel the final performance of the South American leg of his tour due to suffering with the flu, sources now tell Closer that Justin, 44, has also been spending increasing amounts of time away from his wife of 13-years, Jessica Biel. 

The actress, 43, briefly flew in to support him on tour last month, but the insider says Jessica is now so focused on her new movie, Matchbox, that the pair have been forced into a ‘trial separation’ as Justin is left alone to pick up the pieces of a year that has been marred with scandal. 

‘Justin has been down in the dumps about it all, he’s feeling pretty sorry for himself,’ our source says. ‘His tour is being panned, and he doesn’t know how to cope. Jessica is usually the one he turns to but she’s having a blast with her new movie. They’re living very separate lives, and she seems to be quite content with that.’

‘Justin wanted her along for the whole tour, but she refused. They’re leading separate lives at this point and Justin can’t handle it. He’s not handling the distance well at all.’ 

But after being photographed chatting happily with her co-stars on set, we’re told Jessica is adamant that she ‘won’t be sucked into any more of Justin’s drama’ while she pursues her own projects.

However, when Jess’ filming wraps up, the insider says the pair are heading for crisis talks as they grapple to find a resolution to their marriage problems. 

They say, ‘There are just so many issues that they’ve never addressed over the years and if they don’t face them now, the resentment will continue to build until it’s completely untenable.

‘Sooner or later, it will all come to a head. They’ve had a lot of problems and either they talk about what to do to fix this or it could end in divorce.’

Jessica, who is mum to sons Silas, 10, and four-year-old Phineas with Justin, appears to have somewhat stepped back from the limelight over the past few years, having last made a film, Shock and Awe, back in 2017. 

However, the past few months have seen the tables turn as Jessica’s career has taken off after landing her role in Matchbox, while Justin’s reputation has suffered a series of major blows. 

Following the release of his last album, ‘Everything I Thought It Was’, in 2024, which was widely considered a flop commercially, Justin was hit by slow ticket sales for his tour, which was blighted by illness and saw the singer postpone one show and cancel another. 

Several fans were also disappointed at Justin’s insistence on performing his new singles rather than his much-loved pop hits. And while his on-stage gyrating has historically left fans swooning, Justin was reportedly left ‘humiliated’ during one show when a harness pulled too tightly around his crotch led to several cruel tweets by onlookers. 

But it seems that Jessica is unlikely to quickly fly out to Justin’s side like she once did, with our source adding, ‘Jessica has really stepped into a new, more empowered role in the relationship, after spending so many years orbiting around Justin and putting up with his moods. 

‘The problem is that Justin hasn’t changed or accepted that she’s not the same woman he married, he’s having a very hard time adjusting to this new normal. But really he needs to take responsibility for his actions.’

While the couple have been married since 2012, their relationship has come under scrutiny over the past few years after Justin was spotted cosying up to Shadowhunters actress and his Palmer co-star, Alisha Wainright, with the pair holding hands during a night out in 2019. 

Later taking to Instagram, Justin was forced to make a public apology to Jessica. 

He posted, ‘A few weeks ago, I displayed a strong lapse in judgement – but let me be clear – nothing happened between me and my co-star. I drank way too much that night and I regret my behaviour. 

‘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.

The source adds now, ‘As everyone knows, they were this close to splitting back in 2019.

‘That was beyond humiliating for Jessica, but she gave Justin another chance because she loves him and didn’t want to split up their family.’

At the time a source revealed how Justin had ‘begged Jessica for a second chance’, but their marriage reportedly came under yet more strain last summer when Justin was arrested for a DWI [driving while intoxicated].

Following a night out with friends, Justin was reported to have driven through a stop sign and was unable to keep to the right side of the road. 

At the time, a source said, ‘Five years later [following his night out with Alisha] he still can’t seem to control himself when he’s partying. She [Jessica] can’t take much more of this behaviour.’

Now our source says last summer almost pushed Jessica to ‘breaking point’, adding ‘His arrest for a DWI last summer did nothing to help. She was out of town working at the time, while Justin was supposed to be keeping things running smoothly at home, and instead he wound up behind bars.

‘It put so much stress on her, she was furious. If you ask her friends, they’ll tell you she’s a saint for putting up with Justin all these years.’