Justin Timberlake Opens Up About ‘Childhood Trauma,’ Struggles as a Parent
Justin Timberlake opened up about his "traumatic" youth spent as a child star in a new interview.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the "Can't Stop the Feeling" singer reminisced about his early years spent in the spotlight on television, and how the experience shaped him as a father.
"I think we can all agree that I did not have a normal childhood," Timberlake said, explaining that he "can't really remember not being famous."
Timberlake was only 10 years old when he made his debut on Star Search, and he appeared on The New Mickey Mouse Club House the following year, where he worked alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Ryan Gosling.
"We were at the age when you just soak in everything. We were taking acting classes, music classes, dance classes. We were learning how coverage and editing and cinematography work. And being put in front of a live audience, learning how to engage the crowd to get a laugh. Honestly, it was like SNL for children," he told the magazine.
The music superstar added that his unique experience as a child star impacted him as a parent when he and wife Jessica Biel welcomed their son, Silas, in 2015.
"You go through your life with your own traumas, big and small, and think, 'It's not that bad, I have a lot to be thankful for, my parents did the best they could'...But then you have a child of your own, and suddenly it opens all the floodgates, and you're like, 'No, no, no! That childhood trauma really did f--- me up!'" he dished, adding, "At first, it broke me down."
As for whether or not Timberlake would want his son going into show biz, the pop star remains uncertain.
"You know, I haven't been able to answer that question in my mind," he mused. "If he wanted it bad enough, I suppose I could teach him a lot about what not to do."
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