A video shown at Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel‘s lavish Italian wedding, featuring homeless people in Los Angeles, is creating controversy.
The more than eight minute video, shot by Timberlake’s friend Justin Huchel – a Los Angeles real estate agent, was shown to guests at the reported $6.5 million wedding.
The video was obtained by Gawker, who published a 20-second clip, which has since been removed after receiving several letters from Huchel’s attorney threatening legal action.
“Greetings from your Hollywood friends who just couldn’t make it,” reads the opening title before the video launches into interviews with ten people on the streets of Los Angeles, including vagrants, street musicians and transexuals wishing the newlyweds well.
“Justin and Jessica, I haven’t seen you for a long time,” one toothless man tells the camera. “I hope the wedding goes fine for you. My gift is in the mail.”
After commentary from an apparently transexual man, Timberlake’s “SexyBack” is played in the background.
Other people in the video appear to be intoxicated, mentally ill, or both, and according to Gawker writer John Cook, one of them is entirely incapable of speaking.
In a stern letter from Huchel’s attorney, Gawker is instructed to remove and destroy all copies of the video, saying, “Mr. Huchel made a video to be used and exhibited privately at Justin Timberlake’s wedding as a private joke without Mr. Timberlake’s knowledge.”
Not surprisingly, no one is laughing.
TMZ found one of the homeless men, “Eddie,” who appeared in the video. Eddie says he was paid $40 to appear in the video, but had no idea it was a joke or that it was for Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel.
See video below.
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