Timberlake wedding video featuring homeless people makes waves

That’s one way to end the honeymoon early: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel’s recent wedding is at the center of a publicity — and potentially legal — nightmare.

According to the website Gawker, guests at the southern Italian nuptials Friday saw a tribute video sent by a friend of Timberlake, a real-estate agent named Justin Huchel, that featured homeless men and one person who appeared to be a transvestite wishing the couple well, following a title card reading, “Greetings from your Hollywood friends who just couldn’t make it.”

A small snippet of the video, which reportedly contained more than eight minutes of the above-described people giving advice and sending regrets for being absent from the party, was posted with the website’s story, which has received numerous comments expressing disdain for the video.

The Gawker story was later updated with two letters from counsel for Huchel.

“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,” said the first letter, sent Tuesday, which noted the video was never meant for public exhibition. It also said the copyrighted video had been stolen from Huchel, and threatened legal action if the clip was not taken down and the original returned to its owner.

The second letter, sent Wednesday, was similar. The video excerpt, which has been taken down by Gawker, can still be seen elsewhere online.

One of the clip participants, identified as “Eddie” by TMZ, claims to have been paid $40 for his bit but said he wasn’t told which Jessica and Justin the video was for.

Timberlake and Biel tied the knot in Puglia, with celeb guests including Jimmy Fallon, Questlove, Beverley Mitchell and Andy Samberg.

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