One of the most memorable moments of Tuesday night’s MTV Video Music Awards was the reunion of the iconic ‘90s band NSYNC 10 years after they had last shared a stage.
The five members of the group—Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone—joined the Prudential Center stage in New Jersey to give the best pop award to a famous longtime fan: Taylor Swift.
Last night, NSYNC, the iconic boy band behind such hits as "Bye Bye Bye", reunited on stage for the first time in 10 years
Image credits: Noam Galai
“Over 20 years ago, we were just kids when we won Best Pop Video for ‘Bye, Bye, Bye.’ It was our first VMA, and it meant the world to us,” Timberlake said. “That award validated our hard work.”
Minutes before he presented the award, Timberlake shared a video on Twitter of himself and his fellow bandmates in the elevator getting ready for the ceremony.
Justin Timberlake hinted at the surprise minutes before the reveal at the MTV's Video Music Awards
Swift couldn’t contain her excitement while accepting the moon-man trophy for her single, “Anti-Hero”. After hugging all five members of the group and receiving beaded friendship bracelets from Lance Bass—a swiftie code and a nod to the fan-favorite song “You’re On Your Own Kid”—she expressed her shock about the special moment. “I had your dolls!” she told the group, who laughed in unison.
The 33-year-old singer even speculated about a potential comeback of the band.
The band formed in 1995 with members Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone, and took a hiatus in 2002
Image credits: nsync
“They’re going to do something and I need to know what it is. You’re pop personified, so to receive this from your golden pop hands…it’s too much,” she carried on.
Swift concluded her acceptance speech by thanking her loyal fans. “I love making pop music, I love making pop music videos, I also loved making country. I love slinking around different genres, and I am only allowed to do that because you, the fans, gave me the opportunity to do that.”
Image credits: nsync
In 2018, NSYNC got its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Image credits: nsync
The last time the band was on stage together was at the same awards ceremony in 2013
Image credits: Stephen Lovekin
Last night marked a career milestone for the “Bejeweled” pop star. After taking home a total of 9 VMAs, including best direction and video of the year, she is one award off the single-night record in the history of the award show, held by Peter Gabriel in 1987.
Other nominees in the best pop category included Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” Ed Sheeran’s “Eyes Closed,” Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night Away,” Demi Lovato’s “Swine,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” and P!nk’s “Trustfall.”
The last time that NSYNC had been together on a stage was during the 2013 Video Music Awards, when Timberlake’s former bandmates joined him for a nostalgic performance. The quintet began with Timberlake’s single “SexyBack” and continued with their famous hits like “Bye Bye Bye” and “Gone.”
Before that, in 2019, Kirkpatrick, Bass, Fatone, and Chasez joined the Coachella stage alongside Ariana Grande to perform “Makes Me Will” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart” with her.
One of the highlights of the event, however, was Taylor Swift accepting her award from NSYNC’s "golden pop hands"
Image credits: Noam Galai
While it’s unlikely that the band will get back together, NSYNC fans suspect that the quintet may have recorded a song for the “Trolls Band Together” soundtrack, the third installment of the franchise that features Justin Timberlake.
You can watch Taylor's adorable reaction to seeing the famous boyband below
Image credits: SavLovesSwift
In true Taylor Swift fashion, the singer’s schedule for the following months will be quite busy. Some of her upcoming projects include the release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” the start of the South American leg of the Eras Tour, and the premiere of the nearly three-hour-long “Eras Tour” concert film across North American theaters.
Of course, Taylor wasn't the only one fangirling about this
