Joey Fatone got brutally honest about the moment when Justin Timberlake‘s decision to leave ‘NSync for a solo career frustrated him.
“We just did a stadium run and then we did an arena tour. Then Lance [Bass] had the opportunity to train as an astronaut and go into space,” Fatone, 49, recalled in the Boy Band Confidential docuseries on Investigation Discovery, which premieres April 13 and 14. “Then Justin was like, ‘Hey, I want to do my own solo stuff.’”
Fatone was initially supportive of Timberlake’s request, adding, “At first, my brain’s like, ‘Cool, do it and have fun.’ That will give us time to take a break, if you guys want to do it. Why not try things?”
Bass, Fatone, Timberlake, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick originally formed the pop group in 1995 and reached stardom with hit songs including “Bye Bye Bye” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart.” In 2007, Bass confirmed that the group had parted ways to explore individual endeavors. While they reunited for a single from the Trolls Band Together soundtrack in 2023 and a one-off performance the following year, they haven’t toured together since 2002.
“That was the weird thing about it. Nobody really had a conversation, per se,” Fatone said in the upcoming ID series. “There was never a button [and] there was never a goodbye. There was never anything.”
While it largely didn’t bother Fatone, he recalled the “only” time it “ever felt awkward” to him.
“When Justin [performed at] the MTV [Video Music] Awards [in 2002] — and he performed for the first time — and we introduced him,” Fatone said. “This is some bulls***. You are basically just pushing us aside a little bit to do this. But yet, you still want us around to introduce him.”
He continued: “Then, we did a red carpet on TV, and before that we’re like, ‘All five of us are going? Yes, all five of us are going on.’ Nope, [it wasn’t all of us]. It was almost like the record company was pushing us away and making sure Justin was getting his due.”
Fatone clarified he wasn’t bothered by Timberlake’s successful solo career, saying, “It is totally fine. But talk to us. Have a conversation. Say, ‘Hey, we’re promoting Justin. He has an album out. We’re not here for ‘NSync right now.’ If you would have had that conversation, it would have been a lot easier for me personally.”
Despite the tension, Fatone doesn’t “blame” Timberlake for how things went down. “It must have been very difficult to leave,” he added. “Somebody should have said something.”
The Hollywood Reporter previously reported in 2025 that a potential ‘NSync biopic was in the works. The outlet noted that Fast & Furious producer Neal H. Moritz had been shopping the film to studios and had met with all five members to seek their participation.
Initially, Timberlake was nearing a deal to serve as an executive producer. However, there were reportedly issues getting the whole group to sign off on a biopic due to their different reps. Us Weekly later confirmed that the movie — and a potential reunion tour — was not happening.
“This film/documentary project has been in the works since then and has had many iterations (meaning a scripted film and a behind-the-scenes-style documentary featuring the band),” a source told Us in September 2025. “As of now, nothing is proceeding.”
The insider pointed to Timberlake wanting to have “certain elements of control.”
“Let’s say Justin wants to be executive producer while the other four are producers,” the source added. “That sort of thing. [It’s] an element of control and power that they could not agree on.”
Boy Band Confidential premieres Monday, April 13, and Tuesday, April 14, at 9 p.m. ET on Investigation Discovery before streaming on HBO Max.
