Megan Thee Stallion and Justin Timberlake did not fight at MTV VMAs, source says

Though many fans speculated that Justin Timberlake and Megan Thee Stallion got into a heated exchange while backstage at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, a source close to the situation tells EW the pair were actually excited to meet each other.

"Meg loves Justin. She was saying, 'No, no, no, we've never met before,'" the source explains of the interaction caught on a behind-the-scenes live feed documenting moments that didn't air during Tuesday night's live broadcast, which fans quickly reposted to Twitter/X. "It was their first time meeting and she was excited," the source clarifies.

Megan later posted a TikTok with Timberlake. The duo was all smiles in the clip, with the rapper confirming they had no beef in its caption. "I just talk with my hands lol," Megan wrote. "See ya next time @JustinTimberlake."

The video (below) begins with Timberlake making his way through a group of people to say something to the rapper as she prepares to go on stage to perform her new song "Bongos" with Cardi B. Timberlake was at the ceremony as a surprise presenter, taking the stage earlier in the evening alongside Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick for an NSYNC reunion. Together, the boy band handed out the first award of the evening to Taylor Swift, who won Best Pop.

Megan's hair covers her face for the first part of her response so her exact reaction is hard to decipher. She raises her finger in Timberlake's direction, and shakes her head from side to side while saying something indistinguishable on the video feed. At the end of the video, Timberlake can be seen walking away from the performer while she continues getting ready. Fatone, who is standing behind his former bandmate, appears to nod and smile at Megan on the way out so things don't seem too heated.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Megan Thee Stallion and Justim Timberlake at the MTV VMAs.

Some fans watching online speculated the exchange might have been Megan telling Timberlake that the five members of NSYNC gathering onstage together to present an award earlier in the night didn't count as the formal reunion fans have been begging for for years. A sentiment Swift seemed to share when accepting the award from them, asking "Are you doing something? What's gonna happen now? They're gonna do something and I need to know what it is."

Representatives for Megan, Timberlake, and the VMAs did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Outside of their music industry endeavors, Megan and Timberlake also recently world-premiered new movies at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, with Megan appearing in the new comedy Dicks: The Musical and Timberlake acting opposite Benicio Del Toro and Alicia Silverstone in Netflix's thriller Reptile.

Watch Megan and Timberlake in the video above.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• See all the stars at the 2023 MTV VMAs

• Ex-MTV VP says Christina Aguilera's team asked to have VMA performance re-edited to include Madonna kiss

• Tory Lanez says he refuses to apologize after conviction in Megan Thee Stallion shooting