Justin Timberlake Reunites NSYNC in First Performance in 11 Years for ‘One Night Only’

Justin Timberlake and NSYNC reunited for the first time in more than a decade for a live show promoting Timberlake’s new album Everything I Thought I Was, out today. Wednesday night’s free, One Night Only show at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theater was billed as a solo Timberlake show, Variety reported, but the “Sexy Back” singer surprised the audience by introducing his former bandmates.

Rumors of an NSYNC reunion have persisted for months, ever since the group came together in September to record a track for the Trolls Band Together soundtrack; and audience members at the Wiltern were reportedly primed for a big surprise on Wednesday, with rumors swirling that an NSYNC reunion could be in store.

Timberlake made his fans wait almost until the end of the night, though. As he began the crowd-work section of his performance, the DJ began playing NSYNC’s “Gone.” At this point, the curtain rose to reveal the remaining NSYNC members: Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, and JC Chasez. The five performed “a brief, but powerful, mini-set,” according to Variety, that included a number of their most famous tracks.

“They wandered into the audience as the DJ cut up ‘Girlfriend,’ and came back to the stage to sing glimpses of ‘Bye Bye Bye’ and ‘It’s Gonna Be Me,” the outlet reported.

At the end of their appearance, the quintet debuted “Paradise,” their collaboration for Timberlake’s new album.

“Each of them took a seat for ‘Paradise,’ their concluding number, which Timberlake explained that they had just practiced,” Variety revealed. “Harmonies flew, eyes were wet, and they stood at the front of the stage at the end, soaking up the rapturous applause.”

Audience members were visibly emotional during the reunion. The prospect of an NSYNC tour has tantalized fans for decades now, ever since the group officially split in 2001. Since then, Timberlake has focused on his own musical and acting careers, while the other members of NSYNC have dabbled less successfully in solo work.

NSYNC’s last joint performance was at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards, where Timberlake received the Video Vanguard Award. The last time they performed together before that was before their split at the beginning of the millennium. Bass, Fatone, Chasez, and Kirkpatrick reunited for a guest spot during Ariana Grande’s 2019 Coachella set, but Timberlake was conspicuously absent.

After his bandmates left the stage, Timberlake seemed unsure of how to proceed with the show. “I don’t know what to do after that but this,” he said before launching into his final song of the night, “Mirrors.”

Timberlake’s new album, Everything I Thought I Was, drops today.