In 2002, the world was introduced to the solo career of Justin Timberlake, taking off from the popularity and fame that he earned as part of the boy band *NSYNC.
Turns out, his co-members, including Joey Fatone, were actually "blindsided" by this decision, as they had expected that he would return to the band shortly.
Justin Timberlake Destroyed 'NSYNC?
According to a new confession on Yahoo Entertainment, Joey Fatone candidly admitted that he was "blindsided" by Justin Timberlake's decision at the time to leave *NSYNC.
"I was not blindsided by the breakup; I was more blindsided as far as him coming out with music and not knowing that he was going to go and do an actual album/tour thing," he elaborated to the outlet.
For Fatone, he thought that it was more of a temporary thing. But later on in life, Fatone realized that it was not Timberlake's decision at all - it was the recording company's.
"If it was him, then I'd understand it. When you're younger, you think it's that person. But then you look at the whole bigger scheme of things, and you go, 'Oh, that's why I wasn't there for that.' That's the business. OK, I get it," he clarified.
When Fatone realized that it was going to be a permanent thing that Timberlake would go solo, he then found things for himself. Fatone pursued Broadway where he played in "Rent," "Little Shop Of Horrors," "The Producers," and even "Rock of Ages," as the years go by.
Fatone also had been cast in various films and television shows at the time, including "Hannah Montana," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and "My Big Fat Greek Life."
Notably, Fatone also appeared on various seasons of "Dancing With The Stars," and has hosted a lot of television shows worldwide.
"That's the beautiful part about it: My career and my life led me somewhere else, and I'm good and I'm happy with it," he realized.
READ ALSO: Justin Timberlake's Demand For Large Portion of Tour Profits The Reason NSYNC Reunion Is Stalled?
'NSYNC Reunion
Joey Fatone's recent interview came on the heels of 'NSYNC's 2023 reunion. The boyband first shocked their fans in their first appearance as a group in years at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.
They presented the award for Best Pop Song and awarded it to Taylor Swift for "Anti-Hero." The band is reuniting for the release of the third installment of the "Trollz" film, which Timberlake leads with Anna Kendrick.
The boyband released their newest song, "Better Place," a song by Timberlake's character's brothers which was voiced in the film by Kid Cudi, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, and Troye Sivan.
READ ALSO: NSYNC New Album Coming Soon? Joey Fatone Says It's 'Possible' in 2025 but There's 1 Condition
