Will Smith Wants New NSYNC Music After VMAs Reunion

Based on her reaction to their surprise appearance at Tuesday night's MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), you may think Taylor Swift is NSYNC's biggest fan. However, you'd be wrong, with another famous face demanding a boyband reunion—pronto.

Ahead of their first VMA appearance in 10 years, band-member-turned-solo-star Justin Timberlake shared a clip of the group. Posted to Instagram, the footage shows Timberlake with JC Chasez, 47, Lance Bass, 44, Joey Fatone, 46, and Chris Kirkpatrick, 51, joking around in an elevator ahead of the show.

"So five guys walk into an elevator," the 42-year-old wrote alongside the post, which has received thousands of likes and comments. However, one remark in particular caught users' attention.

"Y'all better be makin' music in that elevator," actor Will Smith commented, receiving over 6,900 likes so far.

Fans agreed that the boyband—who dominated the charts from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s—should release some new hits, with kathytimberlake79 writing: "Let's do this s***."

"This is Tearin' Up My Heart alright," said arielle.

"The amount of money i would pay to go see an nsync reunion tour is straight up embarrassing," wrote tarynmcmurph.

"PLLZ!!!!! 30 yo Moms all over the world need you!!!!!" begged wholelifenurse.

The group reunited on stage on Tuesday night to present Swift with the Best Pop Award for her track "Anti-Hero." The 33-year-old singer was seen breaking down in tears as the band emerged, with Swift paying tribute to NSYNC in her acceptance speech.

"I had your dolls," she told the quintet, before asking: "Like, are you doing something? What's going to happen now?"

Turning to the audience, the pop star continued: "They're going to do something and I need to know what it is."

Swift wasn't the only high-profile fan to have a meltdown at the sight of NSYNC. Rumors have been circling of a fall out between Timberlake and Megan Thee Stallion backstage, with the rapper appearing to yell at the singer as he passed her by backstage.

However, a source told Variety that the footage—which was posted to social media—has been taken out of context, with the 28-year-old actually fan-girling over Timberlake.

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, NSYNC was one of the most successful music groups in the world. Their second album No Strings Attached (2000) sold more than 14 million copies across the globe, with 2.4 million albums purchased in the first week alone—a record the band would hold for 15 years.

Timberlake left the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career. Although the hiatus was only supposed to be temporary, in 2007, Bass told the Orlando Sentinel they were "definitely broken up."

"The thing that really failed was communication," he said. "It's not a hiatus. Justin made it clear that he wouldn't be interested in discussing another album any time soon."

The last time the band performed on stage together was at the VMAs in 2013, where they sang mega hits "Girlfriend" and "Bye Bye Bye." The reunion was in honor of Timberlake's Video Vanguard Award, an achievement given to musicians and video directors who have made a significant impact on the industry.

The group also came together in 2018 when they were awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Despite demand from fans, it doesn't appear that NSYNC will be releasing new music any time soon. In February, Bass told E! News that a reunion tour is unlikely.

"It's fun to think about," he told the publication. "I would say to fans don't give too much hope into it. It would take a lot to convince some of the guys to do something like that, but I mean, never say never."

Newsweek has reached out to Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick for comment via email.