Taylor Swift and viewers alike got a genuine surprise at the MTV VMAs when *NSYNC staged their first in-person reunion years. The group appeared together to present the VMA for best pop song to Swift, who won for her song “Anti-Hero,” marking her first win of the night.
Swift was not expecting Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Lance Bass to be the award’s presenters, but she was certainly delighted by it. Audience footage made that much clear:
She was seen melting down during the broadcast:
On stage, Swift gave each member each a hug and accepted a friendship bracelet from Bass, a perfect homage to Swift’s Eras tour:
Swift gave a brief speech for the award, prefacing it by saying, “I’m not doing well pivoting from this,” while gesturing to *NSYNC.
She went on to say, “I love making pop music. I love making pop music videos. I also loved making country. I love slinking around different genres. The only reason I’m allowed to do this is because you the fans gave me the opportunity to do that.”
*NSYNC’s reunion wasn’t a total surprise, by the way. Billboard reported that the group was actually rumored to make an appearance ahead of the broadcast.
An insider told the outlet that all five members “will be onstage together.” Additionally, Billboard noted that there were posters featuring *NSYNC’s logo appearing around New York City, fueling speculation the group was recording a song together for Trolls Band Together. (Timberlake voices Branch in the movie series.)
Of course, due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the group cannot talk about any collaboration for the film project. Still, Swift’s reaction to tonight’s stage reunion alone is enough to signal that any new work from the group would be ecstatically embraced by all fans.
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
