Justin Timberlake held back on reuniting *NSYNC for his Super Bowl halftime show, but he had the clear support of his former bandmates.
Following Timberlake’s 14-minute performance with The Tennessee Kids, his old band members expressed messages of love and congratulations to the pop singer.
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Chris Kirkpatrick tweeted both before and after the hit-laden set, sharing a photo of himself in a Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open jacket and telling followers, “The only team I’m rooting for today!”
The only team Iโm rooting for today! Way to go @jtimberlake !!! Make us proud! pic.twitter.com/6hQRzpqrcR
โ Chris Kirkpatrick (@IamCKirkpatrick) February 4, 2018
After the performance, Kirkpatrick, 46, returned to Twitter to praise his former bandmate for his performance medley of hit songs, including “Suit & Tie,” “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and “Cry Me a River.”
“Wow wow wow! Best halftime of all time!!!!!! Way to go @justintimberlake that just made me so proud!” he wrote. Timberlake responded later with, “Love you, bro!! Thank you!”
Wow wow wow! Best halftime of all time!!!!!! Way to go @jtimberlake that just made me so proud!!!!
โ Chris Kirkpatrick (@IamCKirkpatrick) February 5, 2018
While Timberlake and Joey Fatone confessed multiple times that there were no plans for a surprise *NSYNC reunion during the big game, fans couldn’t help but hold out hope for a comeback for the “Bye, Bye, Bye” singers. Fatone, who was the only other *NSYNC member in Minneapolis ahead of the Super Bowl, bet a TMZ photographer $1,000 that they would not perform.
After Timberlake’s solo performance, save a projection of pop icon Prince, bandmate Lance Bass tweeted a message for optimistic fans to remind them that the men would be back together in the coming months.
“#ToldYa But no worries, we will all be together this spring for the star ceremony. Awesome halftime Justin!” Bass tweeted.
#ToldYa But no worries, we will all be together this spring for the star ceremony. Awesome halftime Justin!
โ Lance Bass (@LanceBass) February 5, 2018
The former band was chosen to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017, but Timberlake, Kirkpatrick, Fatone, Bass and JC Chasez have yet to select a date to unveil the block.
*NSYNC has been on “hiatus” since 2002, but Bass told Entertainment Tonight that the former group has remained close on a personal level.
“We talk dailyโฆ all five of us. I would have to shoot you if you saw the stuff we wrote to each other. We bag on each other all day longโฆ Those guys are my brothers and so we act like immature brothers all the time,” Bass said.
The boy band last performed together at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and have no plans for another musical reunion.