Where Are They Now? Playing Catch-Up with Your Favorite Boy Bands

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The Guys of 'N Sync in Concert in 1999

J.C. Chasez, Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick released their first American single as 'N Sync in 1998 and pretty much became household names immediately thereafter. Well, household names in homes that had teens living there, anyway. They also made a splash in the pop culture merchandising world after plastering themselves on everything from sheets to dolls to makeup. But in the end, they only released four albums between 1997 and 2001, including one filled with holiday cheer.

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Justin Timberlake of 'N SYNC in 2000

Justin Timberlake rocking cornrows at the MTV Movie Awards at Sony Studios, CA.

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Justin Timberlake in 2012

Timberlake released four solo albums (Jusified,FutureSex/LoveSounds and The 20/20 Experience Pt 1 & 2) but has also focused on his acting career, playing to his comedic side in projects like Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits as well as some memorable guest spots on SNL. Here he is in 2012 at the "Trouble With The Curve" Los Angeles Premiere held at the Regency Village Theatre.

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Chris Kirkpatrick of 'N SYNC in 2002

Chris Kirkpatrick makes facial hair an accessory at the BMG Grammy Party at the Argyle Hotel, West Hollywood, CA.

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Chris Kirkpatrick in 2010

Kirkpatrick wrote an original song on the reality TV show Gone Country 2 in 2008 and also made an appearance in A Day to Remember’s music video for “2nd Sucks” in 2012. Here he is in 2010 playing in the Shriners Hospitals For Children Open.

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J.C. Chasez of 'N SYNC in 2001

J.C. Chasez has a strong overall look at the "43rd Grammy Awards Nominations Press Conference" at Beverly Hilton Hotel in LA.

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J.C. Chasez in 2013

Chasez released his solo album Schizophrenic in 2004 and then served as a judge on America’s Best Dance Crew on MTV until the show's cancellation in 2012. He also formed a girl group in 2012 called Girl Radical. Here he is in 2013 at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

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Joey Fatone of 'N SYNC in 2001

Joey Fatone in velvet at the Radio Music Awards at Aladdin Resort & Casino Hotel Las Vegas, NV.

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Joey Fatone in 2013

Fatone appeared on Season 4 of Dancing with the Stars in 2007 and placed second behind Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough. Now he devotes much more time these days to his wife, daughters, and his stage work. In 2014, he began hosting the Food Network program Rewrapped. Here he is in 2013 at the Jekyll & Hyde Play Opening at the Pantages Theater.

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Lance Bass of 'N SYNC in 2001

Lance Bass looking suave in embroidered suede at the 'N SYNC Release party for their new CD "Celebration," Moomba Nightclub, West Hollywood, CA.

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Lance Bass of 'N SYNC in 2013

Bass has made post-'N Sync appearances in films and television shows (even voicing a cartoon version of himself during an episode of Robot Chicken), but he also writes and produces. Since coming out in 2006 as gay, he published his autobiography the following year and worked with LOGO on some behind-the-music-scenes, hoping to feature and follow the development of an all-gay boy band. Here he is in 2013 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA.

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'N Sync in 2012

Technically, 'N Sync only went on “hiatus” in 2002—but that terminology was probably to avoid a teen-girl riot. As you can see, the guys have been off doing their own solo projects ever since. 'N Sync fans can now rejoice since the band reunited for a performance for the 2013 MTV VMAs.

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The Guys of 98 Degrees in 1998

The boys of 98 Degrees released their debut self-titled album in 1997. Consisting of brothers Nick and Drew Lachey and friends Justin Jeffre and Jeff Timmons, 98 Degrees first received real fame for a song on the Mulan soundtrack, which somehow stamped them as the squeakier-clean boy band, despite their tribal band biceps tattoos. Their cheery Christmas album certainly upheld that image.

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98 Degrees at the 2012 GQ Men of the Year Awards

While each of the guys have gone on to their own careers and projects, most notably with both Lachey brothers turning to reality TV (Nick competed on Stars Earn Stripes, while Drew returned to Dancing with the Stars for the 2012 all-stars edition). In 2012, the band finally reunited for a new album, as well as a select handful of performances—including their much-tweeted appearance on the Today show. On May 7, 2013, 98 Degrees released 2.0 and announced a North American tour that started later that month.

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The Backstreet Boys at Pride in 2010

The Backstreet Boys took a brief hiatus during which solo projects were released by each member. But the band actually did come back together to record new music, though Richardson’s hiatus from the group was longest of all, as he left in 2006, prior to the release of Unbreakable. Although he rejoined the group for the special Los Angeles stop on the 2011 NKOTBSB tour, it wasn’t until early 2012 that he permanently returned to making music with the Backstreet Boys. The guys performed at the Mixtape Festival with the New Kids on the Block, even taking the other boy band on in a game of pickup basketball. Talk about a "Sophie’s choice" (of who to root for)!

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The Guys of Backstreet Boys in 1999

The Backstreet Boys rose to popularity overseas before their self-titled first album even debuted in the U.S.—which basically meant that a lot of time and money was spent tracking down international copies of CDs (often with extra tracks!) back in the pre-Amazon and iTunes era. During the height of their success (the late '90s), Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean, and Kevin Richardson released four albums, toured the world, ended up on the cover of every teen pinup magazine just about every week, and even performed at the Super Bowl (in 2001) and released a hits album before taking a break to slightly reinvent their sound. In 2012 the band reunited to star in an Old Navy commercial, proving that while the band was on hiatus, they were never far from the spotlight. On April 22, 2013, the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, proof of their enduring influence on pop music and boy bandom.

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The Guys of Boyz II Men in 1997

Back in 1988, Marc Nelson and Nathan Morris brought together Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, and Michael McCary to form a boy band called Unique Attraction, known for their a cappella renditions of R&B songs. Inspired by New Edition, they soon changed the name of their group to Boyz II Men and skyrocketed to fame with singles like “Motownphilly,” which was released in January 1991. Their debut album Cooleyhighharmony won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1992.

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Boyz II Men in 2012

Though McCary left Boyz II Men in 2003, citing back and other personal problems, both Morrises and Stockman have continued to make music together. Most recently, they celebrated two decades in the music industry with a new album of new and rerecorded “classic” songs. Twenty was released on October 25, 2011. In January of 2013, the group appeared on The View along with New Kids on the Block and 98 Degrees to announce their joint tour that would take place that summer. Boyz II Men also announced that in 2014 they would start performing shows at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

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The Jonas Brothers in 2006

Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas, perhaps because they came from the Disney machine, have managed to give the Jersey Shore a good name for a change. Formed in 2005, the Jonas Brothers was a band much more akin to Hanson (singing brothers who also—gasp!—actually know how to play instruments) than most of the dance-and-flash boy bands of earlier years.

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The Jonas Brothers in 2012

After releasing four studio albums together and starring in their own series as well as a Disney Channel original movie, the brothers started to formulate separate identities. Kevin got married and is now the subject of an E! reality series called Married to Jonas, while Joe is a judge and mentor on the CW’s musical competition series The Next ; and Nick, after forming a side project and releasing a solo album in 2012, guest-starred on the first season of Smash. Nick's currently working on some new music with Demi Lovato.

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The Guys of New Edition in the ‘80s

New Edition, formed in Boston in 1978, is the group most credited for paving the way in popularity for the boy bands that followed. But it's the early-'80s amalgamation of New Edition—Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ralph Tresvant—that most music fans remember, because that's when they released all of their big hits, like “Candy Girl,” “Is This the End?,” “A Little Bit of Love,” and “With You All the Way.”

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New Edition in 2012

New Edition got back together for 1996's Home Again, an album the band was contractually obligated to make, but it wasn’t until 2003 that the real reunion took place. Old rivalries were finally put to bed so Tresvant, Bell, Bivins, DeVoe, Johnny Gill, and Brown could start fresh and give their nostalgic fans something to cheer about. New Edition has also developed a friendship with New Kids on the Block over the years, with the guys (except for Brown) recording a song for NKOTB’s album The Block and occasionally joining them onstage for their tour stops.

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The Guys of New Kids on the Block in the '80s

After Maurice Starr stopped managing New Edition, he was looking to create a new all-male group, still with its roots in hip-hop and R&B, and began auditioning boys on the eastern seaboard. Donnie Wahlberg was cast and ultimately helped to bring in his longtime friend Danny Wood and former schoolmate Jordan Knight, who then brought in his older brother Jonathan Knight. Looking for a kid who could hit higher notes than the older teenagers, Starr later hired Joey McIntyre. NKOTB went on to be a phenomenon well beyond “just” the music industry, with their likenesses printed on everything from trading cards and beach towels to lunchboxes and even their own line of dolls.

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The New Kids on the Block in 2011

Though the New Kids on the Block disbanded in 1994, they reunited in 2008 for a new album and subsequent tour. In fact, to this day, they still tour with each other (and with the Backstreet Boys for a joint NKOTBSB nostalgia concert). They hung with the guys of the Backstreet Boys again at the 2012 Mixtape Festival, going head-to-head on the basketball court too. They will also receive a star on the Walk of Fame in 2014. Their reality series Rock This Boat about their cruise tour premieres later this year.

The Guys of Plus One in 2001

At the height of success of boy bands like 'N Sync, the music industry realized there was still a niche to be filled: a Christian boy band. Enter Nate Cole, Gabe Combs, Nathan Walters, Jeremy Mhire, and Jason Perry as Plus One (the title of the band means that them plus God equals the full band). Their debut album The Promise achieved four No. 1's on the Christian pop charts when it was released in May 2000, giving little girls something wholesome to scream for.

Plus One in 2012

Plus One broke up in 2004, and to date they have still not reunited. For a brief time, there existed a subset of this boy band called Castledoor, consisting of Cole and Combs (and their wives). Today, though, Cole continues to make music with his wife, while Combs and Walters have started a music production company together, and Perry has contributed solo songs to soundtracks like Night at the Museum and Confessions of a Shopaholic. Mhire is a husband, father, blogger, and active CrossFit enthusiast who still speaks often about God’s influence on his life.

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The Guys of Take That in 1991

The British boy band Take That originally started with only one member: Gary Barlow, a young singer and songwriter who was talented but whose manager wanted to see him in a group performance. Auditions were held, and ultimately the band ended up as Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, and Robbie Williams. 1992 saw their first big hit with a cover of “It Only Takes a Minute.”

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Take That in 2011

In 1995, internal conflicts with Take That culminated in the departure of Williams from the group. Williams went on to release solo projects and even be inducted in the U.K. Music Hall of Fame in 2004. Meanwhile, Take That released a four-top single without Williams, “How Deep Is Your Love,” that ended up on the band’s Greatest Hits album. In the band’s “break” from 1996 to 2005, Donald admitted to contemplating suicide after being distraught about losing his bandmates, while Orange went to college in Manchester. All of the guys released solo projects. The entire Take That group reunited in 2012 for their studio album Progress and subsequent tour. Take That performed at the 2012 London Olympic Games’ closing ceremonies. They are currently recording a new album set for a Winter 2014 release. However, Orange recently announced his departure from the band which may upset that new album.

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The Monkees in the '60s

The Monkees started out as a fictional band, assembled simply for a television show of the same name in 1965, but the sensation of Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, and Davy Jones caught on bigger than the show ever intended. Sure, they were talented, but that period hair didn’t hurt their cause!

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The Monkees in 2012

Originally hired as actor musicians to play, as Doretz has described it, “an imaginary band that was never successful,” the Monkees went on to release 11 albums, as recently as 1996. Though there were years where the band disbanded and the members did their own things, 2011 saw a 45th-anniversary reunion tour from Jones, Dolenz, and Tork. After Jones passed away in February 2012, Nesmith stepped in to perform in the rescheduled second leg of the tour in his place. In 2014, The Monkees were inducted into the Pop Music Hall of Fame.