Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick recall 'resentment' during NSYNC hiatus: 'Are we ever getting back together?'

"There was a lot of animosity at first," Kirkpatrick said. "There was a lot of anger."

Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick aren’t pleased with how much time went bye, bye, bye between NSYNC’s initial hiatus and their reunion at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. 

The bandmates voiced their frustrations over the group’s extended break from music — which was supposed to only be for six months, but instead lasted 20 years — in the new Paramount+ documentary, Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands. 

“2002 was our last tour. Justin [Timberlake] was going to start his solo album, which we were super supportive of, I thought that was a great idea,” Bass said. “The label told us, ‘look, come back in six months,’ and we were supposed to go right into the next album. That just never happened. So it just fazed out without any fanfare, at all, with no goodbye. We just never got back together.”

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related: NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, New Edition recall 'crazy boy band rules' to appeal to fans: 'No girlfriends'

The band’s former manager Johnny Wright explained that, after working for four-and-a-half years straight, the members were encouraged to take some time off. However, instead of taking it easy, Timberlake used the hiatus to create his debut solo album, Justified. The album — which includes hits like "Señorita,” “Cry Me a River,” and “Rock Your Body” — became an overnight sensation and led Timberlake to make his solo debut at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.

Kirkpatrick called the hiatus a "hard" time. “There was a lot of animosity at first. There was a lot of anger. There was a lot of resentment,” he said. “I remember thinking, ‘Are we ever getting back together again?’”

Bass added, “It was just a very confusing part of our life right there, because we didn’t know what was happening.”

Wright defended Timberlake’s decision to invest in his solo career at the time. “From Justin’s standpoint, when he’s got the number one album in the country and he’s got offers to tour the world, it’s like, how do you come back to that?” He questioned. “I gotta fulfill this. It’s not that I’m saying goodbye, it’s just I can’t stop this.”

And Bass noted that he would’ve understood that, had Timberlake been open about his intentions with the group. “Business-wise, I get that,” he said. “Justin has the most talent in the world and we wanted to give him that respect — but tell us that.”

Related: Ryan Reynolds reveals and praises his Deadpool & Wolverine 'Bye Bye Bye' dance double

While NSYNC would go on to reunite at performances and award ceremonies over the next 20 years, the band didn’t make their official comeback until the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. Later that year, they released a single titled “Better Place,” which was featured on the soundtrack of Timberlake’s animated film Trolls Band Together. 

In January, Timberlake confirmed on The Kelly Clarkson Show that NSYNC had been “in the studio” and teased “a little something” may be on the way in the future. "It's kinda crazy,” he said at the time, “there's so much that just picks up where it left off, as far as the chemistry.” 

The group’s hit, “Bye Bye Bye,” also enjoyed some time in the spotlight this summer after it was featured in the Marvel superhero film, Deadpool & Wolverine. 

Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands is streaming on Paramount+ now.