When it comes to '90s boy bands, along with the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC ruled the pop music scene. The band churned out hit after hit, but we haven't had the chance to see the boys reunite since their last recorded album in 2002. And it's safe to say, it's tearin' up our hearts that the five guys haven't gone back in the studio.
When it came to the band's split, there was no big drama. However, now it's time to veer our attention towards a beloved member of the former band, Joey Fatone. After Fatone said "Bye Bye Bye" to the band that made him, where did life take him? What's he doing in the real world? The musician has become successful in his other pursuits, so let's take a look at them together.
10 A Break
The pandemic has been collectively challenging on everyone - including A-Listers. The "I Want You Back" singer had to deal with all the trials and tribulations that came with the virus, too. And so, the multitalented singer opted for some much-needed time off.
On Memorial Day weekend, Fatone took a breather from reality and took a trip to a sunny destination. Fatone posted a few selfies of himself in Cancún, at the stunning Planet Hollywood resort. According to his Instagram page, the singer looks to nature for solace and peace.
9 Having Fun
The Dancing with the Stars alum is a kid at heart. The former boy bander stole our hearts way back when with his sense of humor, and not much has changed since the early 2000s.
Now, in his spare time, Fatone has a blast on TikTok by making humorous videos of himself singing tunes with costumes from The Muppets. And his followers have totally been digging his hysterical impersonations. Imagination has no age, and Fatone has proven that. And other times that he's bored, he takes trips to the Happiest Place on Earth.
8 Fatherhood Challenges
What we see up there is a rad dad!
However, although being a father is full of joy, the musician has shared the difficulties of raising his 11-year-old daughter Kloey. Kloey, who he shares with his ex-wife, Kelly Baldwin, is on the autism spectrum as she has high-functioning autism. And now that she's approaching her teenage years, Fatone knows that he's going to have different discussions with his daughter about the challenges that are to come.
In an interview with ET Canada, Fatone shared his feelings about parenting a child with HFA and said, "It’s interesting because you never know what challenges are still to come, because sometimes certain things just don’t connect for her."
7 A Lesson Learned
Fatone sees the good in everything!
Divorced from his longtime spouse, Kelly Baldwin, Fatone recently spoke out about what he learned from the split. Speaking on the How Men Think podcast, Fatone admitted that even when in a relationship/marriage, everybody needs a little time away.
"Something that I have learned over the years later on, especially being in a divorced family, and even if you’re not divorced and you’re still obviously with your spouse and everything is going great, give the time for your spouse — whether it be the male or female or whatever under your roof is — give that time to say, 'Hey, you know what? I’m gonna take the kids or the kid or whatever for the weekend,' or 'You know what? You go somewhere,'" Fatone said. We all need our downtime to do what makes us feel zen - lesson learned.
6 Time With The Kids
The pandemic forced all of us to either be confined by ourselves or with our immediate loved ones.
For Fatone, the father of two who was married to his high school sweetheart, the quarantine provided him with much-needed relief. Although he's no longer performing, Fatone is a busy man with a hectic schedule that normally requires a lot of traveling. However, being forced to stay home with his two daughters was a blessing in disguise. He told Forbes, "I travel a lot, so being home was nice. I'm always living out of a suitcase. So to be home and to be with my kids is more of a blessing than anything. It's been more of a blessing and a curse for me." He just keeps living and learning!
5 He's Hanging With The '90s Boys
If you're a '90s baby, you may just bounce off the walls with this nostalgic moment.
What do you get when you mix Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and Friends together? A hilarious spinoff of the most iconic moment from the cultural phenomena, Friends. Seriously, our '90s hearts are loving everything about this. We all desperately want to see a Backstreet Boys and NSYNC tour, but it's great to see Fatone back out there and showing off his acting chops.
We cannot help but laugh at his incredible impersonation of Chandler Bing, we just hope he doesn't pivot future acting opportunities.
4 Not Married, But Taken
It's tearin' up our hearts that Fatone is no longer single and ready to mingle!
Although he went through a divorce and had to say bye bye bye to the mother of his children and longtime partner, he found the one for him. His girlfriend, Izabel Araujo, has been in the picture for quite some time now. He and the Brazilian beauty have been going strong since 2014 and they've never looked back.
According to Us Weekly, they've been an item since October 2014, when Fatone and Baldwin had separated.
3 A Hosting Gig
With an undeniably charismatic personality, Fatone has been quite successful since the band's split.
He showed off his suave dance moves on Dancing with the Stars, and in recent years, he's broadcasted his hosting skills. Since the beginning of 2019, Fatone has been the comical and humble host of Common Knowledge, which airs on the Game Show Network.
Fatone has been doing an impeccable job at testing contestants on everyday questions that are common sense.
2 A Reunion?
If you follow any of the members of the Backstreet Boys and/or NSYNC, the last few days of June have most certainly given you severe heart palpitations.
Yes, you're seeing correctly - that is indeed Nick Carter tightly gripping Fatone's face. Members from both boy bands taunted and teased fans with a joint reunion, calling themselves Back-Sync. Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Nick Carter and AJ McLean got together for a performance at the Grove in Los Angeles. According to Variety, the four collaborated together for Bingo Under the Stars. And on that, Fatone commented, "It’s interesting to have the four of us knuckleheads do something together, which you’ve never seen before."
We are praying for a collaboration!
1 He's Co-Parenting
Although Fatone's eldest daughter is now a mature 20-year-old lady, he's very much present in her life. However, because of the divorce, he had to adjust his parenting mannerisms. After the former NSYNC star filed for divorce, parenting his two lovely daughters has been a step-by-step process. When he's alone with the girls, he has to play both the role of mother and father.
In 2019, Fatone spoke to Daily Mail about the co-parenting situation and said, "It’s one of those things where you take one step at a time. Sometimes we’ll try to do things together, sometimes we won’t, depending on where we are, what we’re doing."