This reflection post has been a long time coming, but I finally got around to it. Since my last timeline reflection post, I’ve mapped out *NSYNC’s breakup from 2002 through early 2004 and I incorporated some previously un-found sources by creating my first Lost and Found post. Before diving into the major themes of 2002, let’s revisit part of that Lost and Found post.
In January of 2001, celebrity news columnist Ted Casablanca said that *NSYNC’s next album could possibly be their last, citing sources that claim “…the biggest reason for the lack of togetherness is that Justin’s got the biggest independent itch”. This is in-line with the theme that I teased out with my 2001 reflection post and underscores the idea that there was already inklings for separation before the so-called “hiatus”.
For 2002, here’s how events played out:
MTV News reported that Justin had invited Angie Stone to collaborate on his solo album during rehearsals for the Billboard Music Awards. Like I mentioned in my 2001 reflections, the point in December when the hiatus idea was proposed to the group is still fuzzy. This request to Angie may have happened earlier in December than when the group was asked if they wanted to take a break.
*Nsync Studio featured an article in which JC suggested that the group could start working on their next album post-tour.
Space.com noted Lance Bass was in discussions about space tourism.
A FOX News article suggested Justin was apossibly halfway through recording his solo album.
Melinda Bell told the Las Vegas Review Journal that the band was going on an eight-month “hiatus”— possibly the first formal use of the term in media.
In a PopWorld interview, Lance expressed excitement about his space trip and offer supportive comments about Justin’s solo work. In the same interview, Justin responded to a question about whether all of the solo projects from the group members meant that *NSYNC was breaking up. He denied that the group was breaking up and said that there would be another album and another tour in the following year. He also replied to a question about the group’s next album, saying that demos were already being submitted and that there would be “plenty of time to put it together”.
The *NSYNC Studio fan site featured a copied and pasted US Weekly article in which anonymous sourceclaimed that the group’s hiatus would be 1 year long and that the prospects of *NSYNC reuniting hinged on whether Justin’s solo album was successful or not.
In an Entertainment Weekly article about Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s professional and romantic lives, an unnamed Jive spokesman was quoted as saying that there was no JT album scheduled and that *NSYNC would be working on a new album in the summer.
Pop Dirt.com published a transcript for an interview on MTV’s TRL. According to this transcript, Joey Fatone implied that *NSYNC would be taking a break for the rest of the year and start writing for the next album in December or January.
During an interview on the Rosie O’Donnell Show Lance responded to questions about the space trip,saying he still needed to undergo more testing and that being a part of the mission was still indefinite.
Lance underwent heart surgery in Russia on May 1st. Mixed reports surfaced on his space mission status, with Katrillion confirming it while BBC’s Radio 1 suggested Russian authorities denied it.
In a May 20th post journal post, Melinda Bell provided brief updates for what each of the guys was up to at the time.
A post from The Philadelphia Daily News website claimed that Justin recorded music and did a photo shoot while visiting the city.
JC, in an interview with Launch.com, stated *NSYNC would reunite after Lance’s space trip. Alan Boyle’s Cosmic Log for MSN tracked Lance’s cosmonaut training.
Popdirt.com published a transcript of a telephone interview Justin did on TRL.
On June 13th Melinda Bell posted another update in her journal on NSYNC.com.
The New York Times published an article about Joey Fatone’s Broadway debut in the musical RENT. The author mentions that a gap in his schedule (i.e., the “hiatus”) gave him the opportunity to audition for the play.
Lance was formally nominated for space travel by M.V. Sinelschikov, Head of Space Flight Directorate of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. This graphic contains text from the a transcript of the nomination letter.
MTV.Com reported that a contract had been signed for Lance to officially become part of the Soyuz mission.
Alan Boyle posted more updates about Lance’s tourism plans on the Cosmic Log.
An article about Lance’s preparation for the Soyuz mission was published in the Science and Tech section of MSNBC.com. Though authored by Alan Boyle this appears to be separate from his Cosmic Log blog.
Access Hollywood broadcast a short segment about preparations for Lance’s space flight. The graphic in the ROHM archive contains text from a transcript that was posted in a fan thread on Abstracts.net. The transcript does not identify the speakers by name; however, Popdirt.com linked to the Abstracts thread claiming that Joey Fatone said *NSYNC would begin working on another album the following year.
On August 18th the New York Post’s Victoria Gotti feature contained quotes from Joey Fatone responded to a question about when *NSYNC would reunite.
Variety magazine reported that Lance was on his way to Russia and then to space.
The Houston Chronicle reported that Bass’ trip was not definite and could be canceled for non-payment.
Billboard.Com reported that Bass’ backers and the Russians were close to reaching an agreement.
SPACE.Com published an article addressing rumors about the status of Lance’s space tourism trip.
CollectSpace.Com published an article featuring a copy of the space patch designed to be worn by Lance Bass on the Soyuz mission. This graphic contains a copy of the patch.
Space Adventures published a press release about Lance Bass’ participation in a zero-gravity training flight.
MTV.com featured an article detailing some of Lance’s time at NASA facilities in Houston, TX.
The Forever NSYNC Fans website features a partial transcript of an online chat with Lance Bass. The transcript contains no identifying information about the chat but a web search reveals that the chat was hosted by NASA’s Distance Learning Outpost via the Quest web portal. This graphic contains text taken from the transcript on Forever *NSYNC Fans.
PopDirt.Com posted a summary of gossip from the JJB (Just Justin Board) forum from a member with the username “Vixx x”. This forum member claimed that she spoke with manager. Johnny Wright at a red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards. “He said ‘Justin’s gonna finish *NSYNC’s album, go out on his solo tour, then come back, then *NSYNC are gonna go on tour straight after’.”
Entertainment Weekly covered Justin’s solo work, with manager Johnny Wright remarking that the five-member boy band format was “starting to fizzle.” Meanwhile, MTV News confirmed Lance had been dropped from the Soyuz mission.
MTV News reported that Lance Bass was rejected from the Soyuz mission for unfulfilled obligations.
Space.Com reported on the status of Lance Bass’ position on the Soyuz shuttle and cosmonaut training, claiming April [of 2003] would be the earliest time he could complete a mission.
Teen People.Com published an interview with Justin Timberlake. Reportedly, he expressed confusion with the public’s interest in the status of *NSYNC and said “there’s always going to be a group”.
A small feature claiming to explain why *NSYNC can’t break up appears as part of a J-14 Magazine article about the group’s Challenge For the Children event. A photograph of the feature was included in an eBay sales listing that has since been removed by the seller. Tertiary proof of this feature article was located on Tumblr.
Joey appears on the talk show Last Call with Carson Daly and Pop Dirt.Com published a transcript of the interview.
The October 26th issue of Billboard Newspaper featured an article about the Justified album.
Justin Timberlake, in an interview with The New York Post, reassured fans that his solo career and *NSYNC could coexist, insisting that the group was “in no danger” and that their break was intentional and mutually agreed upon.
MTV News published an article about the anticipated Justified tour. A spokesperson from jab records said that Justin wouldn’t be torn until the following year during the summer. When asked if *NSYNC would me making another album, Justin reportedly said he thought they would.
USA Today featured an article on pop music, quoting Jive Records Executive Barry Weiss, who envisioned Justin’s solo record paving the way for *NSYNC’s biggest album yet.
During an appearance on *MTV’s Total Request Live*, JC Chasez briefly outlined the group’s planned appearances for the next year and confirmed that *NSYNC would return to the studio by September or October [of 2003].
With *NSYNC’s hiatus officially underway, each member pursued their own path in 2002. Breaking it down by individual activities, here’s how the year unfolded:
Chris Kirkpatrick
Chris seemed to anticipate regrouping later in the year to begin working on the next album. While no major projects were directly tied to the hiatus, a June journal update from Melinda Bell noted he had rented a luxury RV and traveled cross-country writing music with various producers.
JC Chasez
JC expected to start work on *NSYNC’s next album after some personal downtime. In February, he mentioned the group could begin pooling resources by late spring or summer. By June, he was working with writing partners in Los Angeles and told Yahoo! LAUNCH that the band would reunite after Lance returned from space. He even visited Lance in Houston during astronaut training in August.
In November, TV Guide Online quoted JC discussing plans for the next *NSYNC album and his work on the Drumline soundtrack. By December, he was on *TRL* promoting his single, where he said that *NSYNC probably wouldn’t head into the studio until late 2003.
Joey Fatone
Joey expected to reunite with *NSYNC by December or January. In July, he was announced as a cast member in RENT and he starred in the musical from August through December. In August CBS published an article in which it was mentioned that Joey had started writing [songs] in anticipation of *NSYNC’s next album, which was expected to come out in mid-2003. During an October appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly, he discussed his work in RENT and film projects, mentioning that Justin might be touring at the beginning of 2003 and work on the next album would start in March or April.
Lance Bass
Lance was focused on space tourism before returning to *NSYNC. Reports of his negotiations began in February, and by March, he had completed a physical exam to qualify for the Soyuz mission. However, his participation remained uncertain. He disclosed on The Rosie O’Donnell Show in April that further testing was needed. Lance also said in April that he was hoping to complete the mission in November of 2003 to allow more time for training. After heart surgery on May 1st, conflicting reports about his mission surfaced.
By June, he had obtained medical clearance but was still working on securing a formal deal with the Russians. In July, the Russian Space Agency officially approved him for the mission. He skipped *NSYNC’s Challenge For the Children event to continue training, though outstanding contract details threatened his participation. Despite being fitted for a spacesuit in August, he failed to meet the payment deadline, leading to his rejection from the mission by September—although some media reports suggested a possible April 2003 opportunity.
Justin Timberlake
Justin had already begun setting up collaborations for his solo album by December 2001, as confirmed by Angie Stone’s comments to MTV News in January. By March, a FOX News article suggested his album was at least halfway finished, with a pop-up ad later on WeAreNow.com confirming a fall release. He reportedly worked on his album in Philadelphia in May.
Throughout the summer, he gave multiple interviews discussing his solo project, telling Teen PEOPLE that his solo work and *NSYNC’s future could coexist. By October, Billboard covered his upcoming album, and in November, USA Today, MTV News, and The New York Post all published articles on his project, with MTV noting that his tour was slated for the following summer.
This overview doesn’t capture every move *NSYNC made in 2002, but my focus in the Visual Archive was determining whether sources answered relevant questions about their hiatus. That year saw an uptick in commentary from people outside of the group —some of it coming from named sources, others by anonymous insiders. To make sense of it all, I’ve categorized their contributions separately:
Melinda Bell
Often described as *NSYNC’s spokeswoman, Melinda functioned more as a road manager. She stated the hiatus would last about eight months and, by summer, her updates on *NSYNC.com had shifted from tour coverage to brief mentions of individual projects.
Johnny Wright
As *NSYNC’s manager, Johnny was rarely quoted, but in September, he told Entertainment Weekly he anticipated a fourth album by late 2003 while also hinting that the boy band model was starting to “fizzle.” Secondhand gossip about comments he reportedly made before an awards show made its way onto the Pop Dirt website, with a fan claiming she was told ‘Justin’s gonna finish *NSYNC’s album, go out on his solo tour, then come back, then *NSYNC are gonna go on tour straight after’.
Anonymice
As media speculation increased, unnamed sources—some later proven accurate—began shaping the breakup narrative. To distinguish between gossip and more reliable leaks, I’ve grouped them separately under ‘Anonymice.’ This approach helps determine whether certain rumors were predictive rather than just speculation.
The anonymouse cited by US Weekly was included in the archive because in retrospect their comments seem predictive of *NSYNC’s breakup.
Jive Records
While many comments from Jive employees lacked attribution, they weren’t fully anonymous, so they’re separated from the “Anonymice.” In April, two spokespersons insisted Justin had no solo album scheduled for the year, and one told Entertainment Weekly that *NSYNC would start recording their next album in the summer. By July, another rep said Justin’s album wasn’t on the release calendar. After Justified dropped in the fall, Jive CEO Barry Weiss said he intended to follow up Justin’s solo debut with *NSYNC’s “biggest record ever.”
With these sources organized, inconsistencies across three key areas start to be apparent:
1. The length of the hiatus – Melinda and Joey suggested an eight-month break, while an anonymous source told *US Weekly* it would last one year. JC Chasez and one unnamed Jive representative both said work on *NSYNC’s fourth album would be starting that summer, creating further uncertainty.
2. When *NSYNC would regroup – If the break was eight months, they should have been back in the studio by early 2003. Chris even suggested their album would be done by the end of 2002. But by December, JC on TRL saying that recording wouldn’t begin until fall of 2003— going beyond the one-year break timeline given to US Weekly.
3. Justin’s solo work – Jive Records employees didn’t seem aligned on whether the album was officially scheduled, and timelines for touring varied. Some reports suggested Justin’s tour wouldn’t start until summer 2003, but Joey told Carson Daly his bandmate would hit the road earlier—overlapping with when *NSYNC was supposedly going to work on another album.
One thing that is seems clear is the contrast between Justin’s solo project and Lance’s astronaut ambitions. In February, media coverage was discussing Lance’s interest in space tourism and his possible participation in the Soyuz mission. In March, Lance was in Russia starting to go through what would amount to many tests to qualify for the Soyuz mission. Meanwhile, by early March, Roger Friedman reported that he was told Justin’s album was already halfway complete. By the end of that month, his project was being promoted with a fall release expected.
I won’t go into all the details of Lance’s astronaut journey, but we know how it ended—he missed the Soyuz mission due to funding issues. Had he made the trip, he’d have returned in November and still been on track to hit the studio in December or January, per the floated eight-month timeline. Another space tourism trip could’ve been an option, with April 2003 aligning with the one-year timeline Anonymouse gave US Weekly or November 2003 fitting the revised timeline JC mentioned on TRL. Interestingly, JC never explained why the timeline shifted—he just emphasized that any plans for 2003 depended on their schedules and whether they could all get together.
With Soyuz off the table, Lance’s availability wasn’t an issue at the end of 2002. Looking at the group’s schedules, most of the group didnt seem to be tied up with anything that would’ve stopped them from working on a new album in early 2003. Joey’s RENT stint ended in December, Chris was songwriting and didn’t appear to have a major project blocking him, and JC initially expected to start on the next album before year’s end but shifted focus to promoting his Drumline track, something that could probably be worked around. Did the timeline change because of Justin’s tour? I think it’s a fair question—especially given Joey’s response to Carson Daly on Later.
Carson: ‘N sync gonna record another record?
Joey: I think so. Yeah, we’re gonna tually[sic] have a meeting to find out
and determine when we’re gonna start writing.
Carson: Despite the fact of Justin’s album doing well or not?
Joey: Yeah. Yeah, we’re supposed to have a meeting. I know that he’s
gonna be — he possibly might be going out on tour for about a month or
so, which is gonna be in the beginning of next year, I think. And then
we’re gonna start writing probably in March or April.
Publicly available info suggests Justin’s tour timeline shifted, meaning *NSYNC wouldn’t have had all five members in the studio in early 2003.
So, did Lance’s space aspirations contribute to *NSYNC’s unraveling? Based on what I’ve found, and contrary to the version of events proposed in Leena Taylor’s ET Canada article, that doesn’t seem to be the case. I haven’t seen any sources supporting claims that the group agreed to take a break because Lance wanted to go to space. But in April US Weekly reported that a source told them the break was Justin’s choice.
While Lance’s space tourism plans were a media storyline in 2002, the available evidence suggests they wouldn’t have impacted the group’s trajectory in a significant way; had he joined the Soyuz mission in October like he planned and survived the trip, he would have been back on Earth by early November and ready to record the next album. Also, there’s no gossip trail suggesting Lance wanted a solo project that could’ve affected *NSYNC*’s future. In January 2001 columnist Bill Zwecker floated gossip claiming Justin was being encouraged “ to forge ahead with his solo career as soon as contractually possible” and that “the singer may even go it alone – careerwise – shortly after the summer release of N’Sync [sic]’s new album”.
Because Lance’s film On The Line is something that was also mentioned as a contributing factor in the ET Canada article I’d like to find more information for the timeline that relates to the film, like when the media picked up on the story. I also think reviewing Lance’s memoir might offer some clarity about when the news about On The Line was relayed to *NSYNC and how the filming schedule affecting recording Celebrity. In order to find this, it means that I have to do some backtracking and more digging related to 2001. But as far as 2002 goes, I think the historical receipts point in a direction that doesn’t indicate Lance’s interests outside of the group as being a direct factor in their breakup.
Riddle On Her Mind 
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