'NSYNC

*NSYNC diehards are convinced a reunion is afoot after spotting a few members in the Big Apple -- and TMZ knows the band will be front and center during the show.

Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone and Lance Bass were all photographed in and around NYC over the past 48 hours -- JT hit up the US Open, Joey was spotted roaming the streets/posing with fans and Lance got snapped grabbing drinks in Manhattan.

In addition to these sightings ... JC Chasez was pictured riding in a private jet -- through a recent social media post from his manager -- although it's unclear where exactly he was flying to.

The one person who has yet to be shot in public is Chris Kirkpatrick ... but he did post a 9/11 tribute Monday, and threw up a NYFD firetruck. Unclear if he took it himself though.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the group will be presenting during the show Tuesday at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. We do not know if they will also perform.

Of course, another clue of a reunion ... a track that's been teased through Justin's latest 'Trolls' movie -- which has the first letter of their band name and a catchy whistling tune ... although the full song has yet to be released/named.

The guys haven't performed together since the 2013 VMAs -- so a reunion now would be timely ... a 10-year anniversary. They haven't released new music since the early 2000s.

Lord knows their day-ones have been craving a reunion for a long, long time now.

The big award show is only hours away, so we'll see if the iconic boy band is ready to join forces. A lot has changed since they last rocked a major stage -- here's hoping they still got the juice!

7:39 AM PT -- Una fuente conectada con el grupo nos dice que no habrá una actuación, los chicos sólo estarán presentando.

Los incondicionales de *NSYNC están convencidos de que hay una reunión en marcha después de ver a algunos miembros en la Gran Manzana y TMZ sabe que la banda estará al frente y al centro durante el show.

Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone y Lance Bass fueron fotografiados en los alrededores de Nueva York durante las últimas 48 horas. JT fue al US Open, Joey fue visto vagando por las calles posando con los fans y Lance fue fotografiado tomando unas copas en Manhattan.

Además de estos avistamientos, JC Chasez fue fotografiado montando un jet privado y pudimos ver las fotos a través de un reciente post en las redes sociales de su manager, aunque no está claro dónde exactamente estaba volando.

El único integrante que aún no ha sido fotografiado en público es Chris Kirkpatrick, pero publicó un homenaje 9/11 lunes y gestionó un camión de bomberos NYFD. Aunque no está claro si él mismo iba abordo.

Fuentes directas le informan a TMZ que el grupo se presentará durante el show del martes en el Prudential Center de Nueva Jersey. No sabemos si también actuarán.

Por supuesto, otra pista de una reunión ... una pista que se ha burlado a través de la última película de Justin 'Trolls' - que tiene la primera letra de su nombre de la banda y una melodía pegadiza silbido ... aunque la canción completa aún no ha sido puesto en libertad / nombre

Los chicos no han actuado juntos desde los VMA 2013, por lo que una reunión sería oportuna para celebrar un aniversario de 10 años. No han lanzado nueva música desde principios de la década de 2000.

Todo el mundo sabe que sus compañeros han estado anhelando una reunión durante mucho, mucho tiempo.

Sólo faltan unas horas para la gran entrega de premios así que veremos si la icónica boy band está lista para unir fuerzas. Las cosas han cambiado mucho desde la última vez que actuaron en un gran escenario ¡esperemos que aún les quede cuerda para rato!

Joey Fatone is NOT taking offense to the NSYNC dig tucked away in the "Barbie" movie -- in fact, it's quite the opposite ... he says the low blow makes the band all the more relevant.

We got Joey at LAX Thursday and our photog asked about the NSYNC reference in the Greta Gerwig flick.

It seems everyone's seen "Barbie," Joey included, so this shouldn't be a huge SPOILER ALERT ... but midway through the movie, NSYNC gets name-dropped ... and not in a positive way.

Michael Cera's character, the Allan doll, jokes ... "Not one person would care if Allan was in the real world, in fact, it's happened before. All of NSYNC -- Allan. Yes, even him."

Joey's rolling with the punches here ... he's the first to admit everyone in the band, including Justin Timberlake, have all had their Allan moments ... and he's all about self-deprecation, so he can laugh it off no problem.

What's more, Joey tells us the reference means NSYNC is still relevant in 2023 ... so he's taking it as a huge compliment.

Lance Bass is shedding a light on one of the Uvalde victims whose wish was to go viral on TikTok -- something her family is hoping to achieve in the wake of her tragic death.

The NSYNC singer reposted a clip Saturday to his IG Story showing a TikTok video originally published by a man who says he's the uncle of 10-year-old Tess Marie Mata -- one of the 19 children slaughtered Tuesday by a crazed gunman at Robb Elementary School.

In the video, you see Tess dancing to Don Toliver's 'No Idea' -- a track of his which has been used a lot in different challenges, and which has become a fan fave lately among TikTokers.

Tess, clearly, was no exception ... as she had her own version to the dance -- something her uncle here says she was hopeful would translate to a little internet fame one day. He makes the plea to his followers ... can we honor her wish in death and make her go viral?

Lance was clearly on board, posting this on his own page ... and also commenting, "breaks my heart," to which the uncle thanked him -- saying Tess was a big fan of the boy band.

This child is just one of many whose life was cut short ... but it's videos like these that show, they had personalities and dreams -- all adding to the devastation, especially in light of reports that cops were slow to the draw and could've stepped in to help sooner.

People are rightly outraged over the fact current gun laws allow for weapons of war to be in the hands of ordinary citizens, but the videos of parents being held back and/or arrested in the moment while officers just stood around should, perhaps, cause as much indignation.

Shaq's decision to pass on signing 'NSYNC after helping the boy band get off the ground is still tearing up Lance Bass' heart -- but he says there still would've been one major issue.

We got the singer at Villa Blanca in Bev Hills and our guy asked about Shaq coming thiiis close to signing 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys way back in the '90s.

Shaq's already said not signing the group is one of the biggest mistakes he's ever made, and Lance told us ... he couldn't agree more.

As you know ... 'NSYNC owes a lot of its early success to Shaq. Lance revealed their connection a couple years ago, telling us the NBA superstar lent them the recording studio in his Orlando mansion when they were starting out.

Lance says he 100 percent wishes the big fella pulled the trigger and signed them -- but adds he's not certain Shaq could've saved them from manager Lou Pearlman and his infamous ponzi scheme.

Ahhh, hindsight.

Johnny Gill says he was watching LIVE when the Seahawks receivers paid homage to New Edition with their TD celebration on Monday ... and tells TMZ Sports he loved every second of it!!!

The 'Hawks turned the gridiron into a dance floor after a 3rd quarter touchdown to David Moore ... re-enacting the iconic "If It Isn't Love" choreography from the boy band's 1988 hit music vid.

The Internet went crazy after the TD celly and the R&B legend appreciated it even more -- not only 'cause he's a Seahawks fan ... but also because they killed it!!!

"That was freakin' hilarious," Gill tells us. "But, you know what's so funny is that they're one of the few that I actually saw, like, they actually had the form and everything down."

"I was watching the game, and I'm going, 'OK! OK! AIGHT!'"

Gill says it was obvious how much time Moore, Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Jaron Brown put into perfecting the dance.

"They really honestly took time and they practiced. I was like 'Yo, they're right in sync and the form is correct.'"

Gill gets serious for a second, pointing out the dance just goes to show how timeless the group's music really is ... and that's what made it even more special.

"True testament to our work, for anybody, when generations come and they’re aware of you and can appreciate what you’ve done. That’s a true testament to the hard work we put in and obviously you can’t even put it into words."

Gill says the group of guys have done a great job all season -- including their 'NSYNC "Bye Bye Bye" tribute.

We also asked Gill if he's ever down to join the WR corps next time they put on a New Edition rendition ... and ya gotta hear his response!!!

Chris Kirkpatrick thinks Jessica Biel deserves some king-size candy bars for this year's Halloween costume ... and even though his look-alike wasn't up to snuff, he's still proud of his retired hairdo.

We got Chris at LAX and our guy asks about Jessica dressing up as Justin Timberlake for an 'NSYNC group costume ... and he says she absolutely nailed it!!!

Yes, that's Jessica in the middle rocking what Chris describes as Justin's "old ramen noodle head."

Chris explains the backstory behind the costume ... it's payback from Justin after Jess told Jimmy Fallon she didn't know any of her husband's old 'NSYNC songs. Chris rated her costume for us, pretty generously. He was much less impressed with Justin's unhappy microphone.

The singer also throws some shade toward the guy who tried to recreate his "old pineapple head" from back in the day. Naturally, we asked Chris if he ever regrets that old style.

Look at the pic again. You'll be surprised by Chris' answer.

It ain't no lie ... that "Bye Bye Bye"-inspired TD celebration the Seahawks pulled off has 'NSYNC's stamp of approval ... 'cause JC Chasez tells TMZ Sports he loved the tribute!!

'Hawks players Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Jaron Brown and David Moore pulled off what might be the best TD celly of the 2019 season after Brown scored during last week's win over the Browns.

The guys perfectly copied the uber-popular boy band's choreography from their 2000 mega-hit ... so when we saw Chasez out at Alfred Coffee in Studio City, we had to get him to weigh in on their moves.

"I thought it was fun," JC tells us. "It was great to see."

As for whether the players perform an encore of the viral performance or take on another smash hit from the band's discography ... JC leaves it up to them.

Joey Fatone's pulling back the curtain on how to survive "The Masked Singer" -- take a chill pill. Sounds simple, but just watch ... it's far from it!

We got Joey out at LAX and had to get his take on how to endure the elaborate costumes the 'Masked' contestants wear on the hit FOX series. As you know by now, Joey was the popular Rabbit singer during season one, and eventually finished in fourth place.

For future contestants, Joey says one thing that's inevitable is the constant sweating because they're in the costume for up to an hour at a time. So, don't sweat the sweat.

Even something as simple, normally, as taking a bathroom break becomes a great adventure. Joey says the whole experience created some very morbid thoughts in his head -- but overcoming his claustrophobia is the only thing that saved him.

Lance Bass is giving personal shout-outs for $150 a pop ... but he's not looking to make a quick buck. He's trying help struggling teachers across America.

With back-to-school just around the corner, Lance is dedicating the entire month of August to help fulfill wish lists for teachers who desperately need supplies. It's shocking ... thousands of teachers take money out of their own pockets to pay for basic classroom essentials ... and remember, they're underpaid to begin with.

So, here's how it works -- if you go to Cameo.com/lancebass and pay the $150, Lance will deliver a 30-second shout-out. 100% of his take goes to teachers.

The videos are individualized ... like the shout out he gave to Laura.

Lance has raised more than $4,000 in the first 16 days of August. It's all earmarked for "Clear Teacher's Wish List" on Amazon.

By the way ... Lance has a dog in the fight, because his mom's a teacher.

He hopes others will get on board and help with the donations.

Joey Fatone is ending things with his wife of nearly 15 years, filing for divorce ... TMZ has confirmed.

The 'NSYNC star filed legal docs on May 13 in Florida stating he wants out of his marriage with Kelly Baldwin. They got married in September 2004 and have two kids together. Joey told Us Weekly at the Critics' Choice Awards he'd been separated and was going through divorce.

He attended the shindig with his GF, Izabel Araujo, whom he's been in a relationship for a little over 4 years. They celebrated their anniversary back in October. Izabel's posted TONS of pics with Joey on her Instagram and they've gone on some dope vacations together.

Further proof Joey and Izabel have been serious ... she attended last year's ceremony when 'NSYNC got its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Joey and Kelly had been dating on and off for about 10 years before tying the knot. This was Joey's first marriage.

Joey Fatone isn't holding any grudges against Justin Timberlake for missing Ariana Grande's Coachella set ... but he also isn't guaranteeing any future 'NSYNC collabs.

We got Joe at LAX Monday -- a day after he and the guys performed with Ari, sans JT -- and he confirmed what TMZ first reported ... that Justin only skipped the show 'cause he was wrapping up his world tour.

Justin not being there didn't seem to affect the awesomeness of the performance -- Ari and 'NSYNC were definitely, well ... ya know, in sync. Lots of rehearsal time, as you might imagine.

For the record, Justin finished up his Man in the Woods tour Saturday night in Connecticut. If he wanted, he could've technically flown to SoCal and tried to make it work, but as we told you ... the issue was no rehearsal time. Joey backs that up, saying it would've been brutal for JT.

Justin Timberlake's noticeable absence from 'NSYNC's appearance at Coachella didn't have anything to do with bad blood ... he just couldn't find time to rehearse with his old bandmates.

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... Justin was approached along with the other members of 'NSYNC to do the surprise collab with Ariana Grande, but he ultimately said no because he was finishing up his rescheduled world tour.

We're told JT considered signing on and thought the idea was really cool ... but he just couldn't get his schedule lined up for rehearsals with Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez.

'NSYNC and Ariana slayed Coachella Sunday night ... with 4/5ths of her favorite boy band joining her onstage during her headlining set. As you can see, rehearsals were essential to the performance, and Ariana even told the crowd, "I've been rehearsing my whole f**king life for this moment."

Talented as Justin is ... he couldn't just show up off the street. Sounds like he got wind of the performance, though ... Monday morning, he gave Ariana and the guys a shout-out.

We know what you're thinking ... a couple years ago it seemed impossible JT would EVER perform with 'NSYNC again -- things got kinda nasty between them. But, pump your brakes ... a full-on tour is still a long shot, at best.

Ariana Grande's headlining set slayed at Coachella, and got an added boost by the long-awaited reunion of 4/5ths of her favorite boy band ... 'NSYNC.

Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez joined Ariana onstage Sunday night during her song "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" -- which samples an old 'NSYNC hit -- then kicked the nostalgia into high gear by performing "Tearin' Up My Heart."

We broke the story of the surprise collab, including the fact Justin Timberlake wasn't going to be a part of it, but as you can see ... Grande filled in nicely for him.

At one point she announced to the crowd ... "I've been rehearsing my whole f**king life for this moment."

The big guest appearances during Ariana's set didn't stop with 'NSYNC -- Nicki Minaj also joined her and powered through some mic issues to do "Side To Side" and go out with a "Bang Bang."

Diddy and Mase took the stage with Grande, too.

Looks like JT missed out, but in his defense ... he just wrapped up his 115-show Man of the Woods tour the night before.

Ariana Grande is getting an assist from her favorite boy band ... because we've learned 'NSYNC will definitely be joining her onstage at Coachella!!!

Our Coachella sources tell us 'NSYNC is planning something with Ariana onstage Sunday night during her headlining set ... the only question ... will the '90s heartthrobs sing, dance or do both?!?

Ariana's gotta be thrilled for the chance to finally share the spotlight with 'NSYNC ... she was raised on their music and recently posted an old vid of her in the crowd at an 'NSYNC concert, singing along in her mother's arms.

The surprise collab makes ya wonder ... will 'NSYNC help Ariana perform her hit song, "Break Up With Your Girlfriend?" The single from her new album samples an old 'NSYNC hit.

We've learned another important nugget, and it's gonna burst your bubble ... Justin Timberlake will NOT be involved.

Still, seeing AG on stage with Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez is totally epic!

Lance Bass says he's come to peace over his late former manager, Lou Pearlman, and it sounds like a new documentary about the guy helped with that process.

We got the former 'NSYNC singer at LAX Friday, where our photog asked about a new doc coming out that covers Lou's sheisty dealings and financial crimes while he managed Lance and co., as well as the Backstreet Boys in their heyday. It's called 'The Boy Band Con.'

If you aren't familiar, Lou got sent to prison in 2008 for running one of the largest Ponzi schemes ever. He pled guilty to conspiracy, money laundering and other financial crimes ... and got sentenced to 25 years in prison. He died behind bars in 2016.

More relevant to Lance ... Lou stands accused of robbing his artists blind throughout his career by way of shady business practices -- aka fraud. 'NSYNC, The Backstreet Boys and even Aaron Carter all sued Lou in federal court ... and either won or settled.