Lance Bass Reveals His Pick To Replace Justin Timberlake If He Won’t Do An *NSYNC Reunion

If Justin Timberlake won’t go on an *NSYNC reunion tour for the fans, then Lance Bass has a back-up plan. On the Aug. 30 episode of Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle’s Boy Meets World podcast, Bass revealed who he’d choose to replace Timberlake if he won’t reunite with his former bandmates, seeing as he previously didn’t join them at Ariana Grande’s 2019 Coachella set.

During the episode, Fishel had a “fictitious world question” for her ex-boyfriend (yes, she dated Bass in 1999, and they’re even making a rom-com based off their teen romance). “If you guys had to go on the road now as *NSYNC but you were gonna have somebody fill in for Justin... who do you think you would choose to be in that role?” she asked, comparing the scenario to John Mayer going on tour with members of the Grateful Dead as Dead & Company. “Oh, I know exactly who it would be,” Bass responded. “He’s really great with harmonies. He studied music and is amazing with harmonies: Darren Criss.”

Bass went on to explain that the former Glee star “loves boy bands,” and at 35 years old, he’s “from that era” where ’90s boy bands reigned supreme. “He would just be the perfect fit with us,” he concluded. Criss has yet to respond to Bass’ suggestion, but considering his proven fandom of *NSYNC, he’d probably be honored.

In a 2013 interview with Fuse, Criss recalled being shamed by his friends in middle school for listening to *NSYNC’s seminal 2000 album No Strings Attached. “This was before it was suddenly retro, cool, and ironic to have liked *NSYNC,” he explained. “I was like the OG fan, I didn’t care. I remember being like, ‘This album’s awesome,’ then for the first time, running into music retention, where my friend said, ‘That’s so stupid. I like Soundgarden.’ ... Maybe at the time, that was supposed to be a guilty pleasure, but it never was. They still kick-ass. And look, Justin’s a superstar now, so eat my nuts.”

The Emmy winner’s *NSYNC fandom came full circle in March 2018, when he covered the band’s hit “It’s Gonna Be Me” for SiriusXM. Just a couple weeks later, he brought out JC Chasez at his ’90s-themed St. Patrick’s Day party to belt out some *NSYNC classics, including “Tearin Up My Heart” and “I Want You Back.” “When I found out he was going to be singing with us, I was like, ‘Yep, get your phones out, this is the coolest thing ever,’” he told Entertainment Tonight about their team-up. “JC’s an amazing voice and I can’t believe he said yes.” If Timberlake does decline a reunion tour, Criss’ next step just might be singing with the entire band onstage.