Boy bands - Where are they now? | Gallery

By Wonderwall.com Editors 4:18am PDT, Aug 6, 2020

Whether you grew up in the New Kids on the Block era or skewed more toward the B2K years, you'd be lying if you said boy bands didn't have an impact on your childhood. In celebration of former boy bander JC Chasez's 44th birthday on Aug. 8, 2020, Wonderwall.com is taking a look at what the members of all our favorite guy groups are up to today, starting with *NSYNC! Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and JC made up one of the biggest boy bands of the '90s and early 2000s with five nationwide concert tours, 70 million records sold, six top 10 singles and several Grammy nominations. Fans were crushed when the band announced a "temporary hiatus" in 2002 — and never returned from it. Keep reading to find out what they and other popular boy bands and guy groups are doing these days…

RELATED: Stars who broke up the band

After *NSYNC's breakup, Justin Timberlake went on to mega-success as a solo artist and actor. He released four No. 1 singles, sold over 32 million albums and 56 million singles globally and starred in "Trolls" and "The Social Network." JT, who married Jessica Biel in 2012, is also now a dad of two. JC Chasez released one solo album, 2004's "Schizophrenic," and appeared as a judge on "America's Best Dance Crew" from 2008 to 2012. Lance Bass has appeared on a number of reality competition shows including "Dancing With the Stars" and 2017's "My Kitchen Rules" and released the bestselling autobiography "Out of Sync" in 2007. He's also a co-owner of the West Hollywood restaurant Rocco's Tavern, which opened in 2019. He came out as a gay man in 2006 and married his longtime partner, Michael Turchin, in 2014. The couple are currently planning for a baby. Joey Fatone has transitioned into hosting since the boy band's split. Over the years, he's hosted "The Singing Bee," "Family Feud," "Rewrapped," Live Well Network's "My Family Recipe Rocks" and "The Price Is Right Live!" He's currently the host of the game show "Common Knowledge." He shares two daughters with ex-wife Kelly Baldwin, his high school sweetheart, and has been in a relationship with Izabel Araujo since 2014. Chris Kirkpatrick became a voice actor, lending his talents to several kids shows. He shares one son with wife Karly Skladany. All five members of *NSYNC reunited in April 2018 when they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Irish-English group One Direction — Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne — took over the charts after forming on Britain's "The X-Factor" in 2010. They went on to become full-fledged superstars with five successful albums, several No. 1 singles and the highest grossing concert tour of 2014 with more than $290 million in earnings.

Today, One Direction is on an indefinite hiatus. Zayn Malik — who now just goes by his first name — left the group in early 2015 in the midst of a tour. He's now a solo artist who released the No. 1 single "Pillow Talk" and album "Mind of Mine" in 2016. His second album, "Icarus Falls," which came out in December 2018, peaked at just No. 61 in America. In May 2020, it was confirmed that Zayn and on-and-off girlfriend Gigi Hadid were expecting their first child together. Meanwhile, his former 1D bandmates — Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne — continued performing in One Direction until 2016, at which point they announced they were taking a break. Niall has since released a top 20 solo album, "Flicker," which he followed with a second studio album, "Heartbreak Weather," in 2020. He's also made headlines for dating stars including actress Hailee Steinfeld and in 2020 went public with shoe buyer Amelia Woolley. Harry released two critically acclaimed solo albums — 2017's "Harry Styles" and 2019's "Fine Line" and has modeled for Gucci. He made his film debut in 2017's "Dunkirk" and in 2018 executive produced the CBS sitcom "Happy Together." He went through a breakup with model Camille Rowe in 2018. Liam became a father in 2017 when he and British singer Cheryl welcomed a son together. The couple called it quits in mid-2018 and Liam, who's also released solo music, went on to have a short-lived romance with supermodel Naomi Campbell before moving on with model Maya Henry. Louis, who in 2016 welcomed a son with a stylist he briefly dated, Briana Jungwirth, has released solo singles and in 2018 served as a judge and mentor on the show that made him famous, Britain's "The X-Factor." He released his debut solo album, "Walls," in 2020.

Jeff Timmons, Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey and Justin Jeffre of 98 Degrees had success with singles like "Because of You" — and because of Nick's high-profile early-aughts relationship with fellow pop star Jessica Simpson.

98 Degrees parted ways in 2003 to pursue solo projects. Nick Lachey released four solo albums including the hit project "Best of Me" while brother Drew Lachey competed twice on "Dancing With the Stars." Justin worked as a political activist, blogger and co-publisher of The Cincinnati Beacon. Jeff briefly joined the Chippendales male stripper review in Las Vegas in 2011 then created his own "Men of the Strip" review, which has also found success in Sin City. The boy band reunited in 2012 and released a new album in 2013 as well as a Christmas album in 2017. After a well-publicized divorce from Jessica Simpson, Nick found love again with Vanessa Minnillo; they now share three children. Nick went on to have a successful hosting career, most recently hosting the 2020 Netflix dating show "Love Is Blind" with his wife. Brother Drew has two kids with his wife of nearly two decades. Jeff shares two children with his ex-wife and is currently married to second wife Amanda, with whom he shares a daughter.

Brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson formed the super-popular '90s band Hanson. The mop-topped trio rose to stardom with the insanely catchy 1997 hit "MMMBop" and their debut album sold over 10 million copies.

It's been more than two decades years since Hanson's debut and they are still making music and finding success. The trio formed their own label, 3CG Records, in 2003 and have sold more 16 million records worldwide with eight Top 40 albums and six Top 40 singles in the U.S. The group announced a symphonic tour and accompanying album, "String Theory," in July 2018. In 2019, they also embarked on their latest North American tour, "Wintry Mix." All three brothers are also now doting dads and husbands. Isaac shares two sons and one daughter with wife Nicole Dufresne; Taylor has six children with wife Natalie Bryant (their latest arrived in December 2018); and Zac shares two sons and two daughters with wife Kate Tucker.

In the '80s, New Kids on the Block were the baddest nice guys of the music scene with mega-hits like "Step by Step" and "Hangin' Tough." NKOTB sold more than 80 million records worldwide before disbanding in 1994.

Today, New Kids on the Block are back together and better than ever. After the group split in 1994, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood all went on to release solo projects and start families. Jordan and Joey each sold over 1 million albums as solo artists, and Donnie became an actor, starring in "Blue Bloods," "Saw" and "The Sixth Sense." Father-of-two Donnie married Jenny McCarthy in 2014. Jonathan came out as a gay man in 2011 and got engaged to longtime partner Harley Rodriguez in 2016. Jordan shares two children with his ex-wife and Danny is a father of three. NKOTB reunited in 2008 and released a new album. They toured with the Backstreet Boys in 2012, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014 and have performed on three super-successful tours in recent years. They most recently performed during the annual "New Year's Rockin' Eve" program in December 2018. In March 2019, the band released their latest music video, for the song "Boys In The Band (Boy Band Anthem)," which included a cameo from former *NSYNC member Lance Bass.

The Backstreet Boys were the boy band of the '90s and 2000s with eight Grammy nominations, several multi-platinum albums and nine top 10 singles including the iconic "I Want It That Way."

The Backstreet Boys have continued their reign as the No. 1 boy band in pop culture and are currently the bestselling boy band of all time, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide. Original members Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, AJ McLean and Brian Littrell still perform as a group, although Kevin left BSB for a few years in the mid-2000s. They performed in a wildly successful Las Vegas residency, "Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life," from March 2017 to April 2019, and released ninth studio album "DNA" in 2019. The same year, they embarked on their "DNA World Tour," which was the ninth highest grossing tour of the year thanks to more than $92 million in revenue. Due to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, they postponed tour dates though the band hopes to be back on the road in 2021. All five members are now family men with children. Kevin has two sons with wife Kristin Willits. Brian married and welcomed son Baylee — a teen who's now trying to make it as a country singer — with model Leighanne Wallace from BSB's "As Long As You Love Me" video. Howie, who's also a successful real estate developer in Florida, is married with two sons. A.J., who's been in and out of rehab over the years but is currently sober, shares two children with his wife, Rochelle DeAnna Karidis. Nick battled drugs and alcohol for a decade and was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 2009 but is now in good health. After dating stars like Paris Hilton, he married longtime girlfriend Lauren Kitt in 2013. They now have two kids.

New Edition was pegged as the second coming of The Jackson 5, and with sweet tracks like "Candy Girl" and "Cool It Now," they definitely lived up to the hype. Notorious bad boy Bobby Brown was voted out of the group in 1985 and Johnny Gill came in during the late '80s to replace him. They went on to record hit singles such as "If It Isn't Love" and "Can You Stand The Rain." After the group broke up in the '90s to pursue solo projects, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe formed a trio, Bell Biv DeVoe.

Ricky Bell, Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill, Ronnie DeVoe, Michael Bivins and Ralph Tresvant all had success as solo artists or in other groups throughout the '90s. All six members of New Edition reunited in 1996, but by 1997, they were broken up once again. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the group performed at various shows, including the 2011 Essence Music Festival, to celebrate New Edition's 30th anniversary. Ronnie also owns an Atlanta real estate agency, Michael is CEO of his own label, Sporty Rich Enterprises, and Ralph co-starred with Ciara in the direct-to-DVD movie "Mama, I Want to Sing!" The band produced the acclaimed three-part biopic "The New Edition Story" in 2017, which saw 28.4 million viewers tune in. It was later announced that the group planned to reunite again and tour. Like many of their boy band counterparts, all six New Edition members are family men. Ricky is married to Amy Correa Bell; Michael shares four children with his wife, Teasha; Ronnie shares twin boys with his wife; Johnny is a father of one; and Ralph has three children from his first marriage and one from his second. Bobby famously married and divorced superstar Whitney Houston, who died in 2012. Their daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, died in 2015. Bobby — who has three other kids from previous relationships — married his manager, Alicia Etheredge, in 2012. They now have three kids together.

B2K hit the scene at the beginning of the new millennium with singles like "Uh Huh" and "Bump, Bump, Bump" featuring Diddy. The group also starred in 2003's "You Got Served" before disbanding.

In 2019, B2K reunited for "The Millennium Tour" and released an accompanying documentary in April 2020 on the Zeus Network. Its members have been keeping busy too. After the group disbanded, Omarion went on to have solo success with singles like "Touch," "Post to Be" and the No. 1 hit "Ice Box." He released the single "Can You Hear Me?" in 2020 off his forthcoming fifth solo album, "Passport." From 2005 to 2007, Lil Fizz guest starred on the FOX comedy series "The War at Home" while J-Boog and Raz-B pursued entrepreneurial projects. Omarion and Fizz joined "Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood" in 2014. Omarion shares two children with his former partner, "Love & Hip Hop" star Apryl Jones. Fizz shares one son with his former girlfriend, "Love & Hip Hop" star Moniece Slaughter. J-Boog has three children.

We don't know what Boyz II Men is remembered more for: their beautiful harmonies on ballads or their spiffy style. Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris and Michael McCary released several successful albums and singles in the '90s including the No. 1 hits "End of the Road," "I'll Make Love to You" and "One Sweet Day."

Motown Philly is back again — at least for Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris, who have continued to perform as a group. Sadly, Michael McCary retired in 2003 after suffering chronic back problems resulting from multiple sclerosis. Boyz II Men's most recent studio album, "Under The Streetlight," was released in 2017. Shawn has also worked as a judge on NBC's "The Sing-Off" and lent vocals to the Foo Fighters' 2017 album "Concrete and Gold," while Wanya competed on "Dancing With the Stars." Shawn shares three children with wife Sharonda; Nathan is married with children; Wanya shares two children with his wife; and Michael is a divorced father of three.

LFO — Rich Cronin, Devin Lima and Brad Fischetti — had major hits back in the day such as "Summer Girls" and sold more than 4 million records. Rich famously wrote their No. 10 hit "Girl on TV" about then-girlfriend Jennifer Love Hewitt.

LFO broke up in 2002 after the release of their second album. Brad Fischetti (center) created his own label, 111 Records, and gained recognition for being a staunch pro-life activist. Devin Lima (right) went on to perform in another band, Cadbury Diesel. Rich Cronin (left) released one solo album before he was diagnosed with leukemia. He died in 2010 at 36. Eight years later, Devin died at 41 after battling stage 4 adrenal cancer.

O-Town was created in 2000 on the first season of ABC's "Making the Band." The boy band released a few top 10 singles such as "All or Nothing" and "Liquid Dreams" before disbanding in 2003.

In January 2011, it was announced that O-Town's Erik-Michael Estrada, Dan Miller, Trevor Penick and Jacob Underwood had reunited to make new music together. (Ashley Parker Angel didn't care to participate.) The foursome has since released the album "Lines & Circles" and several singles. In 2019, they released their latest project, "The O.T.W.N. Album." Ashley has been busy pursuing an acting career, appearing in several Broadway productions. He also released a solo album, "Soundtrack to Your Life," in 2006. Ashley shares a son, Lyric, with former fiancée Tiffany Lynn. He also co-founded High Level, a nutritional supplements company, and loves showing off the results of his fitness regimen on Instagram.

Wham! was one of the biggest male duos of the '80s. The group, composed of Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael, sold more than 30 million records and singles including "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," "Everything She Wants" and "Careless Whisper," which all topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the States.

After Wham! disbanded in 1986, George Michael went on to become one of the bestselling British acts of all time. He achieved seven No. 1 singles in the U.K. and eight No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. He dated both men and women during his Wham! days but came out as a gay man in 1998 and went on to have high-profile romances with longtime partners Kenny Goss and Fadi Fawaz. Sadly, Fadi found him dead in his bed on Christmas Day 2016. A coroner's report cited natural causes. Andrew released one universally panned solo album in 1990 and has kept a low profile in the years since. He lives near Cornwall, England, on a restored 15th-century farm that he long shared with his former partner, Keren Woodward of Bananarama. He stays active in music by writing songs under pseudonyms.