The Boy Bands of the ‘TRL’ Era: Where Are They Now?

MTV’s video-countdown show premiered in 1998 and ushered in the boy band surge of the 2000s. Since Total Request Live‘s (TRL) end in 2008, members of pop groups and punk bands like *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Blink-182 and Good Charlotte have grown into fatherhood, new business ventures and solo music careers

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98 Degrees: Then

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Comprised of four founding members — Jeff Timmons, brothers Nick and Drew Lachey and Justin Jeffre — 98 Degrees was signed to Motown Records and took influences from R&B icons Boyz II Men. Although the band released their self-titled debut album in 1997, they didn’t reach their commercial peak until 1998 with their second album, 98 Degrees and Rising. The chart-topping group excelled in the pop world with their layered harmonies and good looks, achieving multiplatinum status, traveling the world, selling out concerts and making their fans cry on sight.

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98 Degrees: Now

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Despite never officially breaking up, the group went on hiatus from 2001 to 2013. During that time, Nick married TV host and former TRL veejay Vanessa Lachey (née Minnillo) in 2011, with whom he shares three children — Phoenix, Camden and Brooklyn. The husband-wife duo also co-hosts Netflix’s Love is Blind and spinoff The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On. Meanwhile, Nick has been going it alone as host of the Netflix series Perfect Match since its premiere in February 2023. In 2021, Nick won season 5 of The Masked Singer.

Brother and bandmate Drew competed on season 2 of Dancing with the Stars and won with dance partner Cheryl Burke in 2006. He has since appeared on HGTV and American Ninja Warrior in 2019 and performed in musicals, including Hairspray and Rent.

Timmons joined the Chippendales for a limited run in 2011, then starred on the E! reality series Men of the Strip, following the ups and downs of a male revue. Jeffre went from music to politics and ran for mayor of Cincinnati in 2005, though he didn’t win.

The group still meets up to play shows, record new music and make silly videos for their adoring fans, including their 2022 collaboration with country singer Brett Kissel. (They even toured with other TRL mainstays as part of the MY2K tour in 2016.) In 2021, they appeared on the ABC special A Very Boy Band Christmas alongside fellow groups like Boyz II Men, New Kids on the Block, *NSYNC, New Edition and more. You can stay up to date with all things 98 Degrees on their Instagram account.

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Blink-182: Then

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Blink-182 experienced a few member changes over the years. However, Tom DeLonge, Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus were the three core bandmates during the band’s superstardom era, releasing an epic string of singles, including “Always,” All the Small Things,” “First Date” and “What’s My Age Again?” The trio went through a rough patch in 2015 when DeLonge left the band, but in 2020, DeLonge told Rolling Stone he still speaks to Hoppus and Barker.

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Blink-182: Now

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After DeLonge departed, he became the lead vocalist and guitarist in his band Angels & Airwaves and founder of To the Stars, a science fiction media company that develops films, books, comics and TV shows. He then expanded on his company to create To the Stars… Academy of Arts & Science, a publisher, merchandiser and production studio. He also authored several books.

Barker is still focused on music, trending for his drumming for emerging acts like Willow Smith, Nessa Barrett and Jxdn and collaborations with close friend and pop punk artist Machine Gun Kelly. He also launched Barker Wellness, a vegan wellness company featuring CBD products. In May 2022, Barker legally married Kourtney Kardashian in Santa Barbara, one week before the couple’s intimate wedding ceremony in Italy. Barker has regularly appeared alongside his wife on her family’s Hulu reality series, The Kardashians.

After launching his clothing line Hi My Name is Mark and starting a new band with All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth called Simple Creatures, Hoppus announced on social media in 2021 that he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Following a few months of chemotherapy, the bassist and vocalist shared that he was officially cancer-free.

“Today I’m doing good. The recovery is taking a lot longer than I had hoped, but I am in a much better place,” Hoppus told PEOPLE in August 2022. “I feel like I have a second shot at life.”

In October 2022, the essential trio reunited with new music following DeLonge’s exit in 2015, releasing singles in 2022 like “Edging” and “Thank You” and announcing a world tour from summer 2023 through spring 2024. DeLonge posted on his Instagram in December 2022 that the band’s ninth studio album will be “coming in a few months,” hopefully sometime in 2023.

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*NSYNC: Then

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Since their pop heyday, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick never really said “Bye, Bye, Bye” to music.

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*NSYNC: Now

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Timberlake left *NSYNC first and went on to release several solo albums and star in movies like Friends with Benefits (2011), In Time (2011), Trouble with the Curve (2012), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Wonder Wheel (2017), Palmer (2021) and the Trolls film franchise. He married actress Jessica Biel in an intimate Italian ceremony, and the pair have two children: Silas and Phineas. Timberlake briefly reunited with his bandmates at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards but hasn’t performed with them since. However, they’ve all participated in weekly happy hours on Zoom!

In 2015, Bass starred in E!‘s Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding with husband Michael Turchin, with whom he shares twins, born via surrogate in October 2021. He also performed with the remaining members of *NSYNC (sans Timberlake) at Coachella during Ariana Grande’s headlining set in 2019. Bass was a guest host of Bachelor in Paradise in 2021 and launched a podcast series called The Last Soviet about Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev in February 2023.

Fatone has had a slew of TV hosting gigs — including The Singing Bee, Celebrity Circus, My Family Recipe Rocks, Rewrapped and Common Knowledge — and performed on Broadway in shows like Rent and Little Shop of Horrors. He and Bass teamed up for a joint Pride performance featuring an *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys crossover that broke the internet in 2021. Fatone has also followed in Timberlake’s footsteps with acting, most notably appearing in My Big Fat Greek Wedding films and 2022’s Cursed Friends.

Chasez pursued his own solo career, becoming a judge on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew from 2008 to 2012 and writing songs for artists like David Archuleta and Matthew Morrison. He also revealed he was developing a new musical on a January 2023 episode of Bass’ Frosted Tips podcast.

Kirkpatrick has mostly stayed away from the spotlight to enjoy being a father to his son Nash. He also appeared in a Progressive commercial alongside Bass and Fatone in 2021.

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B2K: Then

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Omarion, Lil’ Fizz, Raz B and J-Boog kicked off the new millennium with a slew of hits that topped TRL, including “Bump, Bump, Bump,” “Uh Huh” and “Girlfriend.” The R&B group traveled the world, selling out their popular Scream tours and amassing millions of fans with their silky vocals and smooth dance moves.

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B2K: Now

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Omarion went on to have the most successful solo career out of the group, popping out hits like “O,” “Ice Box” and later “Post to Be,” featuring Jhené Aiko and Chris Brown. He also joined VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood for a short stint with ex Apryl Jones, with whom he shares two children: Megaa and A’mei. Omarion’s career and personal life are highlighted on the 2023 WE tv docuseries Omega: The Gift & The Curse.

Fizz also joined the VH1 franchise and ended up dating Omarion’s ex, which surprised fans and caused issues between the former bandmates. Fizz and Jones eventually broke things off, and the drama was detailed on the reality show, along with the group’s struggle to reunite for The Millennium Tour in 2019. He shares sonKameron with Love & Hip Hop cast member Moniece Slaughter.

In 2020, Raz B was arrested on suspicion of a DUI and later accused of abuse and rape by ex-girlfriend Kallee Brookes the following year. J-Boog, the cousin of R&B singer and Sister, Sister star Marques Houston, also appeared on Love & Hip Hop alongside Omarion and Fizz.

The Millennium Tour brought the foursome back — albeit temporarily — with special guests Mario, Ying Yang Twins, Lloyd, Pretty Ricky and Chingy.

B2K made headlines again in 2023 when Cheetah Girls alum Kiely Williams revealed on Carlos King’s podcast that she once had a foursome with Fizz, J Boog and Raz B.

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Backstreet Boys: Then

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Together, AJ McLean, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson made up one of the biggest pop acts — Backstreet Boys. Each single they released in the late ’90s and early ’00s shot up the charts, and to this day, fans can belt out every lyric to “I Want it That Way,” “As Long as You Love Me” and “Quit Playing Games (with My Heart).”

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Backstreet Boys: Now

Nick Carter (second from left) with Backstreet Boys Brian Litrell, AJ McLean,.

Each Backstreet Boys member has gone on to marry and start a family. McLean shares two daughters with wife Rochelle and has been candid about his sobriety struggles. He also competed on season 29 of DWTS with partner Burke. Carter has been married to Lauren Kitt since 2014, with whom he has three kids. Like his bandmate McLean, Carter has also opened up about past addictions and family troubles.

In 2019, Dorough, husband and father of two, released his debut solo family album, Which One Am I? Littrell and wife Leighanne, with whom he shares son Baylee, celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2020. Richardson has appeared on Broadway in Chicago and has been married to wife Kristin since 2000. The couple shares two sons — Maxwell Haze and Mason — and have been forthcoming about their troubles with conceiving.

After years of breaking records, nonstop touring, receiving nine Grammy nominations and pursuing solo careers, the original five members reunited in March 2020, just before their 27th anniversary in April, to perform “I Want It That Way” and give fans what they always wanted: more music. They teamed up with Steve Aoki to release a new song titled “Let It Be Me.”

In 2020, Backstreet Boys also launched the Apple Music radio show All I Have to Give Radio and performed on Jimmy Fallon. They’ve also completed a successful two-year Las Vegas residency (returning to Sin City in 2022 with four shows), had their own Backstreet Boys: The Experience exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles and released their first holiday album, A Very Backstreet Christmas, in October 2022.

The group was set to perform their Christmas album for an ABC special in December 2022, but it was canceled once sexual assault allegations made against Carter surfaced. Carter later countersued his accusers, including former Dream member Melissa Schuman, in February 2023.

Starting in April 2022, the group performed in countless of cities for their DNA World Tour, with plans to end in May 2023.

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Fall Out Boy: Then

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The Illinois rock band — made up of Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley — hit early success with their debut album Take This to Your Grave in 2003. Fall Out Boy saw mainstream success with their 2005 album, From Under the Cork Tree, which had hits “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” and “Dance, Dance” and earned them a Grammy nomination in 2006 for best new artist. (Kim Kardashian even starred in their 2007 “Thnks fr th Mmrs” music video!)

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Fall Out Boy: Now

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The band went on a hiatus in 2009, and two years later, Wentz’s then-wife Ashlee Simpson filed for divorce after a little over two years of marriage. Sharing one son, Bronx, with Simpson, Wentz went on to have two kids with partner Meagan Camper and formed a short-lived electronic group with singer Bebe Rexha called Black Cards.

In 2011, Stump released his own solo album, Soul Punk, while Hurley was a drummer for several different bands and formed a heavy metal group with Trohman and several other musicians called The Damned Things.

The group reunited to release their seventh studio album Mania in 2018, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned Fall Out Boy their second Grammy nomination in 2019 for best rock album. After Trohman left the band to focus on his mental health in January 2023, the remaining members announced a summer tour ahead of their eighth studio album, So Much (For) Stardust, in March 2023.

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BBMak: Then

BBMAK in 2001. DAVID TONGE/GETTY

While the U.S. was home to several successful boy bands and girl groups, the three bright-eyed Brits from across the pond — Mark Barry, Christian Burns and Stephen McNally — brought their guitars and boyish charm to shake things up. Their single “Back Here” lived for weeks on the TRL charts, and their music video gave fans a glimpse of the trio exploring Los Angeles.

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BBMak: Now

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The band took a 15-year hiatus and eventually reunited to go on tour in 2019 and release two new albums: Powerstation (2019) and The Lost Tapes (2021).

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Good Charlotte: Then

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Pop-punk band Good Charlotte was started by twin brothers Benji and Joel Madden and also included Paul Thomas, Billy Martin and later Dean Butterworth. They struck gold with their 2002 single “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”— which (naturally) made them rich and famous. Since then, the band has steadily released new music throughout the years, only taking a four-year-long hiatus before announcing their comeback in 2015.

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Good Charlotte: Now

Nicole Richie, Joel Madden, Cameron Diaz, Benji Madden. DONATO SARDELLA/GETTY IMAGES

Aside from music, Joel wed Nicole Richie in December 2010; The couple shares two children: Harlow and Sparrow. He was also a coach on The Voice Australia in 2012 and became the new host of Ink Master in 2022.

Benji quietly married actress Cameron Diaz in a low-key ceremony in January 2015 after nearly a year of dating. The pair welcomed their first child, a daughter named Raddix, in 2020. Guitarist Martin and his wife Linzi married in March 2008 and had their first child together in 2009, a son named Dreavyn Kingslee.

Good Charlotte celebrated its 25th anniversary in April 2021, and the band is set to perform at the When We Were Young festival in October 2023.

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O-Town: Then

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Named after Orlando, Fla., the city where they got their start, the newest boy band on the block at the time was assembled on season 1 of the reality TV competition show, Making the Band. Ashley Parker Angel, Erik-Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood and Ikaika Kahoano were first picked, but Kahoano left the group for personal reasons and was replaced by Dan Miller. Their first hit, “Liquid Dreams,” was a blockbuster, and the group became the opening act for Britney Spears’ 2001 Dream Within a Dream Tour.

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O-Town: Now

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The guys eventually split off to pursue their own solo careers until they decided to reconnect and release new music together. Angel ultimately decided not to rejoin the group as they revamped their sound and went on tour with Ryan Cabrera in 2017.

They released The T.O.W.N. Album in 2019, telling PEOPLE in July that year that they would love to be mentors on Diddy’s Making the Band reboot, which never happened due to the pandemic. Fans can also catch them — along with Cabrera, Kirkpatrick, Mark McGrath and more — on tour in 2023.