2023 MTV VMAs: Justin Timberlake and Megan Thee Stallion’s backstage VMAs interaction ‘not an argument’ – The Independent

Megan Thee Stallion was seen shouting at Justin Timberlake backstage at the VMAs; however, a source says there was “zero fight” between the two.

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Megan performed her new, joint single with Cardi B, “Bongos”, at the New Jersey event on Tuesday (12 September), while Timberlake reunited with his NSYNC band members for the first time in a decade.

MTV has a backstage live feed running throughout the show, which caught the incident involving the two artists.

The footage shows Timberlake leaning in to say something to Megan, who responds animatedly by shaking her finger at the singer and shouting something, which cannot be heard on the stream.

NSYNC’s Joey Fatone then appears to say something to Megan as well.

A source who witnessed the exchange quickly informed Variety and several other media outlets that there was “zero fight” between the two stars.

“He said, ‘It’s so nice to meet you,’ and she said ‘No, no this don’t count, this don’t count. We gotta meet proper.’

“It was very cute,” the source said.

The Independent has contacted Megan and Timberlake’s representatives for comment.

The boy band, originally made up of Lance Bass, Fatone, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick and Timberlake, formed in 1995 but have not performed together since the 2013 VMAs. That year, the five singers performed their hits “Girlfriend” and “Bye Bye Bye” as Timberlake received MTV’s 2013 Video Vanguard award.

The members took to the stage at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Tuesday (12 September) to present the award for Best Pop.

The trophy went to Taylor Swift for “Anti-Hero”. Swift was visibly ecstatic in the crowd as NSYNC appeared on stage and gushed over the boyband as she collected her award, telling them she had each of their toy dolls when she was a child.

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As Swift hugged each NSYNC member in turn on stage, Bass took the opportunity to hand her multiple colourful beaded bracelets, in keeping with the tradition popular among Swift’s fans.

“What are you doing now? Are you doing something?” She asked the group. “They’re gonna do something and I need to know what it is! You’re pop personified.”

Last month, a source told Entertainment Tonight that NSYNC would record a song, their first new music since the 2001 album Celebrity, for the upcoming Trolls Band Together film.

The animated movie is due for release on 17 November; it is the third installment in the Trolls franchise, in which Timberlake voices the troll Branch.