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Justin Timberlake Says He Was ‘Traumatized By Childhood Fame,’ Why *NSYNC Ended

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 05:18 PST, Feb 10, 2017

Justin Timberlake has achieved massive success as a singer and actor, but life hasn’t always been so easy for the husband of Jessica Biel and father of two-year-old Silas.

Page Six reports that Timberlake is not eager for Silas to follow in his footsteps. Timberlake admitted that he has been traumatized by childhood fame, and while he didn’t go into any specifics about the trauma, he explained that it wasn’t easy growing up in the spotlight, referring particularly to his years in *NSYNC.

“You go through your life with your own traumas, big and small, and think, ‘It’s not that bad, I have a lot to be thankful for, my parents did the best they could.’ But then you have a child of your own and suddenly it opens all the floodgates, and you’re like, ‘No, no, no! That childhood trauma really did f***k me up!'”

He especially dislikes being away from his wife Jessica and his son Silas, and says that he finds balancing work and parenthood a constant struggle, but that he is getting better at it.

Timberlake discussed his decision to leave *NSYNC in 2002.

“We were on a stadium tour, and I just felt like the whole thing was too big. It started as a fun snowball fight that was becoming an avalanche. And, also, I was growing out of it. I felt like I cared more about the music than some of the other people in the group. And I felt like I had other music I wanted to make and that I needed to follow my heart.”

He likened touring to a circus, saying you set up the tents, you do the show, you tear down the tents and move on to the next place.

“It’s like Groundhog Day. After the 125th show, you feel debilitated.”

Fox News reports that Timberlake admitted to Hollywood Reporter that he really struggled to find a balance with his role as a new father.

“At first, it broke me down. Those first eight months felt like those old [Ed Sullivan] shows where people are balancing spinning plates on poles — except if you drop one, they die.”

Today, the singer is becoming more comfortable with his new way of life. He’ll soon be starring opposite Kate Winslet and Jim Belushi in Woody Allen’s upcoming film – a 1950s drama set in New York City. However, he’s still not sure he wants his son to follow in his famous footsteps.

“If he wanted it bad enough, I suppose I could teach him a lot about what not to do.”

Timberlake has finally spoken about *NSYNC, the five band members, and why they parted ways in 2000 while they were still so successful. Us Magazine reported that Timberlake said he left the group because he was “growing out of it.”

The band never actually announced they were breaking up; they simply went on a break in 2002, and never reunited. Other band members included Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick. Not only did Timberlake believe the whole thing had become too big, there were also some serious creative differences.

He then went on to write and record Justified, his debut album, followed by his debut solo performance at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. It was at this event that Timberlake met and immediately bonded with Jimmy Fallon. The two have since become great friends, in addition to a hugely popular comedy duo, with Timberlake often appearing on Fallon’s The Tonight Show.

Today magazine reported that Timberlake felt that becoming a father opened up all the floodgates. While he has faint images of his childhood, he says he really can’t remember a time when he wasn’t a celebrity.

Fatherhood to Silas has made the popular singer re-examine his own childhood. At 10-years-old, Timberlake performed on Star Search, and the following year he became a star on The New Mickey Mouse Club Show with Christine Aguilera, Britney Spears, and others. Soon after that, the rising star was touring the world with his boy band *NSYNC, and while he admits it was a thrilling and fast road to superstardom, parenthood has forced him to acknowledge that his own childhood was very unusual.

[Featured Image by Jason Kirk/Getty Images]

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