NSYNC band members; Justin Timberlake holding a microphone on the right.

NSYNC’s Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick spoke about the time they realized the band wasn’t getting back together anytime soon.

For the new Paramount+ documentary Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands, the NSYNC members spoke about the band’s unexpected and painful breakup following their Celebrity Tour in 2002.

“2002 was our last tour. Justin [Timberlake] was going to start his solo album which we were super supportive of. I thought that was a great idea,” said Bass, 45, per People . “The label told us, ‘Look, come back in six months,’ and we were supposed to go right into the next album. And that just never happened.”

Timberlake’s debut album, Justified, which featured hit singles “ Cry Me a River ” and “Rock Your Body” became a massive commercial success. According to Billboard , the LP peaked at No. 2 on their Album 200 chart and has since been certified triple platinum.

With Justified’s success and Timberlake’s viability as a solo star, Bass said the NSYNC was “just phased out without any fanfare at all, no goodbye. We just never got back together.”

“It was hard. There was a lot of animosity at first. There was a lot of anger,” said Kirkpatrick. “There was a lot of resentment. I remember thinking, ‘Are we ever getting back together again?’”

“From Justin’s standpoint, when he’s got the No. 1 album in the country and he’s got offers to tour the world, it’s like, how do you come back to that?” said the group’s then-manager Johnny Wright in the documentary. “ ‘I’ve got to fulfill this. It’s not that I’m saying goodbye, I just can’t stop this.’”

Bass and the other members say they were supportive of Timberlake’s solo career but said they felt hurt by the lack of communication, saying, “Business-wise, I get that. Justin has the most talent in the world and we wanted to give him that respect. But, tell us that.”

The group’s fellow members JC Chasez and Joey Fatone also embarked on solo projects after NSYNC went on an indefinite hiatus.

Chasez, now 48, released his solo album Schizophrenic in 2004 featuring the single, “Some Girls (Dance with Women).” On the other hand, Fatone, 47, pursued acting and appeared in 2002’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding. That same year, he made his Broadway debut in Jonathan Larson’s RENT.

Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands is streaming now on Paramount+.