1995–2002: NSYNC The boy band
NSYNC formed in 1995, and they began recording and performing in 1996 in Europe; Timberlake and Chasez served as its two lead singers. In 1998, the group rose to prominence in the United States with the release of their
self-titled debut album, which sold 11 million copies and includes the single "
Tearin' Up My Heart". The group had a series of legal battles with former manager
Lou Pearlman, and they subsequently signed with
Jive Records. They released their third album,
No Strings Attached (2000), which sold 2.4 million copies in the first week, becoming the fastest-selling album of all time. They held this record until 2015, when
Adele surpassed the record with her third album,
25.
No Strings Attached also includes the number one singles "
It's Gonna Be Me", "
Bye Bye Bye", and "
This I Promise You". The same year, Timberlake made his film debut in
The Wonderful World of Disney film
Model Behavior. He played Jason Sharpe, a model who falls in love with a waitress after mistaking her for another model. He also appeared as a young
Elton John in the video for John's song "
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" the following year. NSYNC's fourth album,
Celebrity (2001), was also financially successful, selling 1.8 million copies in the first week and spawning the top-five single "
Girlfriend". Upon the completion of the
Celebrity Tour, the group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2002. NSYNC performed at the
Academy Awards in 2000, the
2002 Winter Olympics, and the
Super Bowl XXXV halftime show. The band sold more than 70 million records worldwide, becoming the
fifth-best-selling boy band in history. The rise of Timberlake's own stardom and the general decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of NSYNC. Band member
Lance Bass was openly critical of Timberlake's actions in his memoir
Out of Sync. By 2002, when the group went on an indefinite hiatus and members were pursuing individual projects, Timberlake partnered with
Pharrell Williams of the producing team
The Neptunes, and with
Timbaland, to start working on new music. The idea of going solo was strengthened a year earlier. Timberlake originally wrote the single "
Gone" around 2001 for
Michael Jackson, but Jackson turned the song down, and it was instead recorded by NSYNC. Before its release, however, Jackson contacted him. Timberlake declared in a later interview that the first time he felt confident to go solo happened after that conversation. In a retrospective article in 2020,
Billboard considered
Celebrity "the group's swan song, setting the stage for Timberlake's equally massive solo career".
2002–2004: Justified and Super Bowl XXXVIII controversy In August 2002, Timberlake performed at the
2002 MTV Video Music Awards, where he premiered his debut solo single, "
Like I Love You", which peaked at number 11 on the
Billboard Hot 100 His debut solo album,
Justified, was released in November and debuted at number two on the
Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 439,000 copies, fewer than previous 'N Sync releases. It sold over three million copies in the U.S. and more than ten million copies worldwide. Its
R&B influence, provided by
hip-hop producers
The Neptunes and
Timbaland, was complimented by music critics. About the musical direction of the record, he commented, "I just want to do R&B. It's what I grew up listening to". The album spawned the top-five singles "
Cry Me a River" and "
Rock Your Body"., December 2003 Near the end of 2002, Timberlake was the first celebrity to appear on ''
Punk'd'', a "candid camera" type show created by
Ashton Kutcher to trick celebrities. Timberlake, who cried during the episode, later admitted to being under the influence of
cannabis when he was pranked. Three episodes later, he set up
Kelly Osbourne to be "punk'd", thus making him the first celebrity to appear on the show more than once. Timberlake later spoofed
Ashton Kutcher and ''Punk'd'' in a 2003 episode of NBC's
Saturday Night Live. Timberlake co-starred in a skit titled
The Barry Gibb Talk Show alongside comedian
Jimmy Fallon, where the duo portrayed
Bee Gees brothers
Barry and
Robin Gibb. It marked the beginning of a long-running friendship and collaboration with Fallon. In October 2003, Timberlake made his first sole appearance on NBC's
Saturday Night Live as host and musical guest. This marked the beginning of a long-running collaboration with Fallon. In summer 2003, Timberlake and
Christina Aguilera co-headlined
The Justified & Stripped Tour. Later that year, he released the single "
I'm Lovin' It", used by
McDonald's as the theme to its "I'm Lovin' It" campaign. The deal with McDonald's earned Timberlake an estimated $6 million. A tour titled
Justified and Lovin' It Live was included with the deal, following his initial
Justified World Tour. Timberlake was featured on
Nelly's song, "
Work It", which was
remixed and included on Nelly's 2003 remix album. In February 2004, during the
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, broadcast on the
CBS television network from
Houston, Timberlake performed with
Janet Jackson before a television audience of more than 140 million viewers. At the end of the performance, as the song drew to a close, Timberlake tore off a part of Jackson's black leather costume in a "costume reveal" meant to accompany a portion of the song lyrics. Jackson's representative explained Timberlake intended "to pull away the rubber bustier to reveal a red lace bra. Part of the costume detached, and Jackson's breast was briefly exposed. Timberlake apologized for the incident, stating he was "sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl..." Timberlake and Jackson were threatened with exclusion from the
2004 Grammy Awards unless they agreed to apologize on screen at the event. Timberlake attended and issued a scripted apology when accepting the first of two
Grammy Awards he received that night (
Best Pop Vocal Album for
Justified and
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Cry Me a River"). He had also been nominated for
Album of the Year for
Justified and
Record of the Year along with
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "
Where Is the Love?" with
The Black Eyed Peas. having starred in a few feature films earlier in his career. He also appeared in the films
Alpha Dog (2006) with
Bruce Willis,
Black Snake Moan (2006) with
Samuel L. Jackson,
Richard Kelly's
Southland Tales (2006), and voiced
Prince Artie Pendragon in the animated film
Shrek the Third (2007). Timberlake was considered to play the role of Roger Davis in the
film version of the rock musical
Rent, but director
Chris Columbus insisted that only the original
Broadway members could convey the true meaning of
Rent, so
Adam Pascal reprised the role. During his hiatus from music, he continued to record with other artists. In 2004, he recorded "Good Foot" with Timbaland for the
soundtrack of
Shark Tale. After "
Where Is the Love?", he again collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas on the 2005 track "My Style" from their album
Monkey Business. That year, he collaborated with
Charlie Wilson and Black Eyed Peas member
Will.i.am on the song "Floatin'" on the former's album
Charlie, Last Name Wilson, and collaborated on a track with Brazilian music artist
Sérgio Mendes the following year. When recording the 2005 single "
Signs" with
Snoop Dogg, Timberlake discovered a throat condition.
Nodules were subsequently removed from his throat in an operation that took place on May 5, 2005. He was advised not to sing or speak loudly for at least a few months. In 2005, he began his own record company,
JayTee records. , in January 2007 during the
FutureSex/LoveShow In December 2005, Timberlake began production on his second album,
FutureSex/LoveSounds, with returning producer Timbaland. At the time, Timberlake developed an interest in a rock direction, In July 2006, the album's lead single, "
SexyBack", was released, and in a few weeks, it reached number one on the
Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for seven consecutive weeks. Timberlake released his second album,
FutureSex/LoveSounds, on September 12, 2006. The album, which Timberlake created from 2005 to 2006, debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 album chart, selling 684,000 copies its first week. It became the biggest album for pre-orders on
iTunes and beat
Coldplay's record for the biggest one-week sales of a digital album. The album was produced by Timbaland and
Danja (who produced a bulk of the album),
will.i.am,
Rick Rubin, and Timberlake himself, and features guest vocals by
Snoop Dogg,
Three 6 Mafia,
T.I., and will.i.am. A studio representative described it as being "all about sexiness" and aiming for "an adult feel". "
My Love", the album's second single, also produced by Timbaland and featuring rapper
T.I., reached number one on the Hot 100, as did its third single, "
What Goes Around... Comes Around". The song is reported to have been inspired by the breakup of his childhood friend and business partner, Trace Ayala, with actress
Elisha Cuthbert. Timberlake hosted many music events, including the
2006 European MTV Music Awards and ''
2007 Kids' Choice Awards. On December 16, 2006, Timberlake hosted Saturday Night Live'', doing double duty as both host and musical guest for the second time. During this appearance, he and
Andy Samberg performed an R&B song for a skit titled "
Dick in a Box". Called "one of the most iconic musical moments in the show's history" by
Billboard, it became a viral hit and one of the most viewed videos on YouTube at the time.
Rolling Stone listed the skit at number three on their "50 Greatest 'Saturday Night Live' Sketches of All-Time". The song earned him an
Emmy Award and was later featured on
The Lonely Island's debut album,
Incredibad. In January 2007, Timberlake embarked on the
FutureSex/LoveShow tour. Following singles off the album, "
LoveStoned/I Think She Knows (Interlude)" and "
Until the End of Time" peaked within the top 20 on the Hot 100, while the fourth single, "
Summer Love", reached the top 10. The song "
Give It to Me", a Timbaland single on which Timberlake guests with Nelly Furtado, reached the
Hot 100 number-one spot. Eventually,
FutureSex/LoveSounds was added to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's musical library and archive.
2008–2012: Musical hiatus and focus on acting The song "
4 Minutes" was first played by
Timbaland at Philadelphia's Jingle Ball on December 17, 2007. When released on March 17, 2008, "4 Minutes" was revealed to be a duet between Timberlake and
Madonna, with backing vocals by Timbaland. It was the lead single from Madonna's eleventh album,
Hard Candy, which featured four other songwriting collaborations with Timberlake, who was also one of the executive producers. The single was an international hit, topping the charts in over 21 countries worldwide. In June 2007, Timberlake co-wrote, produced, and provided vocals for the songs "Nite Runner" and "
Falling Down" for
Duran Duran's album
Red Carpet Massacre, released on November 13, 2007. "Falling Down" was released as a single in the UK on the previous day. Also in 2007, Timberlake made an appearance on
50 Cent's third album,
Curtis. Timberlake, along with Timbaland, is featured on a track called "
Ayo Technology", which was the album's fourth single. Also, another possible collaboration was to occur with
Lil Wayne for his album
Tha Carter III with
Nelly Furtado and Timbaland. With the wrapping up of the FutureSex/LoveSounds tour of Australasia and the Middle East in November 2007, Timberlake resumed his film career. Projects underway early in 2008 were starring roles in
Mike Myers' comedy
The Love Guru (released June 20, 2008) and Mike Meredith's drama
The Open Road (released August 28, 2009). In March 2008, it was announced that he would be an executive producer in an American adaptation of the hit Peruvian comedy
My Problem with Women for
NBC. On November 20, 2008,
TV Guide reported that Timberlake's next single, "Follow My Lead", which also featured vocals by Timberlake's protégée, former YouTube star
Esmée Denters, would be available for exclusive download through
Myspace. All proceeds went to
Shriners Hospitals for Children, a charity dedicated to improving pediatric care. At the
50th Grammy Awards in February 2008, Timberlake won two awards:
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "
What Goes Around...Comes Around" and
Best Dance Recording for "
LoveStoned/I Think She Knows". (right) at an event for
The Social Network in Madrid, October 2010 In 2008, a collaboration between Timberlake and
T.I., "
Dead and Gone", was featured on T.I.'s sixth album,
Paper Trail, and was released as its fourth single late in 2009. In November 2008, it was confirmed that Timberlake would make a guest appearance and produce some tracks on
R&B/pop singer
Ciara's upcoming album
Fantasy Ride, due out May 5, 2009. Timberlake featured on Ciara's second single, "
Love Sex Magic", the video being shot on February 20, 2009. The single became a worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in numerous countries and peaking at number one in several countries, including Taiwan, India, and Turkey. The song was nominated for
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the
52nd Grammy Awards. Timberlake hosted the 16th
ESPY Awards, and the musical number "I Love Sports" was later nominated for an Emmy Award. Timberlake and his production team,
The Y's, along with
Mike Elizondo, produced and co-wrote the song "Don't Let Me Down" for
Leona Lewis's second album,
Echo, released on November 17, 2009. Timberlake also co-wrote and performed on "
Carry Out", the third single from Timbaland's album
Shock Value II, released on December 1, 2009. Timberlake appeared on
Jimmy Fallon's debut as host of
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on March 2, 2009. Timberlake was the executive producer on the
MTV reality series
The Phone, which premiered on April 21, 2009. In late 2009, Barbadian singer
Rihanna released the album
Rated R, with Timberlake being one of the writers and producers. They both worked together previously for her third album,
Good Girl Gone Bad. From 2010, Timberlake increased his acting work. He played
Sean Parker, the founder of
Napster, in the acclaimed film
The Social Network (2010), and voiced
Boo-Boo Bear in the live-action/animated comedy film
Yogi Bear, adapted from the
Hanna-Barbara series. He also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010. In 2011, he starred alongside
Cameron Diaz in
Bad Teacher and alongside
Mila Kunis in
Friends with Benefits and played Will Salas, the protagonist of
In Time, a science fiction film by
Andrew Niccol. He provided a feature and appeared in the music video for the song "
Motherlover" from
The Lonely Island's second album,
Turtleneck & Chain, and directed and made a cameo in the
FreeSol music video "Hoodies On, Hats Low", which was released in August 2011. The
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon sketch "
History of Rap" was performed for the first time by both Fallon and Timberlake in 2010. In July 2011, United States Marine Kelsey De Santis uploaded a YouTube video asking Timberlake to be her date to the United States Marine Corps birthday ball; they attended the event on November 13, 2011, in
Richmond, Virginia. His fifth
Saturday Night Live episode, as host and musical guest, was the most-watched episode in 14 months, with
Charles Barkley as host and
Kelly Clarkson as musical guest.
2013–2017: The 20/20 Experience, 2 of 2, and Trolls , February 2014. It is Timberlake's highest-grossing tour Timberlake began working on his third album,
The 20/20 Experience, in June 2012 with "no rules and/or end goal in mind". He publicly announced his return to the music industry in January 2013, releasing the album's lead single, "
Suit & Tie" featuring
Jay-Z later that month, which would eventually peak at number three on the
Billboard Hot 100. After four years of not performing in concert, Timberlake appeared the night before the
2013 Super Bowl and performed during the "
DirecTV Super Saturday Night" on February 2, 2013, in
New Orleans. On February 10, 2013, he performed "Suit & Tie" with sepia-toned lighting at the
55th Annual Grammy Awards, with Jay-Z joining him from the audience. On February 11, 2013, "
Mirrors" was released as the second single from
The 20/20 Experience. The song would eventually peak at number two on the
Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the
UK Singles Chart.
The 20/20 Experience was released on March 19, 2013, through
RCA Records due to the disbandment of
Jive Records. The album set a digital sales record for being the fastest-selling album on the
iTunes Store and debuted at number one on the charts by moving just over 968,000 copies in the U.S., the biggest sales week of 2013. It eventually became the best-selling album of the year in the country. Timberlake performed at the "In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul" concert, held in the
East Room of the
White House and hosted by President
Barack Obama, celebrating
Memphis soul music from the 1960s. Afterward, Timberlake officially announced
The 20/20 Experience World Tour, following his and Jay-Z's co-headlining concert tour,
Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour. Timberlake also appeared on Jay-Z's twelfth album,
Magna Carta... Holy Grail on three songs: "
Holy Grail", "BBC" (along with
Nas,
Swizz Beatz, Timbaland,
Pharrell Williams, Niigo &
Beyoncé), and "
Heaven". On August 25, 2013, Timberlake received the
Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the
2013 MTV Video Music Awards. He also took home three competitive awards, including
Video of the Year for "Mirrors". During his performance, Timberlake briefly reunited with his fellow former NSYNC bandmates for a medley of their hit songs "Girlfriend" and "Bye Bye Bye". Timberlake's fourth album,
The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, was released on September 30, 2013, and debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200. Its lead single, "
Take Back the Night", was released on July 12, 2013, followed by the second single, "
TKO". Timberlake was given a production and writing credit on
track six on
Beyoncé's
self-titled fifth album, which was released in December 2013. At the
57th Annual Grammy Awards, Timberlake was nominated for seven awards, eventually winning three:
Best R&B Song for "
Pusher Love Girl",
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "
Holy Grail", and
Best Music Video for "Suit & Tie", which was directed by
The Social Network director
David Fincher. On February 25, 2014, "
Not a Bad Thing" was released as the third single from
The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2. The song reached the top 10 on the Hot 100 and topped the
Mainstream Top 40 chart. In 2014, Timberlake appeared on
Michael Jackson's second posthumous record,
Xscape, on the song "
Love Never Felt So Good", which was produced by Timbaland,
Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, and Timberlake. On May 14, 2014, a music video was also released featuring clips of Jackson, with Timberlake accompanied by several of Jackson's fans performing some of Jackson's signature moves. The video was directed by Timberlake and
Rich Lee. During 2015, Timberlake performed along with
Jimmy Fallon in the
Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary's cold open and returned to
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as a guest to perform a sixth edition of the sketch "
History of Rap". He also performed along with
Chris Stapleton at the
49th Annual Country Music Association Awards. Showcasing the final date of
The 20/20 Experience World Tour at Las Vegas'
MGM Grand Garden Arena, the space-age-themed concert film titled
Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids and directed by
Jonathan Demme premiered at the
2016 Toronto International Film Festival on September 13. Timberlake dedicated the film to
Prince for influencing his music. Ahead of its debut at the film festival, the streaming service
Netflix released it on October 12. Timberlake composed the soundtrack and served as music supervisor for the 2017 film
The Book of Love, which his wife,
Jessica Biel, produced and starred in. Timberlake voiced the lead character in
DreamWorks Animation's musical comedy
Trolls opposite
Anna Kendrick. The film was released in November 2016 and returned for its next two entries,
Trolls: World Tour and
Trolls: Band Together, in 2020 and 2023, respectively. He also served as the executive music producer, performing
original music for the film. The lead single, "
Can't Stop the Feeling!", was released on May 6, 2016. Timberlake was invited by Swedish broadcaster
Sveriges Television (SVT) to perform "Can't Stop the Feeling" live during the interval act at the grand finale of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2016 on May 14, 2016. The single debuted at number one on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top spot in 16 other countries, becoming his eighth U.S.
Mainstream Top 40 number-one song. It also became the
best-selling song of the year in the U.S. with 2.4million downloads sold. On February 26, 2017, Timberlake opened the
89th Academy Awards with a performance of "Can't Stop the Feeling!" since the song earned him a nomination. Also that year, Timberlake starred with
Kate Winslet and
Juno Temple in
Woody Allen's drama film
Wonder Wheel. He headlined several festivals and live sets, including
Rock in Rio, the
United States Grand Prix, and the
Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, which he co-produced.
2018–2022: Man of the Woods and Super Bowl LII halftime show in Miami on May 18, 2018, which was the sixth highest-grossing tour of 2018 Speaking of his fifth album in 2016, Timberlake stated, "I think where I grew up in America has a lot of influence. Growing up in Tennessee—very central of the country—Memphis is known as the birthplace of rock & roll, but also the home of the blues, but Nashville's right down the street so there's a lot of country music." In following interviews, Timberlake confirmed working with producers
Timbaland and
Pharrell Williams while stating, "It sounds more like where I've come from than any other music I've ever made... It's Southern American music. But I want to make it sound modern – at least that's the idea right now." His fifth album,
Man of the Woods, was released on February 2, 2018, two days before he headlined the
Super Bowl LII halftime show in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, on February 4. Timberlake performed a medley of his songs featuring both the Tennessee Kids and the
Minnesota Marching Band alongside him, as well as a duet of "
I Would Die 4 U" with a video projection of late singer
Prince on screen. The show contained multiple selections from
Man of the Woods, which is named after his son Silas, whose name means "from the forest". The album's first single, "
Filthy", was released on January 5, along with its accompanying video directed by
Mark Romanek. The
electro-funk song reached number nine in the U.S and number five in Canada. The songs "
Supplies", "
Say Something" featuring
Chris Stapleton, and "
Man of the Woods" were also released along with music videos ahead of the album. His collaboration with Stapleton also reached the top 10 in the U.S. and Canada.
Man of the Woods topped the
Billboard 200 with the biggest first week sales of the year at the time, selling 293,000 total units.
Man of the Woods also marks Timberlake's fourth consecutive No. 1 album and has since been certified
Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Man of the Woods concluded 2018 as the sixth best-selling album of the year. An accompanying
tour of the same name began on March 13, 2018, in
Toronto, Canada and concluded on April 13, 2019, in
Uncasville.
The Man of the Woods Tour was the sixth-highest-grossing tour of 2018. In May 2019, Timberlake received an honorary doctorate from
Berklee College of Music.
Missy Elliott and
Alex Lacamoire also received doctorates at the ceremony. Following the announcement of
Trolls World Tour, Timberlake teased potential collaborations with a number of artists through a series of Instagram posts. This included frequent collaborators
Pharrell Williams, Nathaniel Hills, and
Rob Knox, as well as new collaborators such as
Anderson .Paak,
Brandy Norwood,
Lizzo, and
Meek Mill. On February 26, 2020,
SZA and Timberlake released the single "
The Other Side", a song part of the
Trolls World Tour soundtrack, alongside its music video. On March 9, 2020, Timberlake released a teaser for his upcoming song "Don't Slack", which features
Anderson .Paak, and is also part of the
Trolls World Tour soundtrack. The song was released on March 10, 2020. In September 2020, Timberlake and producer Timbaland teased a potential upcoming collaboration with Canadian musician
Justin Bieber, as well as collaborations with
Justine Skye,
Hit-Boy, and
Ty Dolla Sign. In December 2020, Timberlake and
Ant Clemons released the single "
Better Days", which premiered on the Rock the Runoff virtual concert, held by
Stacey Abrams' organization Fair Fight. In January 2021, Timberlake performed as part of the
inauguration of Joe Biden. Performing from his hometown of Memphis, Timberlake performed his collaboration with Ant Clemons during the
Celebrating America special. Timberlake performed at Pharrell Williams' Something in the Water festival in Washington, D.C., where he was joined on stage by
T.I. and
Clipse for his five-song set.
2023–present: Everything I Thought It Was In May 2023, Timbaland revealed that Timberlake's sixth album was completed, adding that the pair had revived the sound from the
FutureSex/LoveSounds era. On September 1, 2023, Timbaland released the single "
Keep Going Up", in collaboration with Furtado and Timberlake. Timberlake also reunited with his fellow former band members of
NSYNC later that month and released the single "
Better Place" to support the
Trolls Band Together soundtrack. In addition to "Keep Going Up" and "Better Place", Timberlake had also collaborated with
Meek Mill on the song
Believe,
Romeo Santos on the song "
Sin Fin",
DJ Khaled on his album
Khaled Khaled on the song "Just Be",
Justine Skye on her album
Space & Time on the song "Innocent"
Jack Harlow on his album
Come Home the Kids Miss You on the song "Parent Trap"; a remix of
Coco Jones' "
ICU" and a further remix of the song "
3D" by
Jungkook. Timberlake had also worked with
Calvin Harris, producer of "
Fuckin' Up the Disco" and "
No Angels", on his song "
Stay with Me", alongside
Pharrell Williams and
Halsey. in Seattle on May 2, 2024 On January 19, 2024, Timberlake performed a free one-night-only concert at the
Orpheum in Memphis, where he live-debuted his new single "
Selfish" after teasing a new project on social media in previous days. In promotion of the record, on January 25, 2024, Timberlake appeared on
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; he announced the release of "Selfish" and revealed that the album had taken four years to produce. "Selfish" debuted at number 19 on the
Billboard Hot 100, marking Timberlake's highest debut in six years on the chart. It became his 39th career solo entry on the Hot 100 and his 29th to reach the top 40. On the release day of "Selfish", he also announced that his sixth album,
Everything I Thought It Was, would be released in March 2024. and held an "intimate" concert at
Irving Plaza in New York City on January 31, his 43rd birthday. He appeared as the musical guest to perform "Selfish" on
The Graham Norton Show, recorded in London on February 22, 2024. The following night, he cancelled a one-night-only concert at London's
Roundhouse. The promotional single "
Drown" was released on February 23, 2024. Timberlake also appeared on
Complex Networks Sneaker Shopping on March 11, 2024, and mentioned the release of his new album at the end of the video. On March 13, 2024, in anticipation of the album release, Timberlake performed a one-off concert at
The Wiltern in Los Angeles. The show featured a surprise reunion with his NSYNC bandmates, with the group playing a medley of hits and the new album track "Paradise". Timberlake then performed on NPR's Tiny Desk series on March 15 for a half-hour-long concert. Timberlake also announced the release of a documentary showing the album's creation process. The second single off the record, "
No Angels", was released on March 15, 2024, the same day as the album's release.
Everything I Thought It Was debuted at number four on the U.S.
Billboard 200, giving Timberlake his sixth consecutive top five album in the country. Timberlake also promoted the album on
the Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which began on April 29, 2024, in
Vancouver, Canada. On February 23, 2024, Timberlake announced summer 2024 Europe tour dates. On May 20, 2024,
Pollstar announced that nine additional shows were added due to "overwhelming demand" and reported that over 1 million tickets were already sold, becoming Timberlake's fastest selling tour to date. The tour received generally positive reviews. In January 2026, Timberlake performed at the Recording Academy Honours Presented by the Black Music Collective in tribute to Pharrell Williams, who received the Dr. Dre Global Music Icon Award; Timberlake performed his Williams-produced singles "Señorita", "Rock Your Body" and "Like I Love You". ==Personal life==