Joey Fatone has been busy since NSYNC ended. Post-band, he’s placed second on Dancing with the Stars, appeared in both the movie and TV spin-off of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, hosted the U.S. and Australian versions of NBC’s The Singing Bee, spent five years as the announcer for Family Feud, and appeared as “Rabbit” on the first season of The Masked Singer. He’s also hosted a bunch of other shows and is currently the host of Game Show Network’s Common Knowledge. Whew!
While Joey has been working steadily over the past 20 years, he’s also somehow managed to steer clear of the tabloid and gossip drama that a certain former bandmate likes to cry rivers about. Fatone is now 46-years-old and since he appears on television regularly, he decided to do a little freshening up. In the name of transparency, Joey is speaking out about his cosmetic surgery, including hair plugs and AirSculpt, a procedure to remove fat from his chin and stomach.
Everybody’s doing it! “It’s crazy how many guys get work done,” he tells PEOPLE exclusively. “They don’t broadcast it because a lot of men are very shy or embarrassed about it, but there’s nothing to be embarrassed about! I’m never afraid to tell people about this stuff. Who cares?”
From hair spray to hair plugs: “Two years ago things were a little thinner up there, and I’m on television. I had to start wearing this spray to fill in my hair, and I just hated it,” he says. “Every time I was on TV I was spraying my hair and it was just a pain in the butt. So I was like, I want to get plugs to fill it in.”
He’s just editing his looks: The star says he’s not trying to drastically alter his appearance or endlessly chase the fountain of youth. “I’m not trying to change my look,” he says. “I’m not trying to change who I am. I’m just trying to just edit it a little bit!”
He loves the results: “I’m definitely starting to see the results now,” he says, adding that the procedure was easy and he recovered in 48 hours with no bruising. “My stomach had kind of a nice little hump underneath it and now it doesn’t. Same with my back. It’s crazy because it’s one of those things I never thought I’d do, but then there’s just this unwanted fat that even if you lost weight or no matter how you dieted, just certain things you can’t get rid of.”
He wanted to look better for himself: Fatone, who’s a dad to two daughters, adds, “Look, I’m just trying to look a little bit better in the way that I look in clothes. That’s really what I want to do, what I want to do for myself. I’ve had so many people in this industry tell me that I need to lose weight and look a certain way, blah blah blah. I mean, I may lose a little bit of weight but I’m still going to be the same person I’ve been. I’m not going to get drastically cut. Unless someone calls me up for a Marvel movie!”
Jobs will find a way: He continues, “I’ve had some people say ‘You can’t get a certain job if you’re not a certain weight.’ But I’ll find a way to get those jobs. There’s plenty of room for everybody in every field. Plus, aging just happens. We all age in some shape or form!”
“I’m not trying to change my look…just trying to edit it a little bit!” I love that framing. It’s like when you edit a picture of yourself to smooth over blemishes, only it’s real life. Next time I go get my gray roots covered up, I’ll have to say, “I’m going to edit my hair color a little bit!” Getting Botox? You’re just editing your forehead a little bit! Crest Whitening Strips? Editing your teeth a little bit! Ah, that phrasing just tickles me so much.
I do hope his healthy attitude isn’t just lip service. Joey was never one of the more lusted-after members of NSYNC, and it seems like he’s managed to have a fairly healthy relationship with fame. I give him props for having such a great attitude about cosmetic surgery and willingness to talk about it so openly. There have definitely been famous men who have admitted to hair plugs before, but when it comes to cosmetic procedures, we generally only hear female celebrities sharing (or denying) their experiences with it. It’s refreshing to hear a male celebrity be so candid about surgical enhancements.
Photos via Instagram and credit: Joe Sutter/PacificCoastNews / Avalon and Getty
Men really get put through the ringer in the by Hollywood too. I remember South Park used the call him “The Fat One.” That’s got to get to you after a while. He’s always seemed like a good guy. Does anyone remember that cooking show he used to do where he would hang out in the kitchen while people cooked their family recipes? All the moms and grandmas loved him!
He was a monarch in the Orpheus Mardi Gras parade last year, and rode along with a handful of other 90s/00s boyband members. Most of them seemed a little awkward, but he looked like he was having the time of his life! It was a joy to behold.
I’ve never been a fan of boy bands, but I have a lot of love in my heart for Joey Fatone. He just seems like a really good guy, unpretentious, making the best of his notoriety sans ego.
Also, I think he’s handsomer with age and stan men in bigger bodies. Hollywood needs to loosen its death grip on youth and narrow definitions of beauty.
I think his larger body and lack of vanity is why he’s so good on the game shows. You have to come across as someone who’s showbiz, but still in the same realm as the contestants on the shows.
He’s always seemed like a decent guy but even with the procedures I would have guessed he is in his mid 50s. Surprised to hear he is just 46.
I was in the minority I guess, because Joey was always my favorite and who I “lusted after” in NSYNC. I’ve always enjoyed a guy with a little meat on his bones and I always liked his fun personality. This is all year 2000 me. My friends and I in college traveled to New Orleans to see them in concert and ended up seeing JC Chasez the next day in a Hooters having lunch. I still have the photo of us with him. Spoiler alert, he was pale and unremarkable up close.
I love Nsync. Joey has always been a crush. Handsome, masculine, sweet and funny. Reading about how he was shamed for his weight issues makes me so angry. That is his natural size. He has been ten times more in shape than those who shamed him. Dancers are strong.
I watched the video of Nsync making the new Troll song. You could just tell the guys were over Justin’s drama. They all love each other, even Justin. I was laughing because it was like watching brothers try not to throttle their annoying baby brother. Joey in the video look like he really wanted to throttle Justin. At the end of the video Joey goes up and gives Justin a hug. It was so sweet and sincere. Joey is a rare unicorn in the entertainment industry.
He looks like a good guy.
Joey was always my NSYNC crush. He seems like a good person too. Loved seeing him attend a Drag brunch and nail his Bye Bye Bye choreography. Check out the video, it’s cute.