Other things boy band members have done outside of music

The Jonas Brothers started in music, and Disney was quick to sign them to star in not only their own series but original movies like Camp Rock and its sequel, so to say acting is something Kevin did outside of music isn’t necessarily true because he did it simultaneous to music and alongside Joe and Nick. However, just as his band of brothers were about to take a break, he landed on reality TV with his wife on Married to Jonas. Since then, he's kept that train rolling on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, The Apprentice, and Claim to Fame.

Anyone and everyone who grew up in the ‘80s knows Donnie Wahlberg as the bad boy from Boston in New Kids On The Block, and while the boy band is getting up there in age and has yet to stop touring, Donnie has managed to do a couple of other things in between the music: acting and opening a chain of restaurants with his brothers called Wahlburgers.

Justin Jeffre rose to fame in the late ‘90s as one of the four members of 98 Degrees. He was the one who rocked facial hair and short blond hair and looked like he held a corporate job when he wasn’t on tour. While that would've been believable, he took things further than a corner office in 2005 when he ran for office. Well, the mayor of Cincinnati, to be exact. Sadly, his political dreams weren’t realized as he came in fifth out of seven candidates running.

Lou Pearlman was the businessman who founded Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, and being the greedy man he was (he was later found guilty of money laundering), he kicked off the first season of Making the Band, in which O-Town was formed. From that came Ashley Parker Angel. In 2013, when the other members decided to get back together after a decade apart, Angel opted out. Today, one look at his Instagram shows that he’s gone heavily into the fitness realm.

Howie Dorough is one of the Backstreet Boys, and for those that don’t know, that boy band has sold some 130 million albums since the mid-'90s. Not to mention all of the touring and merchandising. So this man doesn’t have to do more for a living, but he jumped into an even more lucrative avenue: real estate with his brother. The two currently run Dorough Brothers Development & Consulting in the Orlando area.

Nathan Morris is better known as one of the members of Boyz II Men, aka the vocal dynamos of the ‘90s. They are the pinnacle of R&B and, to this day, have yet to be touched in terms of harmonies. However, Morris broke away from music for a minute in 2018 when he hosted Hit Properties on the DIY Network.

B2K was huge for several years before parting ways to focus on their own creative projects but reunited in 2019 for The Millennium Tour, a nostalgia overload for many. Aside from that, three-fourths of the group could be found on VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood.

Chris Kirkpatrick of NSYNC didn’t wait until after Justin Timberlake decided to fly solo to do something else. In 1999, he started FuMan Skeeto, a clothing line that lasted only until 2002.

Taylor Hanson and his brothers got an early start in music, and before two of them were old enough to drive, they were everywhere thanks to their debut single, “MMMBop.” Taylor and the guys still play music and haven’t given that up, but he’s added more to his plate, literally. Taylor Hanson helped found Food On The Move, a mobile food service with a major goal of wiping out food deserts.

The members of One Direction auditioned for The X Factor as soloists in 2010, but Simon Cowell (known to US audiences for American Idol) said they would be better off as a group, and he was correct — at least until they decided to disband in 2016 and all went back to how they started, including Harry Styles. His solo career has been wildly successful, but outside of music, he’s also made a bit of noise on the big screen in movies like Dunkirk and Don’t Worry Darling.

There was a moment when MTV aired a little show called America's Best Dance Crew , and it was addicting to watch these groups of people move in ways that seemed unimaginable to the average human. There to judge them was none other than NSYNC’s JC Chasez alongside Lil Mama and host Mario Lopez.

The Backstreet Boy made plenty of hearts swoon back in the day, and Nick Carter went down the reality TV rabbit hole. Not only did he and his siblings appear on House of Carters, but later on, he had a reality show with his wife, Lauren. Carter has also appeared on Dancing with the Stars and Boy Band, a music competition series where Carter, Rita Ora, and Spice Girl Emma Bunton were architects, aka judges, trying to construct the next big boy band. It only lasted a singular season.

In 2014, Louis Tomlinson took some of his One Direction earnings and became co-owner of his hometown’s soccer club, the Doncaster Rovers.

Total Request Live used to be the pop culture mecca on MTV in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. It’s missed by many, but those who want to know what their favorite pop artists from then, including many boy band members, can check out NSYNC’s Lance Bass’ show, Frosted Tips with Lance Bass.

New Kids On The Block's Jonathan Knight appeared on The Amazing Race with his now husband, Sweet Valley High's Harley Rodriguez, in 2008. Since then, he has had a show on HGTV called Farmhouse Fixer, which focuses on revitalizing homes in the New England area. That is not surprising, given that Knight is Boston-born and raised.

Many guys who spent some of their lives in boy bands have gone on to Dancing with the Stars, but Jeff Timmons took it a step further by hitting the Vegas Strip and joining the infamous Chippendales show in 2011. He then co-created a new show in Las Vegas called Men of the Strip.

Joey Fatone was not only one of the most era-defining pop groups, NSYNC, but he was also a talented actor who appeared in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, Hannah Montana, and plenty of episodes of Impractical Jokers. He also got his entrepreneur on and opened a hot dog spot called Fat One's.

Kevin Richardson broke a lot of hearts when he took a break from the Backstreet Boys in 2006. He occasionally popped up for a surprise performance here and there until his official return six years later in 2012. However, outside of music during his career, he put those Blue Steel good looks to work as a model for Versace.

When one thinks of Boyz II Men, dancing isn't really the first thing that comes to mind due to their insane amount of romantic ballads that led to a lot of pregnancies in the '90s. However, Wanya Morris proved he could move on the 22nd season of Dancing with the Stars, where he made it to the top-five alongside former NFL player Antonio Brown.  

A song and dance man and the youngest member of New Kids On The Block, Joey McIntyre took all of his skills to another type of stage by doing a number of musicals like Tick, Tick... BOOM!, Wicked, and Waitress. McIntyre also appeared on several shows like 90210, Fuller House, and The Goldbergs.

Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men was a fine choice when it came time for NBC to cast their judges for a cappella singing competition called The Sing-Off, which ran for five seasons.

Nick and Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees wanted to show some love to their home state of Ohio, and opened Lachey's, a sports bar and grill in Cincinnati, in 2015. Sadly, it closed its doors only three years later.

Zayn Malick was the first member to decide One Direction wasn't for him. In 2015, he parted ways with the group, and in the years that followed, he immersed himself in fashion — designing shoes for Giuseppe Zanotti and later working with Versace in 2017.

Brian Littrell, known for his vocal stylings in Backstreet Boys, wanted to play basketball growing up but wasn't quite the right height. Despite that, his love of the game led him to join an NBA tour of celebrities who played for charity in various cities before the actual games.

The Korean boy band that took the world by storm had to take a break in 2022 to fulfill their mandatory military duties back home, but fans should expect them back together once all their service is complete in 2025.

It wasn’t hard to see the writing on the wall with NSYNC once they debuted the video for “Gone” with Justin Timberlake front and center. The group disbanded soon after, and Timberlake went on to have a successful solo career, but in between bringing “SexyBack” and making everyone dance with delight with “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” he also starred in some impressive movies like The Social Network and Alpha Dog.

American Idol was one of the biggest reality competitions during its prime, so much so that Fox decided to try and make lightning strike twice by dropping American Juniors in 2003 with judges that ranged from Brian McKnight to Debbie Gibson to New Kids On The Block's Jordan Knight. The following year, Knight appeared on one of VH1's wildest ventures, The Surreal Life, alongside Flavor Flav and Full House's Dave Coulier.

Nickelodeon wanted to cash in on a boy band of their own and did so with a series named after the group, Big Time Rush. The group would later dissolve once the series ended, but they eventually reunited. However, between then and now, Carlos PenaVega married Alexa PenaVega and started not only a family with her but also a YouTube channel.