Actor James Van Der Beek shared a hilarious story of the time he helped the pop boy band NSYNC sneak into a nightclub to see none other than Prince perform when they were underage.
The “Dawson’s Creek” star admitted to the 1999 incident when asked if he had ever broke the law during a Dec. 9 appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.”
When Hudson asked him if he had ever broken the law or if not he should break dance for her studio audience, Van Der Beek confessed to host Jennifer Hudson, “I was 21 years old, I was in Vegas, and a friend of mine said there’s this boy band that wants to meet you.”
He noted that at the time NSYNC hadn’t yet achieved their legendary status as teen heartthrobs, describing them as “such nice kids.”
The opportunity arose when they learned the “Purple Rain” singer would be performing at a Las Vegas club.
After Van Der Beek got in, he hatched a plan to get NSYNC in, starting with the group’s lead singer, Justin Timberlake, who would have been 18 at the time.
“They were carding people. So, I got in and then I took my ID and I slipped it back, so Justin could use it,” he remembered. “So, Justin got in and then we thought, ‘This worked. So, well let’s try it a third time.’”
He continued, “So we sent it back out so Lance [Bass] could use it.”
However, the security guard grew suspicious after seeing Van Der Beek’s ID for the third time, looked at Lance, and simply said, “Sorry, James.”
Van Der Beek — who has previously described this incident as happening around New Year’s Eve of 1998, when Prince certainly would have performed the title song from his 1982 hit album “1999” — appeared on the show to promote “The Real Full Monty” TV special, alongside co-stars Anthony Anderson, Tyler Posey, and Taye Diggs.
Without skipping a beat, Diggs comedically quipped “Bye, bye, bye,” referencing one of NSYNC’s chart-topping songs.
Anderson hosted last month’s Fox special “The Real Full Monty,” which featured six male celebrities as they perform a striptease to raise money for cancer charities, according to a press release from the network.
Van Der Beek’s decision to join the cast is deeply personal.
In November, he revealed to People that he has been battling Stage 3 colorectal cancer. He first learned of his diagnosis in 2023 at age 46, a stunning interruption to his life on a Texas ranch with his wife, Kimberly, and their six children.
“I’ve been dealing with this pretty much in secret for a while,” he shared. “I always associated cancer with age and unhealthy lifestyles. But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape and tried to eat healthy — as far as I knew it at the time.”
While the “One Tree Hill” star shared that he had undergone surgery and chemotherapy, he hasn’t confirmed if he is in remission but has said he’s feeling better.
He continues to live on his ranch with his family — Olivia, 14; Joshua, 12; Annabel, 10; Emilia, 8; Gwen, 6; and Jeremiah, 3 — drawing strength from their support.
Van Der Beek’s openness has made him a source of inspiration, using his platform to raise awareness about cancer and uplift others. From sneaking boy bands into clubs to sharing his health journey, he has shown resilience and a commitment to helping others — whether by supporting medical research through charity or trying to sneak a couple of knuckleheads into an unforgettable concert.