Happy Birthday, Justin Timberlake! Today (Jan. 31) marks Justin’s 43rd trip around the sun, and he has a lot to show for his life well-lived. The former NSYNC singer has earned ten Grammys and an Oscar nod on top of dozens of other notable awards. He’s also a family man with his wife Jessica Biel and sons Silas, 8, and Phineas, 2.
Despite being dubbed “The Prince of Pop,” Justin has also had success on the silver and small screen. He’s an entrepreneur, as well. Justin has owned three restaurants, an award-winning clothing line, and an eco-friendly golf course. To top it all off, he and Jessica are also minority owners of the Memphis Grizzlies football team.
While celebrating Justin Timberlake’s birthday, we dug deeper to find more fun facts about the singer that may come as a surprise. Read on to learn more!
1. Justin Timberlake Broke into the Entertainment Industry at 12 Years Old
Like many singers from his era, Justin Timberlake got his start on The Mickey Mouse Club. He started on the series in 1993 and left in 1994. During his tenure, he starred alongside Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. His NSYNC bandmate JC Chasez was also part of the crew.
2. He Used to Use ‘Justin Randall’ As a Stage Name
While Mickey Mouse Club was Justin’s big break, he started taking the stage at 11. He was into gospel and country music at the time. He also made an appearance on Star Search, except not as Justin Timberlake.
When he was first looking to become a celebrity, Justin wanted to ditch his last name for his first and middle name instead—which is Justin Randall. Why he decided to go back to Timberlake isn’t clear, but we can assume his agent decided it had more punch than Randall.
3. He Was the First Person Ashton Kutcher ‘Punk’ed’
Justin Timberlake was the very first celebrity to fall victim to an Ashton Kutcher prank on Punk’ed. In the 2003 episode, Ashton hired a team of actors to show up at Justin’s house and claim they worked for the IRS. They told him he hadn’t paid his taxes, so they were seizing his belongings.
While packing up his stuff, the actors pretended to destroy his beloved cars and guitars. They even tried confiscating his mom’s dogs, who stayed with Justin. His mom was in on the prank and added some flair with an emotional phone call.
“They got her on the phone, and honestly that performance on the phone that you couldn’t hear, it made me question everything about my mother,” Justin once joked with Dax Shepard.
4. Justin Timberlake Has Made a Comeback to Music
If you haven’t heard, Justin Timberlake has also returned to the recording studio after taking a years-long hiatus. He will drop Everything I Thought It Was on March 15th. It will be his first solo project since 2018.
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