Bye, bye, bye! Google rewrites 'NSync history, replacing Joey Fatone with Shaquille O'Neal — and the internet is there for the laughs
Google has all the answers … but they aren’t always right.
A glitch in the search engine’s results for the late, great boy band ‘NSync had the names of the five performers as Justin Timberlake, J.C. Chasez, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and … Shaquille O’Neal?! Yes, the hulking, 7-foot-1 former basketball star was given Joey Fatone’s spot — and the internet enjoyed the hard-to-mix-up mix-up.
Why does google have @SHAQ and @realjoeyfatone swapped?? pic.twitter.com/7WJs0sqCWD
— Allie (@fischallie) May 21, 2018
The error was noticed and shared — as it goes — and Bass seems to be the first to retweet it.
Y’all who did this?! @Google @SHAQ @realjoeyfatone pic.twitter.com/A9LOLXJQvH
— Lance Bass (@LanceBass) May 21, 2018
Soon after, a fan sent a screenshot to the still-active ‘NSync Twitter handle. The response there was perfect — with a nod to the group’s recent reunion for its Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony — setting the tone for the silliness that followed.
This is hilarious! @SHAQ where were you for the star ceremony? https://t.co/KQKf8GQPXb
— *NSYNC (@NSYNC) May 21, 2018
That led to Fatone taking a break from making his famous hot dogs to weigh in.
Who knew @SHAQ was in @NSYNC does that mean I played basketball ?! pic.twitter.com/Zt73BS0uy1
— Joey Fatone (@realjoeyfatone) May 21, 2018
Timberlake added a funny image to the conversation, which he didn’t create, but that’s when things really blew up.
Google’s having a rough night. @SHAQ @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/ehqGOxFeM5
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) May 22, 2018
Some of the better responses were from people who weren’t famous.
Google kicked Joey out of the group.
— What Would Trina Do? (@misskenni0308) May 21, 2018
@NSYNC @SHAQ I knew it pic.twitter.com/nLIcrpDhBa
— Ryan Firozabadi (@frozeabodi) May 21, 2018
.@SHAQ’s been missing out on royalties for years! He’s a member and we never knew #MindBlown
— Jenn Schanz (@JennSchanz4) May 21, 2018
This was my favourite @NSYNC lineup, @SHAQ in Bye Bye Bye was an all time great moment pic.twitter.com/NUV3usuimS
— Chris Swann (@TheChrisSwann) May 21, 2018
Stop it. #Nsync #Shaq pic.twitter.com/87TzpXmppG
— Justin Tasolides (@JTasTasTas) May 21, 2018
Google thinks @SHAQ was a member of NSYNC and I am dying over it. A baritone! pic.twitter.com/fgxL1QTMjp
— Christine Nguyen (@christinewin) May 21, 2018
Some people were OK with it.
So Google replaced Joey Fatone with Shaq in NSYNC and it's 100% the alternate history I want to live in. pic.twitter.com/bUEsYi7Pxj
— Micah (@MicahR_) May 21, 2018
googled NSYNC MEMBERS and the results got me dying LOLOLOL leave it as is… no need to revise @Google @SHAQ
— TrizzInc (@TrizzInc) May 21, 2018
Would that be so wrong?
— Yung Matalo (@matalomusic) May 21, 2018
Others weren’t.
of course @realjoeyfatone gets the shaft AGAIN #poorjoey
— Shannon Bourque (@S_bourque13) May 22, 2018
And, yes, there were height jokes.
Wow! That is a new one. …. surely didn’t see him at the concert I went to and he would ‘t be hard to see
— Bea (@beabug1061) May 21, 2018
Shaq didn’t respond on Twitter, but his response was imagined.
— CARMEL LATTE (@CARMELDIMPLEZZ) May 21, 2018
Google soon deleted Shaq from the band.
so now they’re a quartet Shaq had a good run with *NSYNC pic.twitter.com/7DhC3HaHJO
— Dani. (@letmebensync) May 22, 2018
And then the band was restored to its original status, which Fatone celebrated.
I guess I am back with the guys on google:) pic.twitter.com/YiSpsq0s0n
— Joey Fatone (@realjoeyfatone) May 22, 2018
If there is a bright spot in the mix-up, besides the silliness, it’s that the world was schooled on Shaq’s history with the band.
This is so stupid but it's also super cute because wasn't Shaq the first person to let @NSYNC record in a studio? I swear they said it in an interview, which is why I've been pro-Shaq for a while https://t.co/y5v7aVCfet
— Georgia (@georgiaspeech) May 22, 2018
Bass later told TMZ, “A lot of people don’t know Shaquille had a big hand in starting our career … We lived in Orlando and our first place that we recorded was his house … so all of our first demos, our first songs were all from Shaq’s house!” (Yes, the house that’s on the market for $28 million.)
So there you go. You have learned something new out of this whole ridiculous saga. Thank you, internet.
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