Mark Wahlberg Reunites With New Kids on the Block
Sometimes it seems like being in a boyband is a prerequisite to becoming a famous actor. Ben Barnes was in the group Hyrise, whose long-ago existence was discovered after someone uploaded embarrassing footage online of the band performing their single, “Leading Me On.” Jake Gyllenhaal reluctantly admitted to his boyband past when Ellen DeGeneres ambushed him with a band photo that perfectly embodied the worst of the ‘90s. Glee actor Kevin McHale was in boyband NTL — information that revealed the self-sabotaging nature of the show's casting directors, as they cast someone who could actually dance as the only wheelchair-bound character in the entire series.
But long before those actors' embarrassing pasts came back to haunt them, and even before his own music career with the Funky Bunch, Mark Wahlberg was an original founding member of boyband New Kids on the Block.
In case you didn't know, New Kids on the Block tried and failed to reunite numerous times after their disbandment in 1994, until they ultimately used nostalgia to their benefit and found renewed success in 2008. They kept the money train going, and are actually still popular enough to play Madison Square Garden, where they recruited a special surprise guest to come onstage last night (June 22). Do you see where we're going with this?
Do you remember the pre-actor version of Mark Wahlberg? No, we're not talking about the time he threw rocks and shouted racial epithets at a group of black students, or the time he assaulted a Vietnamese man. We're talking about his music career! He was part of NKOTB for a short amount of time, leaving the group before they even began recording. We're not entirely sure why they brought him onstage at all, but it was the first time he joined them in over 20 years, so it's a moment in pop culture history now.
If you're interested in that footage —which consists mostly of walking and bro-embraces — check out the video above.