Lawrence's Crush on Fishel Sparked Timberlake Tension

Matthew Lawrence has long since said goodbye to the idea of becoming friends with Justin Timberlake, a situation that began on the set of Boy Meets World. Despite Lawrence's admiration for Timberlake and his former band NSYNC, their initial interaction didn't go well, as Timberlake later revealed directly to Lawrence. This story was shared on the latest episode of the rewatch podcast Pod Meets World, hosted by his former co-stars Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle.

Lawrence explained that Timberlake's negative impression of him stemmed from their early encounters. When Timberlake was promoting his debut solo album Justified, he confronted Lawrence, saying, "You were so mean on the set." Lawrence admitted that he didn’t recall being unkind but was surprised by Timberlake’s feedback.

Fishel, Strong, and Friedle were initially taken aback by Timberlake’s opinion but speculated that it might have been influenced by Lawrence’s shyness and his crush on Fishel. According to Strong, NSYNC was often around Fishel, which might have fueled Lawrence's feelings of jealousy. Fishel joked about how Lawrence's reaction was likely exacerbated by the band's frequent presence.

The former castmates reminisced about how NSYNC's popularity created tension among them, particularly with Fishel, who briefly dated Lance Bass in 1999. Friedle humorously remarked that Fishel had a "one-in-five chance" of ending up with an NSYNC member but chose differently. Fishel defended her choice, saying she valued the security of her relationship.

Lawrence expressed regret over not having had the chance to clear the air with Timberlake. Despite his past jealousy, Fishel noted that Timberlake played a role in setting up her connection with Bass. In a memorable story, Fishel recounted how Timberlake helped Lance Bass get her number after an NSYNC event, leading to a missed call and voicemail from Bass with Timberlake’s excited encouragement in the background.