The rivalry between the Backstreet Boys (BSB) and NSYNC in the late 1990s and early 2000s was intensified not only by fan competition but also by their former manager who made crucial decisions behind the scenes.

In the new Investigation Discovery docuseries Boy Band Confidential, veteran music manager Johnny Wright, who worked with several artists including Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, and the Jonas Brothers, revealed he was initially managing both boy bands before a conflict arose.

As reported by Rolling Stone, Wright admitted that tensions began when the Backstreet Boys objected to him also working with NSYNC as the latter's popularity started to rise. The Backstreet Boys  then gave him an ultimatum to choose between them and NSYNC.

Wright said his response was to side with NSYNC moving forward. He recalled saying that if he was “not working with both groups,” he felt responsible for making NSYNC “the biggest group in the world,” which meant focusing his efforts on them instead of the BSB.

In the same report, he also described taking steps that favored NSYNC’s rise, including replacing BSB with NSYNC at the American Music Awards and securing stadium tour dates for NSYNC shortly before BSB planned their own. 

He said the moves contributed to the Backstreet Boys scaling back from stadiums to arenas. “Every move that I found, I tried to beat them to the punch. Success was my revenge,” Wright said.

Wright continues to manage Justin Timberlake and has worked with him since his NSYNC days.

Boy Band Confidential is an Investigation Discovery (ID) series that explores the unfiltered and hidden side of the 90s boy bands, per IMDb. It examines the behind-the-scene  maneuverings that created carefully curated pop stardom and the personal toll on the artists.

Boy Band Confidential premieres April 13 and 14 at 9 PM ET on Investigation Discovery, and will also be available on HBO Max and Discovery+.