If She’s All That taught us anything, it’s that bets of a romantic nature tend to backfire spectacularly. Fortunately for Jessica Simpson, she can look back on the alleged kissing bet that Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake made over her and laugh...or at least use it as talk show fodder.
Back in the early ‘90s, Gosling, and Timberlake starred together on The All New Mickey Mouse Club, a variety show that was the launching pad for many future pop stars. NSYNC’s JC Chasez, Christina Aguilera, and Timberlake’s former girlfriend Britney Spears were also a part of the cast. Simpson didn’t make the cut, having reportedly lost out to Aguilera in the final audition, but still hung out in the same circle as some of the Mouseketeers.
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In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live! Simpson — who is promoting her personal new memoir Open Book — admitted that she was once super tight with Timberlake, and that the two even kissed when both were single following breakups.
That’s when things got a little weird, Simpson joked.
“After [my] divorce [to Nick Lachey] and [Justin] was out of a relationship, he was over at my house and we shared a nostalgic kiss,” she said on the show. “And I thought, ‘Oh, this is interesting.’ And he took his phone out and started typing. And I was like, ‘Okay? I hope that’s not another girl. Did I stick out my tongue out too much?'”
Nope: Apparently, Timberlake was texting his old pal Gosling.
“He and Ryan Gosling had a bet on who would kiss me first when they were 12-years-old,” she explained. “And so, he texted Ryan that he had won the bet. I was like, ‘Oh? Okay. Uh, so we don’t kiss again?’ That’s done.'”
For the record, Simpson told Kimmel, she actually had a pre-teen crush on Gosling, who we assume she never had a chance to kiss. Simpson is married to NFL player Eric Johnson and shares three children, while Gosling and partner Eva Mendes recently welcomed their second daughter.
As for Gosling and Timberlake, they haven’t stayed very tight over the years, despite making this truly wild bet about kissing Simpson.
“We aren't the closest of friends, for whatever reason,” Timberlake told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017.
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Perhaps they can bond over Simpson totally blowing up their spot.
Check out the video below:
Refinery29 reached out to Simpson, Gosling, and Timberlake for comment.