Original subtitles

["Hangin' Tough" playing]

Welcome back to "Behind the Music."

-Hey. -Hi. How's it going?

Good, good.

-[makes shuttering sounds] -Like I'm walking into trouble.

[chuckles] I'm walking into trouble.

Okay. [sighs] Here we go again.

* We're the New Kids on the Block *

NARRATOR: They were the pioneers of the original boyband.

* Hangin' tough *

***

* Hangin' tough *

Five teens from the tough streets of Boston.

* Are you tough enough? *

We all grew up poor.

We all wondered where our next meal was coming from.

* Step by step, ooh, baby *

They shot to fame in the early '90s

with their R&B beat fused with a pop sound.

That was something we could never imagine.

* Step by step *

They started doing all the...

* Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh *

...and I was like, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

* The right stuff *

The New Kids on the Block

became an international phenomenon

with adoring fans who followed them everywhere.

As a teenager, there's no preparation

for that level of fame.

* Second kiss had a twist *

There was always 150 to 200 kids in front of my house

just waiting for us to show up.

But life in the spotlight came at a price.

You get all this fame and all this money,

and then you can't enjoy it.

And eventually all that fame took its toll.

We were so young. It was so hard to, like, know really what

you could take control of or really what you could say.

The band's personal struggles were exposed,

and then it all came crashing down.

There's a million ways you could tell the story

of why we broke up.

I had a secret to hide, and by me leaving the group

maybe would set me free.

[intro to "Summertime" playing]

But in 2008, the New Kids reunited...

Our first step together in 15 [bleep]damn years, right?

...this time as grown men

who are better than ever... together.

* And all the good times we had, baby *

It was a much, much deeper connection.

We all really needed each other again.

It took a little bit to, like, realize we've grown up,

but everyone's personalities are still the same.

JOE: * All I wanna do is go back *

Now 13 years after their original episode

of "Behind the Music" aired... -[laughs]

-* For the '80s babies * -...the New Kids are back,

celebrating key moments in their lives...

* You're still my '80s baby *

Doing this again with family-- it changes everything.

...giving new insights on their journey...

In our heyday, we were young kids,

still finding ourselves.

We're all grown up, and it's so much better now.

* Baby, 'cause you *

...and reflecting on the men they've become today.

* And I am thankful, you *

As adults, the key to us staying together

and being a strong unit is that you let the little things go.

I think with maturity, you learn to focus on what's important.

This is "The New Kids on the Block:

The Story Behind the Music."

* I am thankful, thankful, thankful *

***

For those about to lose their minds...

I was sitting around my house one afternoon in quarantine,

and I said I'll write a song, and magic will occur.

We're entertainers,

so let's put something together to do our part in helping

people feel a little better.

We can make the best of times.

In the spring of 2020, the New Kids on the Block...

-* Turn it up, turn it up * -...released "House Party"...

New Kids on the Block!

...with help from some of their famous friends.

Boyz II Men!

* Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, oh, yeah *

Big Freedia!

Uh-huh, Jordin Sparks!

* Yeah, yeah *

And Naughty By Nature!

"House Party" is a great example of the difference between

being in the New Kids then and being in the New Kids now.

* 'Cause we've waited long enough *

We take what we do seriously,

but we don't take ourselves that serious.

-* Let's get it started * -Oh, oh!

* 'Cause we've waited long enough *

The New Kids are now mature men

with families and kids of their own,

just like their fans who have grown up right alongside them.

You got the grandmothers, the moms, the kids.

Now it's a 3-generational experience.

-* Here we go * -* Ah-ah-ah, oh, oh *

* Here we go, house party *

It's one of the ways we've evolved from our younger days

in that we just have fun.

This time around, we know who we are,

and I think that makes us much more relatable.

* Can you feel the love? *

* Gonna party all night long *

* Come on, stay home *

***

The New Kids on the Block started their journey together

on the working class streets of Boston.

Donnie, Danny, Jordan, and Jonathan all grew up

in the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Dorchester.

We were all friends since elementary school.

We were kinda all in the same classes.

That's when I met the Knight brothers,

and me and Donnie had already known each other a little bit,

but we were little kids.

We all grew up poor. We all couldn't heat our homes.

We all wondered where our next meal was coming from.

***

My younger, younger years were incredibly turbulent.

To grow up in a house with nine kids,

drugs and alcohol all over the place,

music was just my salvation.

It was a place where I could go and not just escape

but actually to bring people together

and create a happier environment.

***

In the '70s and '80s, Boston schools

were actively desegregating their campuses.

So the boys were bussed to a racially diverse school

in the town of Roxbury.

Not a lot of white kids were exposed

to different ethnicities in Boston, and we were.

And we were with kids of all races,

learning to love and respect and admire our differences.

Because of their experiences,

the guys were exposed to cultural influences

that would shape their musical futures.

Where the party people at, y'all?

* We want the funk, come on *

-* Give up the funk * -Just get up off your ass now.

-* We need the funk * -It's that time now.

* Gotta have the funk *

I would get to school and hear Parliament-Funkadelic

or you name it,

and it was always different types of music around.

NEWCLEUS: * Jam on it, jam on and on, on and on it *

* And if you feeling like you wanna dance all night *

* Then go on ahead and flaunt it *

That's when I started popping

and breakdancing and stuff like that.

Me and Jordan, before we were in the group together,

we used to battle each other in different breakdancing groups.

* Jam on it, jam on it, jam on it *

On my 13th birthday,

I went in to buy my first album.

I ended up being torn between two albums--

New Edition and Jonzun Crew.

And so I was trying to decide,

and as I started to read through, like, the liner notes

and stuff, or the credits,

I noticed this Maurice Starr's name was on both albums.

* Candy girl *

* You are my world *

In 1983, local music producer Maurice Starr

launched the boyband, New Edition.

* Candy girl *

* All I want to say *

They had become a massive success

and the pride of Boston.

Everyone in Boston knew who New Edition was.

They had that big hit, "Candy Girl,"

and it was like the biggest thing ever.

But after an ugly split, New Edition left Maurice

and his small record label.

It was very hurtful.

I quit the business for about two weeks,

and I said to myself after two weeks that I...

I'm not a quitter, so let's get up and get this thing going.

Now I'm gonna put five young white kids together.

With the help of manager Mary Alford,

Maurice began looking for the perfect group of white kids

who could sing, dance, and rap.

Mary Alford lived next to one of my friends.

We went over to Maurice's house.

He walked in the room, and he's limping around,

using a broomstick for a crutch.

He said, uh, "You Donnie?" I was like, "Yeah."

He said, "I heard you were good."

I said, "Okay." He said, "I'm gonna make you a star."

And I looked at the broomstick. [chuckles]

And I said, "Uh, we'll see about that."

15-year-old Donnie signed on as the first member

of Maurice's new band with his 13-year-old brother Mark.

We started taking singing lessons,

and I would play the drums.

I got fully immersed in the studio life,

and Mark didn't.

I was walking the straight and narrow path,

and he was trying everything under the sun--

drugs, alcohol, you name it.

Slowly, Mark started to drift away and, you know,

one day, he said, "I'm not-- I'm not gonna do it anymore.

I'm gonna quit."

Maurice said, "What do you wanna do?

Do you wanna stop, or do you wanna keep going?"

And I said, "I wanna do this. This is what I'm meant to do."

And he said, "Okay, then it's me and you, kid."

***

With Mark out of the group, Maurice and Donnie

struggled to find other local teens

who could pull it off.

Trying to find five white kids

doing what I was doing was not gonna be easy.

The talent pool was very shallow,

but I had some people in mind.

Donnie gave me a call about, um, joining this group.

So he was like, "There's this guy, um, Maurice Starr.

He produced New Edition.

But he wants, uh, like, us to be famous, you know?"

And I was like, wow.

***

Donnie was always talking to me about it,

and it just, you know, it sounded like a fantasy.

And I was like, "I don't know."

He was just like, "Come on, man.

You got nothin' to lose. Just come and audition."

Maurice agreed to audition

a few of Donnie's friends from school,

and the group began to take shape.

I sang for him a little bit, and he was like,

"Uh, yeah, I think you could work, man.

I think you could work."

I went back home and, uh, I tell my brother Jon--

I was like, "I just went to an audition with Donnie,

and, uh, uh, the guy said

we can be, like, famous like New Edition,"

and Jon was like, "Huh?"

He was like, "Why didn't you bring me?"

I was jealous and kinda like, "Wait a minute.

You're not gonna leave me behind."

I told him about my brother,

and Maurice loved the idea of brothers,

you know, because of, like, the Osmond Brothers

and The Jackson 5.

But they were missing the final piece of the puzzle.

Enter 12-year-old Joey McIntyre,

who came from a different part of town.

We went on a hunt

for a Michael Jackson-sounding young white kid,

which is probably the hardest thing in the world to do,

'cause they don't produce many of those, you know?

* Baby, you are the best thing in my life *

I had done a bunch of shows and loved to perform,

and I guess I had a bit of a reputation

around my hometown, and I happened to fit the bill.

Maurice named the newly assembled group NYNUK.

MAN: [amplified voice] Let's hear it for...NYNUK!

[girls screaming]

NYNUK. That was completely Maurice's concept.

We all hated it from the start.

[laughs] Oh, my goodness.

The dumbest name ever-- NYNUK.

People were like, "Na-nook," "Na-nuke,"

but no one could say the name right,

and I don't know where he got it from.

* One, two, three, in the place to be... *

NYNUK began performing R&B music

in and around Boston.

The boys worked tirelessly to make a name for themselves.

We were performing in front of all-Black audiences,

so that's kind of the route we thought we were going.

* We know you heard this beat many, many times *

* But bet you never heard it with such a vicious rhyme *

The plan was Black audiences will be surprised

when they see it's white guys, and they will accept them,

and we will be a famous R&B act.

* So let me introduce you to the rest of the crew *

Joe...

-[audience cheering] -Popeye.

-[cheering] -Danny.

-[girl screaming] -GQ!

Each show was like a monumental event.

It was a constant battle for us to prove ourselves.

* And we're here to stay *

[laughs]

We were very young. We were very unpolished,

but boy, you saw the grit. [laughs]

We were determined.

The odds were stacked against us.

We were just trying to find our way

to learn how to win the crowd over.

***

We just wanted to perform and continue to get better.

So we didn't really care where it was

or what it was-- anywhere we could get a show.

We did talent shows.

We did backyard birthday parties.

Roller skating rinks. Churches.

We performed in--in a jail.

We performed at a few jails.

I mean, Donnie's brother was there,

so we got to visit with him, too, while performing.

So that was... [laughs] cool.

Sounds weird, but, like, the shows actually were great.

We really loved what we were doing

and just kept pushing forward,

and, you know, with hard work comes success.

In 1985, while still in high school,

the band began playing bigger venues

and started pushing for a record deal.

Maurice started calling in favors,

"You know, I got this new group. They're the white New Edition.

They're gonna be the biggest thing."

But they didn't wanna hear it. They told me

to get out of the building, don't come back.

So I said hmm, let me go, instead of

through the back door, through the Black door.

["New Kids on the Block" intro playing]

So I got this guy, Larkin Arnold, to listen to me.

He said, "I don't like that-- that name, NYNUK."

He said, "Would you mind changing it

to 'New Kids on the Block' since y'all got a song called that?"

* We're the New Kids on the Block *

* On the block *

It was just natural. It was perfect for us.

-[intro to "Be My Girl" playing] -Signed to Columbia Records'

R&B division,

the New Kids on the Block released

their self-titled debut album in the spring of 1986,

featuring the single "Be My Girl."

* Be my girl *

We were in high school.

Who else in the school got a record album?

This is kinda cool.

If we make a little money, I could get a scooter

and ride around the city. That'd be awesome.

But the album made little impact on the charts,

and the execs at Columbia quickly lost interest.

From the record company was like,

"Uh, what are we wasting our time on this group

that makes no sense?"

The record company was like,

"I think we're gonna cut 'em off the label."

And we were like... [clicks teeth]

"We gotta keep going. We gotta keep going."

[intro to "Hangin' Tough" playing]

* Whoa-oh, oh, oh, oh *

Given one more chance,

the guys took matters into their own hands.

* Everybody's always talkin' 'bout who's on top *

And in the spring of 1987,

the group began working on a new album,

appropriately titled "Hangin' Tough."

* Hangin' tough *

* Hangin' tough *

* Hangin' tough *

***

* Are you tough enough? *

The second album had a little more grown-up sound.

It was stuff we were listening to.

You know, it's gotta be organic.

We were more creatively involved.

* Just hangin' tough, oh, oh *

Maurice--he'd seen us all

starting to come up with dance steps,

different styles and the way we dressed,

how we should present ourselves, what music we should be doing,

and he'd step back a little bit, and he goes,

"I could learn something from these guys."

* Please don't go, girl *

* You would ruin my whole world *

In April of 1988,

the boys had hit their late teens

when the first single from the new album was released.

* I love you *

[whisper] * I love you *

* I guess I... *

But "Please Don't Go Girl" didn't make the impact

on the R&B charts the band had hoped for.

* Girl *

We were an R&B act.

We were being marketed to Black radio only.

We did a video, and it went to BET.

I could see, yeah, trying to cross over after you go pop,

but they were trying to go Black first with these white kids.

That strategy ultimately was not working.

* Love you *

Even though we put all this time and hard work into this,

it looked like we just didn't know it was gonna happen.

Later that summer,

the New Kids' luck began to change.

One pop radio DJ in Florida played "Please Don't Go Girl"

on a pop radio station.

The phones lit up.

They called the radio people at Sony, at CBS,

and they were like, "You got a hit. You got a hit.

It's a pop record."

The song eventually rose to number 10 on the pop charts

and became the New Kids' first commercial hit.

If the guy in Florida would have not played that record,

there's no telling what would have happened.

Looking back, it's kinda funny that it just...

happened by accident.

As the New Kids gained exposure,

they got the chance of a lifetime--

an audition for 16-year-old pop queen Tiffany

as the opening act on her national tour.

They popped into my dressing room,

and they started doing all the... * Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh *

And I was like, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes."

I don't have an opening act.

Literally that night I put them onstage.

Who doesn't like five hot guys doing their thing

with great music and being as charismatic as they are?

It was exciting and scary at the same time.

I mean, here we are, getting on a bus.

Our parents don't know where we are.

There was not cellphones back then,

so it was, you know, "I'll call you at the hotel"

or something like that.

It was an amazing night that night to get on a tour bus.

That was somethin' we could never imagine.

-* Whoa-oh, oh, oh, oh * -Yes!

This is a New Kids on the Block party,

and you're all invited.

The tour with Tiffany got the New Kids noticed

by a fresh group of fans,

and the boys were loving every minute of it.

* Just get on the floor and do the New Kids dance *

It just grew from that point on.

I would peek out and watch their set

before I would go out onstage, and you know,

it was already crazy.

The girls were screaming and crying.

* Hangin' tough *

-* Yeah * -* Hangin' tough *

So, yes, I had a little bit of a feeling in my heart

that this was gonna be big.

* Hangin' tough *

[song ends, fans screaming]

Are we gonna be on the cover of "People"?

-Uh... -No.

-Soon. -[laughter]

ANNOUNCER: Let's hear it f-f-f-f-f-for the New Kids...

on...the Block! -["My Favorite Girl" playing]

We were playing every night

in front of an audience that was made for us,

that no one really ever thought about, Maurice included.

* Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh *

* Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh *

* The right stuff, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh *

NARRATOR: Anchored by the hit single

"You Got It (The Right Stuff),"

the New Kids on the Block had arrived.

* The right stuff *

* First kiss was the sweet kiss *

* Second kiss had a twist *

* Third and your fourth kiss *

* I don't wanna miss *

By the summer of 1989,

the New Kids toured with Tiffany again...

All right, what's it gonna be?

New Kids on the Block or Tiffany?

...only this time, because of their overwhelming popularity,

they became the headliners.

By the following summer, I was opening up for them.

The girls had just fallen in love with their music,

fallen in love with them, and I'm kind of in the way.

[laughs]

-[screaming] -* All that I needed was you *

* In my life, you're so right *

[screaming]

It's like I remember getting onstage,

and the first, like, three songs,

you couldn't see anything 'cause all the flashes...

[imitates camera shutters snapping]

You know, it-- it was just blinding.

And the screams, it's like,

I don't--I don't even know if the girls even heard the music,

heard anything we said for the first three songs

'cause they were so loud.

-[screaming] -* The right stuff *

* You got the right stuff *

* Baby *

* Love the way you turn me on *

[screaming continues]

New Kids on the Block! [screaming]

This is your second album, and I just wanna know what--

what changes are there from the debut album?

It's us. It's not--the other one wasn't too much us,

and this is us. -This is more real for us.

I mean, this is where we come from.

"Hangin' Tough" was

the commercial phenomenon of 1989,

spawning five top 10 hits

and selling over 8 million copies.

Almost overnight,

the boys from Boston became superstars.

[screaming]

We'd be bored, you know, in some town at the hotel.

"Let's go to the mall."

If you went by yourself, you never had a problem.

If you have, you know, two of us, it gets bigger,

and then if a third person comes along, you're done.

[screaming]

They were scratching and ripping my clothes off

and yelling in my face.

There was risk of serious bodily injury back then.

You think little girls aren't strong. They're very strong.

People knew where I lived. They'd be at my house,

and my mom's in the kitchen with, like, 10 fans,

just feeding them cookies.

Once the fuse was lit, the fuse was it.

It was going, and it was going big.

There was no stopping.

[screaming]

It was, like, really over the top,

the adulation, the excitement,

and it was like, what are we getting into? [laughs]

On June 5, 1990, the New Kids released

their third album, "Step by Step."

* Step by step *

The title track raced to the top of the charts.

It was the New Kids' best-selling single to date,

launching them into international superstars.

* Step by step, err...ah! *

"Step by Step" around the world

sold about 6 million-plus records,

just that song, that single.

* Step by step *

* Ooh, baby *

Now for just two weeks, they've got the number one album

in the country, the number one single,

and the hottest video in the country, too.

* Call it what you want, baby *

***

* Girl, I call it love *

Their popularity was now at an all-time high.

You know, as a teenager,

there's no preparation for that level of fame.

New Kids on the Block! [screaming]

Five guys, boyband, they're a massive success.

But when you can't, you know, get up and go to the pool,

or you can't go to the gym,

and as soon as you walk out the hotel, there's, "Aah!"

all these girls, it's a lot. It really is a lot.

[hysterical screaming]

They would knock at-- on your door,

2 in the morning, and they'd have, like,

stuff written on their face like, "I love Joe."

So they knew where we were at, and, um,

we came up to our floor, and it was all five of us.

And the door opened,

and some girl was standing there like this

in front of the elevator, and she went...

DANNY: * Never gonna fall in love again *

Boom! [laughs] And she just-- she just fainted. She was okay.

["I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" intro playing]

NARRATOR: While most of the guys were enjoying

the fandom of screaming girls,

Jonathan Knight was struggling in secret.

JORDAN: * I'm not that kinda guy *

* Who can take a broken heart *

Nobody knew I was gay.

The '80s were crazy for all gay people.

Everything was just so behind closed doors.

* Just as long as you want me to... *

* Be *

I remember, you know, one night going to our manager

and just saying, "I'm gay. Like, what...like, help."

Um, and his reply... [laughs] was, "You can't tell anybody.

You can't tell the guys. You-- Like, this cannot get out,

or you're just gonna have all this come crashing down."

***

Jonathan pushed on,

playing the role of a teenage heartthrob.

You date the good Catholic girls,

and then you don't have to sleep with them.

* I think we're alone now *

He even dated Tiffany.

* Anyone around *

Jon Knight and I were boyfriend and girlfriend

for about a little over two and a half years.

Tiffany--she's gonna kill me. It was--It was--She knows now.

-It started out really innocent. -Kinda innocent.

Just, we were just friends.

It was a really good friendship.

There was nothing ever dirty about it.

It was great. She's-- She's an awesome person.

He is my heart. I still love him dearly,

and he was a great first boyfriend.

As a person, I really, you know, got him.

What makes you the most nervous?

Girls that I like make me nervous.

-Really? -Like, that I really like.

Yeah, I get nervous with girls, too.

***

Pressured by fame to maintain his pop star image,

Jonathan also chose to hide his sexuality

from the other New Kids.

I never really felt that I would be rejected by them.

I never felt I'd be rejected by my family.

It was the business aspect of it that really was, like,

you need to keep shut.

You need to not be seen going out to clubs,

and you know, at such a young age,

that's a lot of stress to put on one person.

I can imagine the pressure of, like, holy shit,

I'm in, like, a...a boyband.

-[fans screaming in distance] -Oh, God.

"Girls were supposed to love us, and here I am. I'm gay."

It must have been... really difficult.

I never knew anything.

I mean, we were boyfriend and girlfriend.

We never really talked about anything like that.

DONNIE: We just didn't know what he was dealing with,

how much it was impacting him.

It was hard to tune into it

because we were all feeling different pressures ourselves.

[screaming]

You know, there was always 150 to 200 kids

in front of my house just waiting for us to show up.

We each had our struggles with it

'cause we did want to still live

normal lives when we weren't working.

I continued to wanna go home and hang out on the corner

like any 16-year-old kid, and that wasn't a possibility.

***

For years, there was no escaping the spotlight

for any of the New Kids.

With over 150 products in the marketplace,

their faces were literally everywhere.

That's when it started to become like a machine.

You walk into a store and there was, you know, marbles and...

-Lunchboxes. -The bed sheets.

-New Kids on the Block cereal. -Playing cards and...

Cartoon.

***

The whole merchandise side of things got out of control.

I never thought it was too much product out.

I was sitting back thanking God

that these millions were flowing in.

It happened so fast, it was like a huge snowball

going down the hill. We just couldn't stop it.

It wasn't exactly the way we wanted things to go.

And you walk into a toy store,

and there's these stuffed animal dolls of you sitting there.

But we were so young. It was so hard to, like, know, really,

what you could take control of and really what you could say.

By the time we--

we said, okay, we gotta start controlling this thing,

it was too late.

We were just grinding and grinding and grinding,

just 'cause our business manager's, like,

"You're gonna make money here. You're gonna make money there."

And it was just like... [groaning] ugh.

And our spirits weren't being refreshed.

Yeah, we're gonna send this one out

to all those nonbelievers out there

who've been trying to put us down and keep us down

for the past five years.

JORDAN: * We don't need your games *

-By the end of 1990... -We ain't going out like that.

...as the New Kids released a hip hop-infused remix album

of their biggest hits, they had earned

an astonishing $115 million in that year alone,

beating out icons like Michael Jackson and Madonna.

* Somebody said somebody *

* Worked too hard *

When you're told you're a millionaire,

and you're like, 21, 20, you know, and like,

yeah, it was exciting.

* Somebody said everybody's *

* Gonna wait and see *

* What's gonna be is gonna be *

No, I'll never forget our financial advisor--

he advised us to take care of our parents

and then put the rest in the bank.

That was the kind of advice we were getting early on,

so that kinda has stuck with us.

-JORDAN: * Yeah * -DONNIE: Peace!

***

How many people can say they retired their mom

when they were 19, 20 years old?

All the hard work she did through all those years,

working nights, cleaning floors, you know,

taking any job she could

to help keep our family afloat and raise nine kids, um...

***

You know, um...

***

How can I complain about missing out on what typical

"teenage life" is when I was able to take care of my mom?

[fans screaming, "The Right Stuff" intro plays]

That same year they launched

their most extravagant live show to date--

the "Magic Summer" tour.

We're huge. We got all the cash in the world now to spend.

Coca-Cola's sponsoring it. It's in stadiums.

The sold-out stadiums brought big-time status to the New Kids,

but even though they were filling seats,

their inspiration onstage was fading.

* Worked too hard *

We were so disconnected from the audience.

I mean, there were people, like, a mile away,

way, way up high, and it just-- it was awful.

-[fans screaming] -JORDAN: * Yeah *

I think there is such a thing as being too popular,

and I really think that that's what happened to us.

[loud screaming]

By 1991, the New Kids on the Block

were one of the biggest acts in the world.

Their fans worshiped them,

but music critics weren't impressed.

Back in the day, we took a lot of hits

for singing bubblegum songs,

not really adding anything to the music world

except for a bunch of screaming girls.

Donnie really was the one that took it really personally

and made it his mission to lash back at these people.

I don't know how much you guys really care at this point

about critical acceptance.

I mean, I think everyone in the world

cares about how people feel about them.

Billy Idol makes a lot of jokes about us.

To me, I just don't understand why a 40-year-old man

would spend so much energy on us.

"Step By Step" was a failure? It sold 5 million copies.

What--What kind of failure is that?

When I was 21 years old, I was mad at the criticism.

When I was 38 in the original "Behind the Music,"

I was...trying to explain why I was mad about the criticism.

The criticism was just overwhelming to me.

I really didn't have the makeup to ignore it.

You know, I don't think he was wired

to handle it any differently.

He grew up in Dorchester. It was a tough neighborhood.

You know, I'm 51 now, and I love the criticism anyway now.

You know, it's like that's where I'm at.

I don't hear criticism.

Donnie's image as a bad boy was fueled even more

in March 1991 when he was arrested

for allegedly setting a hotel room on fire.

To give us a day off in Louisville, Kentucky,

is a mistake.

There's nothing to do there, so, like,

Donnie just sprayed

the fire extinguisher in his room,

and it was just a prank 'cause he was bored.

He's covered in white powder, his whole room, him.

I didn't light a fire. I didn't do any such thing.

In fact, I did the opposite of light a fire.

But the press reported a different story.

MALE REPORTER: Investigators say it happened around 2 a.m.

Is this thing being blown out of proportion?

Yes, sir, very much so.

NARRATOR: The charges were eventually dropped,

but for the New Kids, the story became legend.

MALE REPORTER: Judge Jim Green did not let Wahlberg go

without getting an autograph

and telling the pop singer to be careful.

I always felt trapped in hotels.

I always would do mischievous things,

just because I was bored and frustrated in hotels.

That I couldn't go out and do everyday stuff

doesn't mean I have the right to, like,

leave my hotel room like a trash heap.

In some ways, it had to happen for me to grow up a little bit.

Say, oh, oh!

NARRATOR: Donnie's badass attitude

ignited a spark in the New Kids' spirit,

when a relentless touring schedule began to smother them.

You know, there was a time where they were just pushing us,

pushing us, pushing us.

We were so hot,

so blazing hot that we had no time.

We would end a tour. They'd think of a new name

for another tour and just throw us back out there again.

***

We were going just so fast.

We were working 362 days of the year.

When we would come off tour, I wouldn't go home.

I would go to Boston and check into a hotel

and not tell anybody just so I could sit in silence

and just, you know, be still.

That's what I don't understand about fame and all that stuff.

You get all this fame and all this money,

and then you can't enjoy it.

After nearly four years of constant touring,

conflicts began to arise among friends.

You start to get on each other's nerves.

I think we've all thrown blows at each other.

It was such a humongous thing for--for a long period of time

and at such intensity that, you know,

something had to give.

There'd be times where we'd walk down a hotel hallway,

and like ships in the night, not even say anything.

We didn't have the coping skills

and the patience to understand each other

and--and show support.

By 1993, growing conflict between the guys

was not the only tension within the New Kids' camp.

After nearly a decade together,

the band began to feel like producer Maurice Starr

was taking credit for their success.

You know, pick up a magazine and see him saying

"Oh, they don't have to have talent.

They just need someone like me." You know?

And the things he was saying,

you know, just was not true and not cool.

But we love him. We wouldn't be here without him.

We all made mistakes back then.

Maurice is our brother, and that'll never change.

I think he went through a phase, you know?

We were getting a lot of attention.

You know, he wanted to be known as, you know,

the guy that-- that did it all.

No, I didn't do it all.

If those guys did not have the energy,

if those guys did not have the talent,

if those guys didn't have what it took,

none of this would've never happened.

***

Now in their 20s and no longer kids,

in 1994, the renamed "NKOTB" released their fifth album,

"Face the Music."

***

We wanted to reinvent ourselves.

We had just left being signed to Maurice Starr,

so we were kinda free.

Like, we were grown up. We're changing our name,

and we're gonna do things more how we wanna do it.

It took us, like, two years to put that record together.

It was too long. It was a struggle to get the songs

and just who were we working with.

***

It didn't have the same feeling

as when we had released other stuff.

The writing was kinda already on the wall,

like things were changing a bit in the music business.

The band's mix of a new producer,

new music, and a new name was not a winning combination.

As their fans aged into the grunge era

of Nirvana and Pearl Jam,

"Face the Music" sold less than 150,000 copies.

People were becoming so anti-pop.

You know, I felt that. I felt that coming.

Um...I was like, I-I put in my time.

This is as far as it's gonna go.

Um, it--it's time to move on.

With the pressure of launching yet another tour,

Jonathan questioned whether

he wanted to be a part of the group at all.

He'd been hiding his sexuality

and struggling with anxiety for years.

I had a secret to hide, and, you know,

by me leaving the group, maybe would set me free,

and I could just go live my life.

For Jon, he didn't decide to leave.

He wasn't in, and it was back and forth.

He's in. He's out. He's in. He's out.

So we decided to have a vote.

And we said, "All in favor of Jon being out of the band,

raise your hand."

And three hands went up,

and Jordan said, "Majority rules."

The day that they got on the bus and left

was, like, just--that was-- it killed me, you know?

'Cause I just--I felt like I let them down so bad.

You know, there's a million ways you could tell the story

of why we broke up, and, oh, Jon left.

Like, Jon didn't leave. The energy left. We all left.

* If you go away *

* If you go away, girl *

* You're taking my heart with you *

* If you go away *

Danny, Donnie, Jordan, and Joe soldiered on, but not for long.

They soon canceled the rest of the tour.

And in June of 1994,

their epic journey officially came to an end.

* I promise you the world *

You know, the fans weren't there.

The demand wasn't there.

The desire to go for another few years wasn't there.

[intro to "Tonight" playing]

* Remember when we said, "Girl, please don't go"? *

After breaking up, the New Kids went

their separate ways into new chapters of their lives.

* For-eh-eh-eh-ever *

But each of them struggled as they transitioned

from teenage superstars to aimless adults.

That's really when it smacked me in my face

that here I am, 25 years old, no career.

I have no plans

for what I'm gonna do with the rest of my life.

So I went into a really deep depression at that time.

It was like a big hangover.

You know, I was a little depressed because, you know,

working and being creative is what builds self-esteem,

so when that goes away, it's hard to handle.

I wanted to go and become Donnie Wahlberg.

You know, I wanted to go do all these different things

and be my own man.

I wanted to just grow into myself.

When you're in a group, you kinda have to fit in,

and you can't fully be yourself.

Every decision can be yours now.

I think the difficult thing was we weren't together as a group,

but there was still that love/hate for us out there,

so, you know, you still get the jealous guys

yelling somethin' at you across the street or somethin',

and, okay, man, we were-- we went away now.

So you can, uh, stop yelling at me.

As they adapted to their new lives out of the spotlight,

the guys gradually began to find themselves.

I said, okay, this year, I'm gonna figure out

how to make $50,000, and that was my goal.

A friend of mine called me,

saying, "Do you wanna flip a house?"

We did maybe two houses our first year

and just kept building on it.

While Jonathan left entertainment behind,

Danny, Jordan, and Joey all went on

to release solo albums.

Donnie found himself in an entirely new career

as an actor.

After breakthrough roles in "Ransom"

and "The Sixth Sense,"

Donnie immersed himself in his acting career for years.

* Stop, stop, let me take a mental shot *

I heard the song "Click Click Click"

and played it for Jordan and Joey and Danny

and got the reaction that I had hoped for.

I loved it, and that was kinda the spark to

get us back in the studio and, you know,

get the ball rolling.

* Click, click, click *

I just could picture us singing it.

It was what we were looking for.

We're grown men, wanting to show that different side of us,

and it just-- the song suited that.

JORDAN: * My camera loves... you are fashion *

"Click Click Click" was the one that really stood out to me

as something that, um, could be a launch of our sound,

our new sound.

When you're listening and you get the chills,

you get back in the studio, and that kinda stuff is,

you know, what it's all about.

* And, girl *

Honestly, I felt enough time had passed

for that kind of, uh, stigma to fade away and go...

"Where's the New Kids?"

You know, I definitely never thought

anywhere along the way that we would get back together.

It had been 15 years

since the New Kids had recorded together,

and not everyone was convinced it would work.

There was a conversation early on in the reunion of,

you know, was Jon gonna stay in the band?

Jonathan was unsure if he would still be crippled

by the same anxiety that plagued him while performing.

It was a big decision to go back and just lots of discussions

of what it's gonna be like and how it's gonna work.

And eventually, I felt comfortable enough.

Like, we were grown up,

and we're gonna do things more how we wanna do it.

And I was like...let's go.

[intro to "Summertime" playing]

JOE: * It's now or never *

In early 2008, the five guys, now in their mid to late 30s,

assembled for their first recording session

together since 1993.

Spiffy! Look who else is spiffy today!

-Whoa! -What's up?

That first time was really awkward.

-How you doing? -How's it going?

You can tell. I'm hugging Joe, but it's like

"Hey, I don't know you no more, man."

[laughter]

I haven't seen Donnie

in probably 10 years.

I probably haven't seen Danny

maybe once or twice in the last 14 years.

And Joe-- I've probably seen him once.

I mean, I didn't know what to expect.

* Girl, you can bring your crew *

Yo, yo!

* And I can bring mine, too *

You didn't own it, Joe! You fucked it up!

I couldn't, I couldn't, I couldn't.

You fucked it up, man. What's up, dude?

There's nothing like getting back in the studio

with the guys, you know, that first time

and cutting vocals and hearing our, you know, vocals together.

We have our own sound,

and--and that's-- that's pretty cool.

It took a little bit to, like, get back into that comfort zone

and to kinda realize, you know, we've grown up,

but kinda everyone's personalities

are still the same.

-[laughs] -All right, guys.

-All right. -Our first step together...

in 15 [bleep]damn years.

-Right. -Uhh.

-[laughter] -But your foot didn't tap.

-Lookin' just like the old days! -I got two left feet!

DONNIE: * Turn it up now *

["Dirty Dancing" playing]

As the New Kids prepared to announce the reunion...

To be back after all that time in a rehearsal studio,

dancing again together, it gave me chills.

...they wondered if their fans would also return.

We came back hard.

We worked.

[applause]

Some of those old fights still had residue on our reunion,

but I went to a lot of therapy,

and I remember really using a lot of the lessons I'd learned

in the band--listening better, talking less.

Do we really wanna take this picture right now?

Before that first snap, we could all walk away.

[laughter]

To be fair, I definitely was dipping my toe in the waters,

check the temperature of the water.

But I didn't care. I didn't...

have any fear that it wasn't going to work.

On three.

On three, "NYNUK." One, two, three.

ALL: NYNUK!

-September 2nd. The Deluxe. -Check this out.

Ah.

In September of 2008,

15 years since their last album together,

the New Kids released "The Block"

and launched a national tour.

* If you ain't got no money, if you ain't got no money *

We had this lift at the back of the stage.

-It just lifted us up. -[fans screaming loudly]

The sound was... it was deafening.

It--It sounded like a 747. It was out of control.

* Everybody in the club right now *

* Just tell the DJ to turn it loud *

* Dedicate, man, your favorite song *

* Single ladies, you can't go wrong *

I'd never felt that in all our years.

There was history in those screams.

* Don't matter, 'cause you're here now *

* And the music you're enjoying *

It was... [laughs]

...the most amazing feeling I have ever felt in my life.

It was...it just...whoa.

Back in that moment. It was...Yeah.

It was just so-- It was so special.

* Until the song goes off *

It was immediately apparent that their fans had gone nowhere.

We just wanna thank all of you for all the love

over all the years.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

This one is for y'all.

* I'm not that kinda guy *

Everybody has a child inside. Everybody has an inner teenager.

We get a little older,

but the feelings never, ever die.

And that's what we represent to our fans.

* Now let me hear you say *

FANS: * I'll be loving you forever *

Whoo!

The boys were blown away by the emotion they felt

being onstage together again.

It was a much, much deeper connection.

It was a much deeper understanding

of how important we were to each other.

We all really needed each other again.

* You, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh *

It's pretty amazing. It really is.

I was comfortable with myself,

and here I am back with these four guys

that have been in my life since I was a kid.

[fans screaming]

Over the years, Jonathan had grown more comfortable

with his sexuality.

His family and the band knew he was gay,

but he hadn't made a point of revealing it to the public

until 2009 when the tabloid press threatened to out him.

I was dating my husband then,

and I got a call from my publicist.

She said that an ex of yours is about to release pictures

to the "National Enquirer."

***

And it just got to be like, enough is enough.

Jonathan decided to release a public statement

revealing he was gay.

The fans totally accepted it, and we just thought,

it makes the group better. It makes the group...richer.

One of the truly special things for me is watching him

take ownership of who he is and being at peace with that,

not just as a gay man but as a performer.

I started to realize early on

in the second incarnation of the band

that the fans saw themselves more in Jon than in any of us.

TIFFANY: It's never changed how I look at him.

People were like, "How do you feel?"

I'm like, how do I feel about what?

That my friend is gay?

I feel he's fabulous. That's how I feel. End of story.

[laughs]

Just made me so happy how far society has come

to realize, you know, everybody's the same.

We're just a little different.

***

Jonathan is now married.

Rainbow!

Cheetahs.

Rainbow...cats?

And all of the New Kids have grown into family men.

Jordan and Joey also married and had kids.

Danny is a grandfather,

and Donnie found the love of his life

when he married actress Jenny McCarthy.

I now pronounce you to be husband and wife.

Donnie, you may now kiss your bride.

[laughter]

My journey with Jenny is in some ways similar

to my journey through music.

Every day, I woke up thinking about the band,

thinking about moving it forward.

It was part of who I was,

and the same thing happened with Jenny.

***

[intro to "The Right Stuff" playing, fans screaming]

That wisdom and mature outlook has allowed the New Kids

to defy the odds a second time around.

To date, their reunion tours

have grossed more than $250 million

and given them the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream.

* Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh *

* Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh *

There are no words to describe playing Fenway Park.

It's sacred ground, so to play a concert there

is beyond, really, the scope of what the mind can imagine.

* First time was a great time *

* Second time was a blast *

* Third time I fell in love *

* Now I hope it lasts *

* You got the right stuff, ha *

For five guys that grew up in that city,

rooting for the Red Sox,

it doesn't get any bigger or better than that.

Also as adults, the New Kids redefined their relationship

with their fans.

And their annual NKOTB cruise

is one of their favorite ways to connect.

Every cruise, every song, every single opportunity

to connect with the fans is an opportunity

to bring happiness, not just to them but to me.

* You're still my '80s girl *

It's the best time ever. I mean, a lot has changed,

just our personal relationship with fans.

You could talk to people and ask them

normal, grown-up questions

instead of them just, you know,

reaching out to rip your hair out.

TIFFANY: * It's like we never even left at all *

We've all just grown and matured

and have learned, I think, to stay very present

and stay very grateful.

My connection with our fans and being part of this band,

it's why I'm on this planet,

is to be part of this experience and part of this love.

[intro to "Thankful" playing]

Now well into their 40s and 50s,

the New Kids are far from old men,

but they are wise enough to strike the right balance

between their careers and their personal lives.

I would do anything for any guy in the group

and have so much respect and love for them.

I just--I feel lucky just to have them in my life.

I think we can keep doing what we're doing,

uh, you know, as long as the fun is there,

as long as the spirit's there,

as long as the camaraderie is there.

DONNIE: * I saw a flicker of light in the darkness *

I think with maturity,

you learn to focus on what's important.

Doing this again and continuing to do this with family,

of course it changes everything.

JORDAN: * And when there's no one around *

* I know I'm not alone, baby *

These are my four brothers. It's a massive gift,

and I wring every drip out of it.

I hope we all continue doing things in life that we love.

It's just the best thing in the world.

DONNIE: * Oh, whoa *

JORDAN: * Baby, 'cause you *

-* You're holding me up * -DONNIE: * Yes, you do *

JORDAN: * You're holding me up, and I am thankful *

DONNIE: * And I am thankful *

JORDAN: * You're more than enough *

* You're more than enough *

You know, from the time we were little boys till now as men,

we got each other's back,

and we're never walking out there alone.

* Because of you *

* I am thankful, I am thankful *

DONNIE: * Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh-oh *

I fully expect Jon and Jordan and Danny and Joey

to be in my life forever.

JORDAN: * I am thankful, thankful, thankful *

DONNIE: [whispers] I'm so thankful.

JORDAN: * I am thankful, thankful, thankful, thankful *

[fans screaming]

* Second time was a blast *

* Third time I fell in love, now I hope it lasts *

* You got the right stuff, ha *

-DONNIE: Oh! -* Baby *

* Love the way you turn me on *

Ha!

* You got the right stuff *

-DONNIE: Hey! -JORDAN: * Baby *

* You're the reason why I sing this song *

* Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh *

* Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh *