Has your child ever said “hey” or “sit down” while you were saying something? Or called you “hey” 50 times a day? You’re not alone.
We’re joined by pop icon Joey Fatone! The NSYNC member strives to stay on top of all the new slang for the younger generation and is helping us all do the same through his partnership with Great Clips.
So, without any “embarrassment,” let’s dive into this new language with Fatone and Great Clips at the forefront.
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Joey Fatone is trying to catch up with Gen-Z slang!
Great clip
Through her partnership with Great Clips, Fatone is learning all the cool new slang words she needs to keep up with her conversations with her 14-year-old daughter, Kloey. Knowing she’s not the only parent who gets lost in the slang-filled conversations, Fatone is looking to help educate us parents with the help of Great Clips and their student slang translator and online curriculum.
“When we were younger, there were words like ‘dope,’ ‘mint,’ ‘rad,’ and things like that that we can’t say anymore. Things we used to say that were politically incorrect, but still, they were our slang,” Fatone exclusively told The Blast. “And now you hear things like ‘ate,’ ‘bruh,’ ‘no cap,’ ‘caught in 4K,’ and things like that. I don’t even know the definition.”
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When Great Clips approached Fatone about partnering to help educate parents about the new slang, he was all for it.
Being a father to two kids, ages 23 and 14, means staying on top of all the new vocabulary you can. And with the Great Clips Student Slang Translators, a group of popular teacher influencers, and a slang dictionary for parents to refer to, keeping up with the younger generation’s language won’t be too difficult.
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Joey Fatone is having fun learning all these new slang terms!
As new slang appears frequently, Fatone rarely uses slang in conversation, but sometimes likes to use slang in an intentionally incorrect way for fun.
“Not using capital letters is probably the only way to go about it, but a lot of times I’ll say slang in a completely incorrect sentence just to annoy the other person. [the younger generation]” he told The Blast.
“That’s my job, so we’re going to be doing a lot of that from now on. People laugh at us because we don’t know the definition, so we make fun of it and say we don’t really know.”
Great Clips, working with Fatone and his daughter Chloe, is helping parents prepare for the new school year and ensure students return to school feeling confident and prepared.
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To celebrate back-to-school, Great Clips is offering a free child’s haircut at participating Great Clips salons to the first 24,000 people who register at GreatClips.com/BacktoSchool.
Great Clips also uses its slang dictionary to help educate parents and teachers on all the new slang terms kids use on a daily basis.
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“We understand that parents are trying to inspire their kids’ self-confidence while still caring for them on a budget,” said Lisa Hake, vice president of marketing and communications at Great Clips. “With the help of our Student Slang Translator and online curriculum, we’re helping families better understand their children’s wants so kids can get a fresh haircut at an affordable price and return to school with a new level of confidence.”
Joey Fatone’s extensive resume proves he loves to do a variety of jobs.
Mega
From singing and dancing to TV hosting and acting, Fatone appears to have taken on many different roles throughout his career.
“I have ADHD, but I say that because I like to do a lot of different things,” he said. “For example, Justin [Timberlake] and J.C. [Chasev] They’re writers and they love writing and being on the production side in the studio. I don’t like being in the studio for long periods of time and it gets frustrating after a while. So for me, I think it’s nice to have a change of job.”
He also spoke about his role in “Impractical Jokers.”
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“No one knew I was in NSYNC, so it shows a new side of me. People only knew me from Impractical Jokers and thought I just happened to be in it,” he explained. “So it’s really weird to see me doing something different, but it’s always been different and I like that.”
His partnership with Great Clips really falls into that same category in that it allows him to enjoy a variety of gigs frequently.
What’s next for the multi-talented singer/actor/TV show host?
Mega
There’s always something happening in Fatone’s life, but she loves being able to choose what to do next.
“I’m at a point in my life where, in a way, I’m free to choose what I want to do, and if I don’t like it, I don’t have to do it. I’m happy with where I am,” he told The Blast. “It doesn’t require an exorbitant amount of money or an exorbitantly lavish lifestyle. For me, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized what’s really important, and that’s my kids, my girlfriend, my family, my friends, and for me, I just want to be happy. That’s what’s fun about what I get to do in this job.”
So what future projects and shows is Fatone looking forward to? One thing Fatone said isn’t happening right now is an NSYNC reunion.
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“Obviously people have questions about NSYNC and I have no idea what’s going on with that, so here’s the answer to those questions,” he said, though he is on tour with AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys.
Fatone is also considering opening another location of his hot dog joint, Fat Ones.
Is there hope for an NSYNC reunion?
Mega
As for NSYNC reuniting for the project, Fatone said there have been no discussions yet.
“To be honest with you, we haven’t had any discussions yet. It’s going to take five of us getting together and really talking about whether we want to do something or not,” he said. “What would that look like? What would that entail? There have been some offers and stuff, but nothing major.”
Fatone said he had too many memorable moments with NSYNC to pick just one favorite, but he was quick to share two that stood out to him.
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“To me, those two memories are like bookends,” he said. “Starting with the first time we sang together, singing an a cappella song called ‘I Thought She Knew,’ which is on one of our albums, and then later, when we got our star on the Walk of Fame.”