Entertainment

JC Chasez: Nerd Prom Regular

by Sofia Barrett-Ibarria

Your eyes aren't deceiving you: JC Chasez was invited to the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, and he's barely recognizable in a suit and tie, sans tiny chin beard of the 2000s. Though typically awash with famous people and unexpected celebrity appearances, the WHCD might be the last place you'd expect to find a former member of *NSYNC. According to Politico, this isn't Chasez's first time at "nerd prom." Additionally, Washington Post reports this is his third year in attendance. Apparently, he’s "mostly here for the roast of the president, but likes seeing people get to 'take the edge off.'" Chasez says his favorite moment in three years of WHC Dinners "was when Kevin Spacey showed up in 2013," which caused something like "a teen frenzy, but for adults.” That's a pretty astute description, especially coming from a former boy band member.

Despite being a three-year WHCD veteran, it doesn't seem like Chasez has a vested interest in the event beyond the terrine of jumbo lump crab meat, which is a completely valid reason to attend any social event, mind you. Chasez maybe isn't "so up to speed" on the details of the evening, or at least, he wasn't last year when he was taped for the documentary about White House Correspondents' weekend ( Nerd Prom: The Movie ), but he's not the only celebrity taking up the invitation to mingle and eat free crab. Last year, when Politico asked Twitter co-founder Biz Stone if he had a favorite White House correspondent, he answered, “I don’t know yet,” and Veep star Anna Chlumsky had no shame in admitting, “I don’t know anybody’s name.”

Chasez may have been one of the more unlikely celebrities in attendance at the WHCD, like Bethany Mota and Johnny Weir, but by all accounts, he seemed to be having a great time hanging out with Sophie Turner, aka Sansa Stark on Game of Thrones. The only thing that could have made the night better would have been an *NSYNC reunion, but I supposed we can always keep our fingers crossed for WHCD 2016.