After their debut album sold poorly, New Kids on the Block — often abbreviated as NKOTB — had to convince their label to let them make a second album. Yep, everyone’s beloved boy band didn’t exactly have a smooth beginning but they eventually found their footing.
The first album’s exclusively bubblegum pop sound wasn’t a hit with the members (or the general public for that matter) and the band advocated for more input in their second album’s sound. They released their sophomore effort under Columbia Records, Hangin’ Tough in 1988, with little success, and the lead single “Please Don’t Go Girl” didn’t fare any better than their first album, getting modest airplay on local radio stations. NKOTB seemed destined to become a footnote in pop history as just another failed boy band, until a DJ decided to spin the track on a radio station in Tampa, Florida.
The single quickly became the station’s most requested song and the success inspired Columbia to invest heavily in the boys’ promotion by shooting a music video and pushing it to every radio station across the nation. The song became their first top ten hit on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart and the rest is history.
The group was massive until lip-syncing allegations hurt their reputation and when their fourth album, the aptly titled Face the Music, under-performed, the band broke up in 1994. After embarking on solo projects, the band reunited after months of speculation with the song “Sunshine” in 2008. It may come as a surprise to casual fans of the group but NKOTB continues to tour and release music, most recently coming out with the song “Bring Back the Time,” a nostalgic track featuring Rick Astley, En Vogue, and Salt-N-Pepa.
In addition to touring as a band, the individual members have kept busy with families and individual careers. Nearly four decades into their careers, the boys are no longer boys and have discovered their own niches over time. Here’s what each member of New Kids on the Block is up to now.
Jonathan Knight
Jonathan Knight was the first member to leave the group, exiting shortly before the group officially split. He chose to live privately, staying away from the entertainment industry until reuniting with his bandmates in 2008. In a 2000 issue of People magazine, he revealed he left the group because he was suffering from generalized anxiety disorder and now openly speaks about mental health. After the band broke up, he started a real-estate business in 1996 and realized a lifelong passion for renovating and selling houses which eventually led to his own HGTV show. Since 2021, Knight has been the host of Farmhouse Fixer where he restores old farmhouses rather than knocking them down in favor of new architecture.
In 2022, Knight revealed he married his longtime partner Harley Rodriguez in a private ceremony. The couple has been together since 2008 and after competing in a season of The Amazing Race, Knight proposed to Rodriguez in 2016. Though the two planned a larger ceremony with friends and family on their Massachusetts farm, COVID-19 foiled their plans.
Jordan Knight
Jordan Knight pursued a solo career after the dissolution of the group and released his first single “Give It To You” in 1999. The song was a hit, reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and preceded his first solo album Jordan Knight. The album did well, peaking at number 29 on Billboard‘s 200 after selling over 500,000 copies. In addition to still touring with NKOTB, he continues to make his own music on the side and released his third solo album Unfinished in 2011. In 2014, he collaborated with fellow boy band veteran, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, on a joint album called Nick & Night.
Knight married his wife Evelyn in 2004 and they have two sons together. In an interview with Pioneer Press, Knight opens up about being a stay-at-home dad when he’s not touring and proudly talks about supporting his children at their respective sporting events. In addition to parenting, Knight has invested in the Italian restaurant Novara since 2016. Unlike the other NKOTB members, Night recently deactivated his social media and currently has no active accounts.
Joey McIntyre
After the band broke up, the youngest member of New Kids on the Block also worked toward a solo career but initially found it difficult to secure a recording contract. Joey McIntyre decided to fund his debut album Stay the Same himself and promoted the lead single by personally going to local Boston radio stations and asking the DJs to play it on air. This turned out to be a good career move; the title track ended up gaining enough popularity to get him a coveted record deal and Stay the Same went on to sell over a million copies.
McIntyre then made a name for himself on Broadway and in 2019, he notably took on the role of Dr. Pomatter in Waitress. He continues to act both onstage and on the small screen in shows like Psych. In addition to acting and performing, he hosted a podcast called The Move with Joey McIntyre from 2017 until 2018. McIntyre has been married to his wife Barett for nearly twenty years now and has three children with her.
Danny Wood
Danny Wood has become a lifestyle YouTuber and uploads new videos weekly on his channel “The Wood Works.” The boy band member likes to share his healthy (and delicious, by the looks of it) recipes as well as his intense workout routines. Over the years, Wood has developed a passion for fitness and encourages fans on their own fitness journeys to follow along. While he’s a prolific content creator, Wood hasn’t strayed from his first career and makes his own solo music as a singer, writer, and producer.
Wood has three children from a previous marriage and in 2019, he shared on Instagram that he had welcomed his first grandchild, a granddaughter named Rose Elizabeth Wood. After his mother passed away from breast cancer in 1999, Wood worked with multiple breast cancer groups to bring awareness to the disease and to honor his mother’s memory. In 2016, he created the Remember Betty Foundation and regularly holds fundraising events to support those affected by breast cancer.
Donnie Wahlberg
Arguably the most successful NKOTB member (unless you count his younger brother Mark, who was a member of the band before their first album), Donnie Wahlberg became an actor after leaving the group. His acting career got off to a rocky start after appearing in one of the worst Stephen King films of all time but he later redeemed himself by playing Detective Eric Matthews in the second film in the Saw franchise a few years later, a role he’d reprise in future installments.
He’s better known for playing Detective Danny Reagan in the long-running CBS police drama Blue Bloods and admitted in an interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet that he liked to pepper his band’s song titles in his dialogue whenever possible.
Wahlberg has two sons from a previous marriage and a stepson from his current marriage with Jenny McCarthy. The two married in 2014 and starred in a short-lived reality show called Ronnie Loves Jennie based on the early days of their marriage. Wahlberg also starred in Wahlburgers, a reality show about running the burger chain of the same name with his brothers Mark and Paul, from 2014 until 2019.
You can find New Kids on the Block’s music on all major streaming platforms.
