25 Best 'It's Gonna Be May' Memes + The Justin Timberlake Meme Explained

It's gonna be May!

justin timberlake it's gonna be may meme
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The year was 2000. Justin Timberlake was the most famous band member of *NSYNC, along with Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Lance Bass. Timberlake was famously dating pop princess Britney Spears while becoming internationally known for the steaming hot pack of Ramen noodles styled as his curly hair.

If you don't remember NSYNC's hit song "It's Gonna Be Me" on their "No Strings Attached Album," here's the music video to jog your memory. As you listen, see if you notice anything a bit ... odd ... about Timberlake's pronunciation of the word "me" at the end of each chorus.

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In an interview, Timberlake revealed that the song's co-writer Max Martin instructed him to sing the line that way. "In my defense, Max Martin made me sing 'me' that way. I think he just wanted me to sound like I was from Tennessee," Timberlake explained.

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It, without a doubt, 100% sounds like Justin Timberlake is actually singing the word "May." And just like that, the pop-culture phenomenon known as "It's Gonna Be May" memes was born.

Origin of the It's Gonna Be May Meme

In 2012, a now-defunct Tumblr account known as amyricha created the first known "It's Gonna Be May" meme, and since then, it's become one of the most popular shares on social media channels from Twitter to Facebook to Instagram and so on.

In March of 2012, the Nairobi-blue Tumblr blog posted a photograph of an April calendar with a picture of Timberlake at the end captioned "It's gonna be May". The popular online magazine BuzzFeed reposted the same image the very next day.

The very next month YouTubers PassionateFriendTime uploaded a video titled "It's Gonna Be May," which parodies the NSYNC song. The video has over 77,000 views as of 2022. The meme even took over the commercial marketing of the kitchen appliance brand Maytag. The company began an advertising campaign with #itsgonnabemaytag that even NSYNC member Lance Bass hopped on.

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And back in 2016, Justin Timberlake himself even acknowledged the meme in a tweet.

Now every year — Every. Single. Year — without fail, in those days between late April and early May, but usually on April 30, an influx of "It's Gonna Be May" memes rule the social media stratosphere.

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The meme has become so prolific that NSYNC even updated the official title on Apple Music and Spotify to celebrate the meme, changing the song's title to “It’s Gonna be Me (It’s Gonna Be May).”

But just in case you do love yourself some reminiscing about Justin Timberlake's good old days with NSYNC, here are 25 of the best funny It's Gonna Be May memes around.

25 Best 'It's Gonna Be May' Memes

1. "Brace yourselves. It's gonna be May."

it's gonna be may meme

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The Internet has officially come to the point that we can meme memes.

2. "You will see the Justin Timberlake 'It's Gonna Be May' meme today. I guarantee it."

it's gonna be may meme

I don't always drink Dos Equis but, when I do, it's because it's gonna be May.

3. "After April, it's gonna be MAY!"

it's gonna be may meme

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Hey!!!! It's May!!!!

4. "It's gonna be May."

it's gonna be may meme

It seems like this month comes around every year. I don't know what it could be...

5. "Say 'It's Gonna Be May' one more time ..."

it's gonna be may meme

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Samuel L. Jackson is daring you to say it.

RELATED: 99 Sarcastic & Funny Memes About Life

6. "Roses are red. April is gray. But in a few days ... "

it's gonna be may meme

All we need is to see Justin's face and we know what's coming.

7. "Hey, what's after the month of April? It's gonna be May."

it's gonna be may meme

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It's May... It's May... It's Mayyy.

8. "It's gonna be November."

it's gonna be may meme

JT seems to have his months a little mixed up.

9. "It's May."

it's gonna be may meme

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Don't cry, May is here.

10. "It's gonna be May."

it's gonna be may meme

Guess what comes after April?

11. "Roses are red, April is grey, the next time you leave your house..."

it's gonna be may meme

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For the love of May.

12."Bye Bye Bye, April... It's gonna be May."

it's gonna be may meme

Start singing bye, bye, bye to the April calendar cause we all know what's coming.

RELATED: Justin Timberlake's Apology To Britney Spears And Janet Jackson Is Great, But He's About 15 Years Too Late

13. "I don't care who you are, where you're from, don't care what you did, as long as you love May."

it's gonna be may meme

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Of course, boy band rival Backstreet Boys had to get in on the May action.

14. "It's gonna be..." "Don't."

it's gonna be may meme

Don't. The whole world is daring you. Don't give in to the temptation!

15. "You're gonna love Mayyyyyyy"

it's gonna be may meme

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Mayyyyyy, where did you goooo?

16. "Something takes a part of May."

it's gonna be may meme

OK, why can't any bands pronounce 'me' correctly?

17. "King Kong ain't got nothing on May!"

it's gonna be may meme

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Even King Kong hides from May.

18. "It's gonna be May meme."

it's gonna be may meme

Let's all collectively roll our eyes.

19. "It's gonna be May."

it's gonna be may meme

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Another May to think about this year.

20. "It's gonna be... May???"

it's gonna be may meme

Justin Timberlake has even terrorized the Troll universe with May.

RELATED: 100 Funny Friday Memes For When You’re So Ready For The Weekend

21. "Me: So when can we leave our houses next?" "Government: It's gonna be May."

it's gonna be may meme

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May looked a little different during the coronavirus pandemic.

22. "It's gonna be May."

it's gonna be may meme

Doesn't even need to be Justin on the meme anymore, pasta has the same effect.

23. "It's gonna be May. Pregnancy announcement done the right way."

it's gonna be may meme

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Well, that's one way to announce a pregnancy

24. "It's gonna be May."

it's gonna be may meme

"It's what's inside that matters."

25. "Hello — It's May."

it's gonna be may meme

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Justin Timberlake even has gotten Adele on the May bandwagon.

RELATED: 50 'May The Fourth Be With You' Memes To Celebrate Star Wars Day

Liza Walter is a writer who focuses on current events, pop culture, and true crime.