Justin Timberlake Says Fatherhood Has Brought Up His “Childhood Trauma”

Justin Timberlake had a crazy upbringing, beginning with his audition for Star Search at age 10 and his casting on The New Mickey Mouse Club at age 11. By age 15, he had joined *NSYNC — and the rest is history. Over 20 years later, though, Timberlake is realizing just how much those early years still affect him. "I can't really remember not being famous," Timberlake admits in the new issue of The Hollywood Reporter. "I think we can all agree that I did not have a normal childhood." The cover star told THR that those not-so-normal experiences have resurfaced since becoming a dad to his son with Jessica Biel, Silas. "You go through your life with your own traumas, big and small, and think, 'It's not that bad, I have a lot to be thankful for, my parents did the best they could,'" the 36-year-old said. "But then you have a child of your own, and suddenly it opens all the floodgates, and you're like, 'No, no, no! That childhood trauma really did fuck me up!'" The singer has also thought about whether or not he'd let Silas, nearly two, follow in his footsteps towards early fame. "Would I want my child to follow my path?" he said. "You know, I haven't been able to answer that question in my mind. If he wanted it bad enough, I suppose I could teach him a lot about what not to do." Whatever path Silas does choose, it's clear he'll have a supportive dad beside him.