Fishel and Bass attended the ‘Boy Meets World’ star’s prom in 1999
Credit: Danielle Fishel/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Lance Bass and Danielle Fishel recreated their 1999 prom photo, with Fishel wearing her original dress after alterations
- Bass reflected on attending prom as a closeted teenager and how the iconic photo has become a joyful memory
- A script based on their prom night and friendship has been written by comedians Mary Holland and Lauren Lapkus
Earlier this year, Lance Bass and Danielle Fishel threw it back to 1999 to recreate their iconic prom photo — dress and all.
The longtime friends teamed up again as Co-Chief Cheer Officers for QVC’s 39th annual Christmas in July celebration, and they opened up to PEOPLE about recreating their prom photo on the set of Fishel’s American Idol Official Podcast in April. Fishel even slipped back into her original prom dress, although it did need a few alterations.
“In a lot of ways, it felt very natural to be back in my prom dress,” Fishel, 45, tells PEOPLE. “Although things didn’t fit the same way, body parts were not necessarily all in their same spot as they [were] 30 years ago.”
Credit: Courtesy Lance Bass
For Bass, 47, recreating the photo transported him back to a different time in his life. When he and Fishel attended her prom, he had not yet come out, not even to his then-girlfriend.
The dad of two shares, “Oh my gosh, we have recreated that one a few times lately. People just love that photo. It’s so funny because you look back to that day and you had no idea that that was going to be a huge meme 20 years from now. And it’s just funny the story behind it.”
“It was definitely a story of our time,” the children’s book author continues. “It was a scary night for me just because your prom night as a teenager as a closeted kid, it can be very frightening. And the fact that that picture goes along with that story just really, just really tells the story.”
Credit: Danielle Fishel/Instagram
In the photo, Bass has his hand hovering away from Fishel’s back, creating a pose that makes the photo ripe for recreation. The *NSYNC star adds that the longtime friends can laugh at the moment as they reflect back on it now.
“But I think it’s hilarious that this many years later we can kind of laugh at it because as much anxiety as I had during that moment in my life, it has brought me so much joy this many years later,” he says. “And I’m so glad that Danielle and I can remain such close friends because of that experience. We have such a bond, and she’s become family and we’ll always be family.”
Credit: Courtesy QVC
Their prom night story may even get the Hollywood treatment. According to Fishel, comedians and writers Mary Holland and Lauren Lapkus have written a script based on her and Bass’ prom experience, as well as their friendship.
Fishel adds, “It’s so funny and so heartwarming, and it’s something I think we’re really looking forward to in the future, hopefully being made so that we can share it with everyone.”
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Both Fishel and Bass are now married with kids. Fishel tied the knot with Jensen Karp in 2018, and they share sons Adler, 8, and Keaton, 4. Meanwhile, Bass married Michael Turchin in 2021, and the two share 4-year-old twins Alexander James and Violet Betty.
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