Coco Gauff’s admission about her lack of late ‘90s boy band knowledge has Us feeling old.
Gauff, 20, took part in a video Q&A with her fellow American tennis stars Danielle Collins and Taylor Fritz, in which the athletes were asked to name their “first celebrity crush.”
“Lance Bass seemed like the safest human in the world,” Collins, 31, said of her affinity for the ‘NSync member.
Bass, 45, came out as gay in 2006. “It totally makes sense now,” Collins joked.
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Gauff, however, didn’t understand the connection.
“I have no idea who that is,” she admitted with a laugh.
Gauff was born in March 2004, more than three years after the release of ‘NSync’s last studio album, Celebrity. Bass was a founding member of the iconic boy band alongside Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone and JC Chasez.
When it came time for Gauff to answer the question herself, the 2023 US Open champion got bashful.
“I don’t want to say my first celebrity crush because I know him now,” Gauff said.
The room erupted in laughter and Gauff was asked, “Are you dating him?”
“No, I’m not dating him,” Gauff said, before revealing her answer to be actor Michael B. Jordan. “I love that man,” she gushed.
As for her actual love life, Gauff posted an Instagram photo with her rumored boyfriend, Jalen Sera, in November.
Gauff shared a series of photos from the Camp Flog Gnaw Music Festival in Los Angeles, including one of her and Sera, 22, standing side-by-side. While Gauff didn’t confirm their relationship, rumors about the pair have swirled since 2023, and they often exchange flirty Instagram comments with each other.
Gauff discussed her boyfriend with Time magazine in April, calling their connection her “first real relationship.”
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“To just have someone to talk to who is not involved in tennis at all gives me a fresh perspective,” Gauff said, hinting she and her partner had been together since the spring of 2023.
Gauff told Vogue in March, “He’s a very nice guy. He’s in school now. He’s about to apply for music school. He wants to be an actor and he plays the guitar.”
The boyfriend has even met Gauff’s parents, Candi and Corey — and earned rave reviews.
“My mom always said, if they’re bad in school, they’re probably bad as adults,” Candi told Time. “He’s always been a smart, nice kid.”
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