Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Justin Timberlake assisted Utah County mom Kelly Snider with a gender reveal during his Salt Lake concert Saturday.
- Snider held a sign asking Timberlake to reveal her baby's gender by reading it to the entire arena.
- The reveal was shared widely on social media, exciting Snider's family and friends.
SALT LAKE CITY — Boy, was it worth it to spend that money on front row center seats at the Justin Timberlake concert Saturday night.
At least, it was to Utah County's Kelly Snider.
Snider, a longtime Timberlake fan from his NSYNC days, considered that since she was so close to the pop singer on stage, and he could read a sign if she held one, she would hold a sign asking the star to help her with her gender reveal.
Lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. Timberlake was more than willing to let Snider know what she was having in August. She's having a girl.
"I thought, 'If it's interesting enough, maybe he'll talk to me,'" said the mom of six, ages 18 months to 13 years old." Justin has been my favorite for the last 25 years or so. So, I made a poster, and he saw it, and he did it."
There's more to the story, though.
In the past, Snider and her husband had made their children's gender a surprise for friends, family and themselves. For her two girls and four boys, Snider did not know what she having until the doctor let her know.
She liked not knowing the genders until the births. It was a fun thing to wait for and a nice surprise for the family. But when she discovered Timberlake was coming to town, she and her husband talked about it and thought, why not give it a shot? Let's see if Justin will take a manilla envelope with an item inside naming the gender.
She and her husband were overjoyed by the news when Timberlake said it, but some people they knew in the crowd were absolutely surprised. Her brother and two sisters were also on the floor at the Delta Center Saturday night and heard the news — for more than just the reveal. They did not even know their sister was pregnant, nonetheless what gender the baby would be.
"They couldn't believe we had Justin do it," Snider said. "It was a double surprise!"
One quarter into the 21st century, anything connected to a celebrity will be shared on social media. And that's been the case with the gender reveal. Snider's husband filmed the whole thing, and they posted the video on social media, thinking it would be fun for friends and family. Instead, it has been shared over and over by people they don't even know.
So, the experience has been a little weird, but not for her six children who have had the joy of hearing about a new little sister on her way — "They're very excited," Snider said — and knowing that people are sharing the video.
Regardless of how this all came to be or how many views the video will get, Snider is excited for her new little girl.
She also cannot wait to tell her one day about who gave the parents the news of whether they were having a boy or a girl.
Maybe they'll even bond over Timberlake's music or see him in concert together one day.
"I'd like to take her. I hope so," Snider said. "We're very excited. It's been fun for the kids, too."
