NEWSLance Bass Insists He Wasn't 'Rich' During *NSYNC Days Because Disgraced Producer Lou Pearlman 'Took All Our Money'
Just got paid? Not so much. Despite being in one of the biggest boybands of all time, Lance Bass revealed he never had a ton of extra cash during his days with *NSYNC.
He spilled the surprising tidbit while on the Wednesday, April 26, episode of "The Jess Cagle Show," where the host asked him what was the best and worst part of being "rich and famous" as teenagers.
"The worst thing is people thinking that we were rich, because we were not," he admitted, noting their disgraced producer Lou Pearlman "took all our money."
"We were famous, but we were not rich," the singer, 43, clarified. "I made way more money after *NSYNC than I did during *NSYNC."
"He really took majority of all of our stuff," Bass doubled down on Pearlman. "And our record label too. Horrible, horrible deals."
*NSYNC reunited in 2023 for their track 'Better Place.'
In 2008, Pearlman, the founder of the band and the Backstreet Boys, was convicted of money laundering and more in relation to a Ponzi scheme, resulting in a 25-year sentence. He died in 2016 while behind bars.
Bass was actually one of the producers on The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story, a documentary that detailed the ordeal.
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All Pearlman issues aside, the "Bye Bye Bye" crooner had a ball touring the world with bandmates Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick.
"To do that, with those guys, it was incredible. And you had some of the best experiences ever," he declared. "Obviously, it changed my life, led me to so many things I wanted to do in life. A lot of pinch me moments."
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Bass explained that the guys created a great support system for one another, which helped them stay grounded and out of trouble as they roes to superstardom. The group split in 2002, but the dad-of-two credited the time period for his strong work ethic.
Since then, the star has dabbled in reality TV and movies, and in October 2021, he and husband Michael Turchin welcomed twins.
