Lance Bass made ‘way more’ money after *NSYNC split: ‘We were famous, not rich’
Being a member of one of the biggest boy bands in the world might come with its perks, but according to Lance Bass, money was not one of them.
The singer, who was propelled to global stardom as a member of *NSYNC, admitted he made “way more” money after the group disbanded.
“Well, the worst thing is people thinking that we were rich, because we were not,” he said on SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show” Wednesday.
“We were famous, but we were not rich. I made way more money after *NSYNC than I did during *NSYNC.”
The 43-year-old opened up about why the group’s finances didn’t reflect their international success.
“Lou [Pearlman] took all of our money,” he said of the band’s former manager.
Pearlman, who created the band, famously perpetuated his $300 million Ponzi scheme — one of the largest in American history.
He mishandled the group’s finances and was later sued by several members of different boy bands, including the Backstreet Boys.
Pearlman’s scheme through his Trans Continental companies was uncovered in 2006. He was convicted of fraud in 2008.
“He really took a majority of all of our stuff… [made] horrible, horrible deals,” Bass said of Pearlman, who died behind bars in 2016 at age 62 during his 25-year sentence.
Despite the finances — or lack thereof — Bass recalled the “incredible” time he had with bandmates Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatric, and Joey Fatone.
“To do that, with those guys, it was incredible. And you had some of the best experiences ever,” he said.
“Obviously, it changed my life, led me to so many things I wanted to do in life… they’re incredible, incredible guys,” he shared, adding that the group formed a “great support system.”
“I’m glad I was in a band because I had four of my brothers that kept you down to earth,” he went on.
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“If you said anything off the wall, they would just slap you down like, ‘What did you just say?’ But if you’re a solo artist, you’re always like, ‘Yes, yes, yes.’ You’re the boss. That’s it,” Bass said.
“But with a group, we had a great family unit around us, we were held down to earth,” he added.
The boy band ultimately went on an indefinite hiatus in 2002.
Since then, Bass has dabbled in various business ventures, including launching two of his own production companies.
Bass had formed music management company Free Lance Entertainment and Lance Bass Productions in 2000.
Elsewhere, he invested in Rocco’s bar in West Hollywood, and even launched a cocktail mixer.
He also did some onscreen work, starring in 2001 film “On the Line” which famously featured his former bandmate Fatone.
Following the success of his onscreen work, Bass hosted “Bachelor in Paradise” in 2021 and hosts his own podcast “Frosted Tips.”
