Lance Bass Says He Earned Just $35 a Day at the Height of *NSYNC’s Fame
The singer claimed the group’s first check was $10,000 — after “years of number one albums” and sold-out tours.
Lance Bass, the former *NSYNC member, revealed on The Zach Sang Show that he earned a daily stipend of $35 during the height of the boy band's fame. Bass claimed that his initial paycheck of $10,000 after years of success was insufficient to match the band's achievements, as merchandise sales were reportedly substantial. He criticized his bandmates for being "grateful" for the $10,000 while they had been working "for free" for years.
Bass also dismissed the notion that he became wealthy from *NSYNC, stating, "Not at all. I didn't make money with *NSYNC, like, hardly at all." He continued to receive residuals but noted that the sum is minimal. Bass alleged that the majority of the earnings went to the label and the group's late manager, Lou Pearlman, who was convicted of money laundering, conspiracy, and bankruptcy fraud in 2008.
Bass expressed regret, saying, "No one set us up for life after that." This contrasts sharply with *NSYNC's record-breaking success, with their 2000 album "No Strings Attached" selling 2.4 million copies in its first week, a record that stood for 15 years, and spending eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The group's lead single "Bye Bye Bye" and its follow-up "It's Gonna Be Me" also achieved massive success.
Despite continuing to speak about *NSYNC's finances, Bass emphasized that while they were famous, they were not rich.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
