Lance Bass just pulled back the curtain on what *NSYNC’s members actually earned at the height of their fame, and the numbers are not what you’d expect. On The Zach Sang Show, Bass said his per diem during the group’s peak was thirty-five dollars a day, and his first check from the band was just $10,000 after years of No. 1 albums and sold-out tours.“People think I’m so filthy rich from *NSYNC, but no. Not at all,”he said.“I didn’t make money with *NSYNC, like, hardly at all.”
According to Bass, the bulk of the profits went to the label and late manager Lou Pearlman. Pearlman was convicted in 2008 for running a Ponzi scheme and died in prison in 2016. Bass also said no one set the group’s members up for life after they went on hiatus in 2002, which hits even harder when you remember No Strings Attached sold a then-record 2.4 million copies in its first week.
For fans who grew up screaming every lyric, this reframes the whole *NSYNC legacy. The hits were massive, the tours were packed, and the guys on stage were living on less than most of us spend on lunch. It’s a reminder that fame and fortune don’t always arrive in the same package.
Did you assume *NSYNC’s members became millionaires? Tell us what you think in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
