Lance Bass Sexual Harassment Comments: Former ‘NSync Singer Alleges Contact From ‘Pedophile’ As A Teen

‘NSync band member Lance Bass is a regular contributor this season on the Meredith Vieira Show and this week, he opened up about a topic that definitely has people buzzing. He revealed that he experienced someone touching him inappropriately when he was a teen just getting started in the business, but it seems he was not the only one involved.

Lance Bass was talking with the panel during Wednesday’s show and he opened up after mentioning that sexual harassment happens to men too, but few talk about it. The discussion came as the panel was talking about allegations actress Ashley Judd has just made about issues she says she had with a powerful Hollywood executive.

As the Los Angeles Times details, Bass joined ‘NSync when he was 16 and it seems that the sexual harassment happened very early on during his time with the band. However, he says that he never reported the issues or spoke up about it other than to talk with some of his peers, apparently, about it.

Bass says that even at that age, he knew the man involved was being inappropriate, but he did not consider himself a victim at that point. He referenced the experience as being odd and said that despite the fact that it was not funny, he and the other guys would essentially joke about the incidents.

The former ‘NSync band member does not name any names during the brief portion of the segment where he spoke about the alleged sexual assault. However, former promoter Lou Pearlman was the band’s manager and this would not be the first time that Pearlman’s name was linked to allegations of having sexual contact with young boys.

As Vanity Fair detailed some time ago, the man behind ‘NSync, the Backstreet Boys, LFO and Making the Band allegedly was known for his sexual interest in young boys. Various sources have indicated that over the years, more than one of the young men under his control became involved a sexual relationship of one sort or another with him.

TMZ notes that while Bass did not mention Pearlman by name during the segment with Vieira, he has said very similar things about the band’s former manager in the past. Lance has previously mentioned Lou grabbing the guys and commenting on their muscles and Bass talked about how the guys never made a big deal out of the contact.

Despite the many allegations and stories that have swirled around about Pearlman over the years, he never faced any charges related to sexual molestation or inappropriate contact. He has always denied any of the allegations that have surfaced. However, Pearlman is in prison with a 25-year sentence after swindling an estimated $300 million from banks and investors.

As for Lance Bass, after several high-profile relationships over the years, he married painter and actor Michael Turchin in December 2014. The two dated for several years before getting married and then wed with cameras in tow for the E! special Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding.

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Bass, 36, now hosts a SiriusXM show called Dirty Pop in addition to being a full-time contributor during the “What’s Hot Now!” segment on the Meredith Vieira Show in this second season. While Lance may not detail anything more specific about this sexual harassment he experienced as a teen, his revelations on this week’s show definitely have people buzzing.

Do you think that Lance Bass is referring to Lou Pearlman when he talks about being touched inappropriately? Will the former boy band manager ever be held accountable for the alleged misconduct and will any other former boy banders involved come forward at some point to tell what happened to them?

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[Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images]