NEED TO KNOW
-
Joey Fatone has brought together members of *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, O-Town, LFO and more sharing their stories in ID’s Boy Band Confidential
-
The documentary details allegations of financial and sexual abuse at the hands of Lou Pearlman and Joby Harte
-
Members of these groups faced thoughts of suicide and struggled with addiction as a result of the pressure of their positions in the music industry
Being in a boy band was far from the pop wonderland in appeared to be.
In a new special for ID, executive producers Joey Fatone and Joe Mulvihill show the dark side of one of the music industry’s most unforgettable eras. As the ’80s gave way to the ’90s and, later, the new millennium crept in, all-male singing groups became a defining part of pop culture.
Members of *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, O-Town, LFO and more participate in Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Event, revealing how the industry transformed young performers into marketable commodities while exposing untold stories of abuse, addiction, and financial manipulation.
While making music that has impacted the lives of countless fans, these young artists were facing unthinkable traumas that have followed many into adulthood. Now, they’re speaking about their experiences, many for the first time, as the world takes a closer look at the human cost of the era. Here are some of the biggest bombshells from ID’s Boy Band Confidential.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
98 Degrees members felt conflicted by the persona crafted around their group
98 Degrees, circa 2000
Credit: Tim Roney/Getty
Unlike many other boy bands of the time, 98 Degrees formed themselves and worked hard to get the attention of their label, Motown Records. Known as a cornerstone for soulful R&B and pop hits, the label looked to craft the group’s success around that of other successful groups.
“The president of Motown, he wanted us to be the white Jodeci. So he was trying to give us that in a crash course. ‘Hey, I want you guys to go to Black churches in Harlem on Sunday,’ ” Nick Lachey shared.
Lachey said that as Motown tried to mold them, it led them to “question” why the label was “trying to make us into something else.’ ” He admitted to struggling through this time, noting, “We’ll do whatever we have to do. But then you go home and you’re like, ‘What am I? Who am I?’ It starts to really mess with you mentally.’ “
Jeff Timmons also struggled with “severe depression” during this time, and felt like he was “the weakest link in the group,” adding, “I just didn’t feel good about myself. I didn’t feel good, physically. I couldn’t sleep and my head wasn’t right.”
When Timmons went to the group’s manager for help, he was able to get it, leaving Timmons “better than ever,” though he admitted, “It didn’t make this any easier, but at least I felt better, in that I didn’t want to die.”
*NSYNC’s original member dropped out the day they signed contracts
Joey Fatone, Jason Galasso and JC Chasez
Credit: Courtesy of Investigation Discovery / ID
*NSYNC’s lineup almost looked very different. As the group originally came together, it was Jason Galasso, Chris Kirkpatrick,Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. In fact, the band’s name was even crafted using the last letter of each member’s first name. But when it came time for *NSYNC to take the next step, Galasso couldn’t commit.
“The five of us got together. We sang, everything was great. We’re going to sign to Trans Continental, which was Lou Pearlman’s independent record label, and all of a sudden, we go to sign and Jason doesn’t show up,” Fatone recalls.
Galasso, who was a friend of Joey’s and the son of his high school chorus teacher, appeared in the documentary, offering rare insight into what drove him away from the group.
“I had no idea what was going to happen and also I was a stupid kid. I had never seen a music contract before, so I was smart enough, back then, to take the contract to lawyers to review it. And it’s like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Lou’s a member of the band now?”
Pearlman assured them that he did this so he could always look out for the group’s best interests. Galasso explains it didn’t sit right, noting, “At that junction, with *NSYNC, it just didn’t feel right, so I didn’t do it.”
Galasso remembers Chasez calling him “pissed,” asking “What are you doing?” to which he adds, “And I don’t blame him. I left them high and dry, so I get it. I’d be pissed at me too.”
Members of bands assembled by Lou Pearlman heard rumors of his ‘grooming’ and abuse
O-Town poses with Lou Pearlman
Credit: Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty
Like many young talents, Steven Mooney had dreams of being in one of Lou Pearlman’s boy band success stories. Fresh out of the army, a friend approached Mooney to audition for Pearlman. When he went to audition, he found himself among “hundreds of kids,” which whittled down to just a few until he was the only one there.
“Lou had me sing something acapella himself. And that’s when he was like, ‘You’re mine,’ ” Mooney shared, noting that the then-ongoing legal disputes between Pearlman and *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys weren’t in the news.
While Mooney didn’t have an immediate spot in a group, Pearlman promised his parents, “I was gonna be a millionaire in the next year.” Mooney felt Pearlman was “like a guardian angel” and agreed to become Pearlman’s driver, with the executive telling him that “JC [Chasez] drove for me, Rich [Cronin] drove for me. Even Brad [Fischetti] drove for me.” Mooney was even invited to live with Pearlman.
“But when I lived at that house, that’s when it all came crashing down. There’s a lot of stuff that happened behind closed doors. It didn’t feel good. Something was not right… and I wasn’t the only one.”
While it began with incidents such as Pearlman “walking around in his underwear” or “calling you into the room while he’s taking a shower” to talk, Mooney soon learned from a member of one of Pearlman’s bands that he could expect more of that type of conduct, including Lou approaching them for sexual encounters.
“I did get approached by another person in another band, and we were having drinks,” he said, recalling an alleged oral sex encounter. “And I’m like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’ It didn’t make any sense. It didn’t compute. I just blew it off, like they were joking.”
Eventually, Mooney claims he was approached by Pearlman, who insinuated he’d have to trade sexual favors for a place in O-Town during Making the Band. Upon refusing, Mooney found himself eliminated from the reality show, asked to leave Pearlman’s home and forced to start over again.
O-Town’s Ashley Parker Angel was also advised by others to “Never go into a hotel room alone with Lou,” and felt his advances were headed in a nefarious direction, though he limited interactions in an effort to keep anything from transpiring.
The documentary notes, “Lou Pearlman was never charged in connection with any sexual abuse or misconduct and, prior to his death, consistently denied such allegations.”
AJ McLean’s addiction nearly destroyed the trust between the Backstreet Boys
Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, A.J. McLean, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys
Credit: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
AJ McLean began to grapple with addiction as he tried to balance the demands of boy band life with a troubled past. The singer recalls an instance where he did drugs and “went on a bender” the night before the Backstreet Boys were set to deliver the first pitch for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
McLean refused to get up and didn’t want to get to the appearance, frustrating his bandmates who had noticed changes in his behavior.
“Kevin did not like that idea very much. He broke the door down to the actual room. He said to me that I was dead to him and he’ll never trust me again,” McLean reveals.
The incident directly led to McLean’s first time in rehab and started his journey toward recovery.
Ricky Garcia filed a civil suit over alleged sexual abuse
Ricky Garcia, Emery Kelly and Jon Klaasen of “Forever In Your Mind”
Credit: Amanda Edwards/WireImage/Getty
Ricky Garcia had dreams of fame and success when he met Joby Harte, who had the network to make it happen. Harte took Garcia on as a client but crossed lines while managing the young star.
Garcia worked on the band, Forever In Your Mind, as well as Disney’s Best Friends Whenever. All the while, Garcia’s mom trusted Harte to look after her son while he pursued his dreams.
In 2014, things between Garcia and Harte came to a difficult place when Harte took Forever In Your Mind to Catalina Island for a writing retreat. Garcia alleges in a complaint that Harte supplied the band alcohol. It was the first time the artist got “black out drunk.”
“When I woke up in Catalina, I was completely naked under the covers and Joby came in ther oom. He was like smirking at me, like it was a funny thing. And I come to find out that Joby bathed me. That was the first instance where I had zero recollection of what happened, and he was able to do whatever to me, and I wouldn’t have known,” Garcia alleged in the documentary, mirroring what he previously alleged in his suit.
Of other instances, such as one where Harte joined Garcia in the shower, he explained, “I would freeze up, honestly. I didn’t really know what to do. I didn’t want to make the situation uncomfortable for the both of us, so I just went along with it.”
Garcia admitted the behavior was, to a degree, “normalized” for him because he had previously been victimized by a family member. As a result, “I didn’t say anything to the rest of the guys. I felt like it was just better to keep quiet to people.”
Eventually, Garcia did confront Harte, shortly after which the group’s time together ended. Garcia filed a civil lawsuit against Harte which went to trial in 2024. He was awarded $6 million, but says, “I haven’t seen a dime,” because Harte had filed for bankruptcy before the trial.
“If I never see it, for the rest of my life, I couldn’t care less, because I’m done letting this affect me.”
Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Event premieres Monday, April 13 and Tuesday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ID, with both titles available to stream on HBO Max. The second season of Hollywood Demons premieres Monday, April 20, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ID.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Read the original article on People