Lance Bass

like we know each other. I feel like I really know you, but I don't. I met you years ago at Polo in the Hampton's and it was the day that I don't think you know this. That was the day that I ran into Jill Zarin and she was like, what are you doing here? Had you get the VIP bracelet? Where are the gift bags? And I was there hawking my Bethany bakes cookies, and I'm sure I hawked to you. And I couldn't even afford the ticket to get into that.

That was Super Saturday. It was five hundred dollars and I finagled that. And then you smelled really good, and I asked you what you smelled like? And you were wearing Keels Musk and I then bought it. I loved it for years. That's my first understanding of meeting here. I love that because I thought our first. I don't even know if this was before that, but I remember at Chef Dance and Sundance. Oh you're right, then that might have been why I had the in to say

hello to you. Yeah. Maybe, yeah, because I remember because I was just at Sundance. I'm like, oh, I think this is where I met Bethany. Stop it. Because Cheryl Hines just reminded me that she met me there, and she had a very funny point of view of like what I was like there. She's like, I didn't know who you were. I was sitting with Tim Robbins, and she said, but you were just like work in that room and you had a purpose and I didn't know what it was, but I knew that you were doing

something that seemed important. That's what I thought I was. I was selling something that's funny. Um okay, so yeah, So I then ran into you then and always I felt like I've known you because I don't know. I feel like I've just seen you different places. But I really like you, and I'm really excited that you're doing the show. But I don't know a lot about your background.

I don't know a lot about your life, and all I know is that you were in a very famous boy band, that you came out, that you got married to Michael Turchin, who was the name of someone that I went to college with and still have friends with. And I have twins. So you grew up in where is it? Miss Where did you grow up? So? I was born in a place called Laurel, Mississippi. Okay, watch that HGTV show called Hometown, But that's about so it's

a very very teeny town. In fact, I was born there, but kind of raised right next door, five minutes away, in a little place called Ellasville, so town of two thousand people. So I grew up in the country. And do you go back and do you feel connected to it or does it feel like another planet? No? I do. I still feel very at home when I go back. All my family still lives there. I'm the only person to have escaped going on. But yeah, I get back at least three or four times a year, get to

see my family and my grandparents. Now that we have kids, I try to bring them home as much as possible. And our saving grace is that we're right next to New Orleans, so we're about an hour and a half New Orleans. So I would be able to fly into New Orleans because it's a straight flight. Especially with kids, it's a lot easier to do that and then just drive to my family. So you dip in and out. You have a little bit of like real, real country and then a little bit of that exactly. It humbled you,

for sure. And I still all my high school friends were very very close, so we're you know, we all keep in touch. There's a bunch of us, so we're always hanging out and there meet me in New Orleans a good bit too. Well. I guess there's probably so many people listening that are from small towns, Like what how do you get out? If there are movies about this? Like not that there's not anything wrong with living in a small town, but this is what people dream about, so,

you know, getting out in the big wide world. How do you get out? I guess you just dream. I don't know's I was in such a small town and I didn't even know that you I didn't know I could ever go into entertainment or anything that I actually wanted to do because I don't know, just dreams never existed really first perfect me. So it was nothing I was really going for. It just kind of landed in

my lap. And I find that happens to a lot of my friends in the business too, that yeah, they work hard, but the opportunity just kind of landed in their lap. And you know, the one that started with me was I was in high school. I was a junior in high school and the instinct guys were putting their you know, the band together in Orlando, and I Justin knew me through a vocal coach because he lived in Memphis and I lived around Jackson at that time, so the vocal coach would come down to Jackson and

teach some kids. I was in another boy band called seven Card stud M. I wish like that name were there were seven of us. We would compete in state fairs, you know, just local, stupid, little you know group that we put together, never thinking we would ever do anything with it. U And then yeah, Justin called and said, hey, we're looking for a bass singer. I hear you're a great bass singer. Would you like to come join this group that we put together all started but you didn't know.

But to that point you did find you did take one step at a time. It's a marathon, so you took you were at the first mile by knowing that you like to saying, and then joining something and then getting to get you know, these little things exponentially add up, so you were. It does and it prepared me because I just I was lucky enough to be in this town that it was the number one show choir in the world called Attache, And I didn't really know much

about the show choir world, but it is intense. I mean it's like it's the Olympics and so it's these high school kids that I don't know how they come together and do all the singing and dancing is so synchronized. But my director, David Fair, he was just one of those just asshole directors that I mean just made everyone cry and just such a hard ass. But he's the one who really instilled what I needed to have in

me to get into this business. That's funny because I had an English teacher that was a nightmare and ended up getting fired because of this, Like to the point where people felt that it was almost bullying. Where you would you would do a math, I mean English, you would do an English, there'd be a question and you might get the whole thing right grammatically, but if maybe you spelled something wrong and that wasn't even what the whole thing was about, you get all these points off.

He was just like evil. You could never get close to getting an A. But I learned everything from him. And it's funny that you say that. Yeah though, So that's an interesting thing about us coddling our kids and wrapping them in bubble wrap, you know, and you know obviously understand what's going on when you're that young. But the fact that now I could deal with anyone in this business and I got this, I'm good, that's amazing. I gotta go back and find this guy's name. That's

amazing because I feel the same exact way. Um So, now, how long was the whole in sync ride? We got together in nineteen ninety five, okay, and then it took us a good year to get recognized in our record deal. I mean it was a it was a long journey for us. Remember I wouldn't sign us at all, so we actually signed to a German label in Munich. So we were a German band two years before we came to America and then we Yeah, we came to America in nineteen ninety eight, and then it just blew up.

I mean, Germany was huge for us. We got to America and it was a slow role. We came out with I Want You Back, and it was like, all right, you know, it did okay, it hit the top forty maybe, But then we did a Disney special that aired every day for three months, and that's what just blew us up in America. So just overnight it felt like we were the biggest band in the world. Wow. Yeah. And it just did not stop until we took our hiatus in two thousand and two or two thousand and three. Yeah,

oh okay. So the question I have, well, were you making money or was it these cliche situations with these boy bands and the managers where you don't know what the hell you're signing and you just want to be part of it, you don't make anything. Yeah, we would be the picture, you know, in the dictionary of being screwed in the business. Yeah, we didn't make any money really within sync Glue Prolman, you know, took all of that, So we had the worst deal in music history US

and the Bactory Boys we had the same deal. They just kind of scratched out the names, right, But yeah, so we didn't we didn't really make too much during

the end sync base. Yeah, and I have funny because it's hard to find a parallel between boy bands and the housewives, but they're both campy, sometimes cheesy, cultural phenomenons where you get these breakout characters and you really I made seven thousand, two hundred and fifty dollars the first season, and sometimes you're a little embarrassed, but you also revel in it and you love it and it's where you

came from. And then you're trying to extend How do you extend the fifteen minutes of that, right, because it's you know, some people don't think it's you're not real. You know, it's not real. It's not real music, it's not real television, it's not real entertainment. Right, I mean, there are some parallels. So how do you did you have a plan to extend or you just always went with your passion? Like what were you thinking about it when it ended? And had did you, you know, evolve

that into what your career is now, which is varied. Yeah, it's uh, we well when it ended, I didn't know it was ending, uh you know, so we were literally just taking a six month hiatus. That's when I was asked to go to space. So I went over to Russia and I trained to become a cosmonaut during those six months. And while I was over there in Russia, you know, living on a military base with zero communication, I knew I had this limited amount of time to

in order, you know, to do this mission. So I had exactly six months and I had to be back November first, and so my mission ended up getting scrapped at the last minute, and they wanted it extended and say, well, you can fly in April, and I'm like, no, I have to have to go back. I have to be back in November first to start this new album. And then I get back and there was nothing to come back to. So, you know, the hiatus kept getting extended

and extended. So I wasn't really thinking about what is my next move, what am I supposed to do because I didn't think there was a second How old were you then, and what were you told was the reason for the hiatus. Um I think I was twenty three, and yeah, it was Justin was doing a solo album. Um, that didn't he didn't. He didn't think that it would

blow up so much and so quickly. So he wanted to do the solo album on during our right, and then when we came back, it just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and so you know, and he became Justin Timberlake. So there was no there was no way we were going to stop that role. Right. It

still hasn't it today? Fascinating? And what about what about being gay in the South and a tiny town, or knowing you're gay, probably saying you're not gay and coming out and what about that whole piece of yea and being a boy band and being gay? Yeah, God's little joke put me in a boy band. Yes, your audience is cute girls. Yeah, you get to be in a boy band. I mean yeah, but no, it was it

was scary for sure. You know, it was a different time. Um, you know, twenty years ago, you know this the country was just did not like gay people. It was very scary because you would get examples of like Ellen degenerous and so how she was treated when she came out, and just everyone when you come out, you lose your job, not only in entertainment but in any other, you know job in this world. I mean, you were easily could

just get fired for being gay. Um we didn't have any really good positive examples of the LGBT community when it comes to work. Um. So, and what you were marketing, who you were, your target audience were, we'd be wiping that out exactly, and you just felt like you're lying, which I was lying, but you know it was it was entertainment. So yeah, I knew I was gay at five years old. I knew it was something I'd have to hide my whole life because especially then I was

super religious. So I was that kid that always would go to bed and try to pray the gay away and please next morning, I don't want to be gay, but in that just kind of that was your daily life for as long as I remember, is just thinking about I have to hide this, I have to hide this because if I don't, I mean I really could die, Like someone could kill me. That's how you felt. Torture. That sounds like absolute, Like that literally sounds like torment,

mental emotional, physical torment. Yeah, and it got really bad when you know, you hit puberty and everyone's dating, and you know, you're starting to want to have a relationship, and you start touring around with you know, straight relationships.

And I had a girlfriend that I really thought I loved, but not knowing what love truly felt like, right, but yeah, you know, and then all the guys you know, go home to their girlfriends and we have like a day off or something, and then I have to make excuses of why I haven't met someone, and you know, keeping that secret from your four best friends that obviously know

something's up. You know, they're not stupid. Um, But I just thought if even if I told those guys that all our careers would be over, they would hate me and the over. So you were, you had it going many different directions, like and how much did you see in your small town environment other people that were gay that you felt were going through the same thing. Um, well,

there were zero in my town. Um. And even when I moved to the next town that had you know, fifteen thousand people, there still was no there was zero out people. Um. But you know, there was one kid in our class that was very obviously you know gay. Um, and people wouldn't, you know, make fun of them, and they're the jokes. You know that it was never in

danger because everyone just kind of assumed whatever. But uh, but the jokes everyone would make would just make me feel so uncomfortable, and that even made me go deeper in the closet, you know, for people thinking. And I was telling me the realty as I knew I would never be able to. And then now because I am so close as a lot of my high school friends, there are several of us that have come out, you know,

and so there was very oh yeah yeah. And that guy in particular just came out just a few years ago and living his best life. It's amazing because I, you know, in my lifetime in my high school, I remember the guy the girl that just seemed different because someone in our high school being gay wasn't even something that we even that we thought about, Like it was just like I didn't even know to think that he

was gay. He just was very very de dressed, very flamboyant, and very you know, alternative and to what everybody else was doing. And I but I just didn't think that I knew my high school was gay. It wasn't something. It wasn't a conversation. To your point, it wasn't a conversation exactly at all. That's crazy. Yeah, it's amazing And in my high school, Um, so did you try to disassociate from boyband life? Did you? Did you? Did you

revel in it? Do you know what I'm saying? Like now I'm doing a podcast called Rewives where I'm really appreciating and reflecting on it in a different way versus just having left it and being wanting to like have it be over there. I'm coming at it in an entirely different way that I like bo my term. So I'm wondering if you had that moment where you wanted to like not be the boyband guy and be something different, but then appreciated it because it's such a great thing

in history and history. I think the same way. You know, at first, you know, when I was trying to figure out where do I belong in the entertainment, I was embarrassed to be part of the boy band world, because, especially then, now people admittedly love boy bands guys, do you know, It's kind of like a fun thing now And I think the word boy band has evolved into so many different groups like Boys, the Men and even

the Beatles, like everyone's kind of gather now. But uh, you know then it was I we got made fun of so much. The music industry did not like us. They used us for ratings, but they didn't like That's what I'm saying. I feel they sam it's exact way like nobody takes anybody seriously. Who's on the Housewives, But but they're all watching, and it's people are making more money than people in real entertainment. It's interesting saying take an advantage of us, saying, oh, this is like kid music,

it's not real. You know, we were writing ourself. Our music was great, and then you start to well, maybe we are horrible, maybe we aren't talented. You know, you start like believing what these people were saying. You know, when the Grammys nominate you nine times and they don't give you one, but they're gonna make you perform every time to make sure people are watching. But it's just yes, you know, we were just not taken seriously at all.

I think today we actually would be. And you know, I think because now you're looking at those that young generation of the Justin Bieber's and the Taylor swifts and you know they get all the accolades. You know, they all you know, people really respect them in the business right now are back in our day, you know, teenage groups and pop stars like Britney Spears and you know Christina Aguilera just didn't get their their dues because well, kids,

it's funny. This is not the exact same by any means. Back in my day, celebrities didn't hold alcohol. You put your drink down before you took a picture. And then skinny Girl comes out and everybody's got a liquor brand. Everybody's got a looker brand because now you know what I'm saying. Back then, nobody would have a liquor brand that would be So it's just funny how things evolve. One person does it and then it becomes a whole new times true and then you cool. Then you get smart.

You're like, wait a minute, why aren't we making this money like everyone else is doing so like it likes to you. You know, people are looking at things a different way, like, wait a minute, because this is a fine nite amount of time that I'm going to be on this TV show or doing this you know this music. You have to figure out, how are you going to set yourself up for the rest of your life? Exactly. It's so confusing to me being in a band like that where no one took me seriously, you know, and

I was more interested in TV and film. I always wire was, so you know, I would always produce and I love writing, you know, TV and film. But going into an industry like TV and film coming from this boy band era was not an easy transition because no, yeah, they just like, yeah, I think you leaning into it though, That's what I'm saying, Like every we all get caught

up in impostor syndrome. Yeah. I mean when I was talking to Paul, my fiance, a couple of years ago, and he was like, I didn't know what to rewatch. I've never listened to a podcast. I don't listen to so he said, they're doing these rewatch podcasts and I said, I don't know what that is. And he's like, they're doing I don't know if it was Scrubs or I forgot what he was saying. And he's like, you got someone is going to do this with the housewives And I said, right, but like that's lame, Like am I

doing that? And he was like, I don't know, you're that changes on the floor who But he said this, I would never say this about myself. He's like, people want to hear Tom Brady talk about the game. They don't want to hear some like Fifth String House if you should be talking about the housewives from the inside and the outside. So I finally it took me a while to lean into it. And it's massively successful, and I'm thinking, why was I being the way that you

are about the boy band thing? You know, like lean in? You know, so it's true and you know people, You got to give the people what they want, and yes, thank you, don't don't live in the past. So I was always afraid to do a show like Frosted Tips where we just talk about boy bands. But the fans love it and because yeah, you know the stories. It might be boring to you, but to the fandoms, they're like, oh my gosh, they've never heard this story before and

it's just so exciting for them. Thank you exactly. I didn't understand it. It's so niche, But that's kind of what TikTok is, and I know you love TikTok. Somebody could be organizing buttons, and there's an audience talk about seaweed like it's niche. So there's a lot of niche content out there right now, and you seem to like it as as do I. It's just nuanced. So talk about while you're tired, like you have two kids now,

and I mean tired because of being a parent. But I just had this entertainment lawyer on the phone today and he was like, you know, we could really build this into this, and we could do that into that and blah blah blah, and I go and I say this five times a week. It's a deal that's almost gonna knock O through. I don't care that didn't happen, that didn get picked up. I don't care at all. I really am the person that's like I looked at my balance. I'm good. I don't want to be a billionaire.

I come on here, I say whatever the fuck I want, and I'm happy if it rolls in and it knocks on the door and it's a bag of cash wrapped in a bow, put it over here and I'll take it, and I'll be happy to take that pile. But other than that, I'm good. I am right, and it took me years to get to that level. I'm like, what am I doing? Like? Why am I running myself so ragged? Traveling all the time? Yes, the big when I could just like enjoy my life. Yes, do you like it's

gonna come to you? If it doesn't get developed? Great? Fine, whatever, I'm good. I am good. Yeah, it's so true. Do you mind if you're younger than I? Do you mind if I ask cold you are? Yet you're young? So yeah, I'm ten years older than used to think about how you feel now? And I'm just it's just like people choose. I see these people. I see these celebrities. I see filling the calendar and we gotta go there, and we gotta go here. And their identity is how busy they

are and the running. And I think that definitely you having twins definitely stopped you in your tracks. But you know, the learning, the power of no, That's what I learned. Once I started saying no to all these things, everything came to me like all the quality, the quality just went way up. Same once I learned that, I'm like, Okay, I'm good. The universe is gonna give me what I need and I can actually enjoy my life. Same. It's clean,

it's lean, it's less is more, and it's quality. It's so true, and you become the least interested party who usually wins. Yeah. Um, So Michael Turchin, how did you meet him? And what does he do and I don't? And what's your cope? What's your parenting style and what's your uni Yang? Like, who's who in the relationship. You're the peacock, I guess. Yeah, yeah, We're definitely are opposite people. I'm you know, I'm just very out there and I talked too much and he's just very reserved and quiet.

But it works. We met twelve years ago. Was our first date at Super Bowl? Um, and so Michael, come say hi, he's right here. Uh we met yeah super Bowl? Well we met before that, but our first date was Super Bowl twelve years ago. Hi, my god, Hi, have you ever met before? I feel like we have, but I don't remember where have we ever met? I think maybe in passing brief Now, this is the guy you need on on HOUSEWF stuff. He is like, he knows, he knows the thing that is his sport, his football.

So you had a date at Super Bowl. You met at Super Bowl. No, it was our It was our first date at super Bowl. Nice to see babies are crying now in the back. Oh, you texted and said, hey, we're both going to be at super Bowl. Explained, well, we so we oddly Halloween before, two different days, two different outfits. We have pictures together, but our friends never introduced us. So I have pictures with him, but I

never met him. Okay. Then two months later, we're at a friend's birthday party in Palm Springs and that's when I really met him and we had a good, like fifteen minute conversation. I was heading back to Los Angeles and then on my way back to LA he facebook poked me, yeah, do you remember that thing? Yeah, And then we just kind of started a conversation and we

spent every day together as best friends. Because I didn't think he liked me, so I was like, you know what, I need to become really good friends with this guy. So I get over the attraction. And then super Bowl came around, and you know, we kind of went out that day and it was kind of a date, but I didn't know if it was a date. Ended up being a date. So yeah, And how long ago was that that was twelve years ago. And is he in the entertainment industry? No, he is a he's a painter.

He does pop art like a really is behind the hand. Yeah, that's his and I like that a lot. It reminds me of something and I can't think of what they're all his. He's getting ready for the La Art show this week. So, I mean this house is just covered and glittered. That's amazing. Wow. Okay, And so what about the choice to have kids? Was we're both of you on board and twins? Like what is that whole process? Yeah?

Well I knew that he wanted a family just like myself early old relationship, so that that was good because I knew I always wanted to have kids. But when we met, you know, we couldn't even get married, we couldn't definitely couldn't adopt in a lot of places. Um So, and I didn't really understand what surrogacy was an IVF,

you know, I never really heard of that before. So, you know, about seven years ago when we started talking about maybe having kids and learning what surrogacy was, um and then it took us about five years to actually get our kids. We went through a hell of a time you know, figure out, you know, how it is going to happen. We went through so many different donors. We were pregnant with twins before, but then lost them

around like six weeks. So you know, it was spinning both of your sperm and then it's IVF with the So yeah, the kids looked like both of you exactly. So we split the eggs, you know, so you know, had a certain amount of eggs. We split them and we would you know, make embryos half his half mine, and then we put uh, you know, because you can tell the viability of the egg of the embryos, so they'll put the healthiest girl in and we put the

healthiest boy in. And so we were like hoping that, you know, because a lot of times only one sticks, but we were just hoping both with stick and they did, and that's how we got Alexander and Violet. You have a girl and a boy. That is so And how old are they now? They're sixteen months now. Oh so you're still full? Oh they're babies. Oh you're fully in it. That's wow. All tired right now? Oh wow, i'man Well, congratulations, that's beautiful. That's I'd say. We hit the jackpot because

they're beyond it's good. I mean they're so great beyond. That's so nice. And your whole family takes on a whole different identity and path and all of that. And so you're active in environmental philanthropy. How did you choose that? Because like, I do disaster relief and it's just interesting the road that we end up on, and so many things are important. So environmental philanthropy, how did you land

on that? Well, as you know, I was so I love charity, right, and especially when you're young and in the business, you're always being asked to do do this, this, this, and you're like, yes, yes, but then you get so full, so thin, that nothing really matters anymore. You're like, am I even helping at all? Yes? You know, you're donating here and there to make yourself a but I mean not doing anything anything. They're happy. They think it's awareness. You feel like a fraud. I feel get it. Well,

what are you doing? Like are you making an impact? So yeah, you know, it's choosing those things that you really like. Okay, I feel like I can do an impact here. Um. And so with environmental you know, media association, which you know I chair, Uh, it's it's been so great,

And it was really young. I was probably twenties five or twenty six when I moved to LA and I was at a dinner party and the CEO of the EMAS was there and they gave a presentation like, oh my gosh, I never, I never, I never really cared about the planet. Sadly, I just did not care. I didn't know what the problems were. I remember the ozone you know, hole that we had in the eighties that we all you know got together and fixed that, but I didn't realize how dangerous it was getting for our planet.

Can you see out of the bullshit? Right? Like so much, but I also find it challenging. And this isn't I'm not even going to give a disclaimer to me saying and not you. It was just something on TikTok with Rihanna saying, like I used to use a lot of wipes and no more. I have to care about this planet. But then I'm thinking about fenty beauty and all the plastic and all the stuff, and is it all refillable? And I'm not even judging her, but like, there's a

lot of bullshit. You're not using wipes but you're producing endless plastic shit that all these people are buying, you know, all this stuff. So I'm just saying, everybody's talking out of both sides of their mouth with the environment, and every little bit does help, but it's the big things that we have to go after first. You know, all these huge corporations with their carbon emissions, and it really

kind of it starts with Congress too. I mean, it's really trying to get all these bills passed, and you know how impossible that is, you know, I mean we you know, had the last president in place, we couldn't do anything at Ama. We couldn't even really post things like, they would not allow us to do anything. They were so environment because you know, climate changes is a fraud,

you know. They although we have every single bit of information about how this planet is warming way too quickly and it's basically passed the point of no return at this point. But the fact that people can't see physically all these crazy storms and what's happening to this planet. Oh my, you should talk to my partner Michael, who's in Turkey and Syria doing relief work, and he told me we were in Guatemala, it was after Hurricane Mario.

We had done a lot of work there, and then we were in Guatemala there was all volcano erupted and he said as if he was like, no stre damas. I'm gonna give Michael Caponi the credit. He said, we are about to see a series of storms and weather patterns the likes that we have never seen. Because I started relief work with Hurricane Harvey and that was a big Katrina, and then Hurricane Harvey that was a big deal. Then people thought that was a big deal. That's nothing.

Now like literally, oh Harvey, it was nothing compared to area. Then there were fires in our store. I'm just saying it's been a very weird, energetic world weather disaster pattern time. It's like these aren't headlines because there are too many.

There have been too many storms and things like that. Well, when you do disaster relief, you're so you're happy, but you feel like a loser because like it's not even a drop in the bucket and you twenty million dollars in aid right now in Turkey and you still feel like doing anything like we do and we are, but like it's hard, so you must feel like are we doing anything we're doing it, but are we It must be very defeating in a way as inspiring it is.

It really is. And the older you get in your priority, especially like having kids, it's like, do I have the energy to do this anymore? It's like, now, can the younger generation pickup where we left and just take over? Because it's just so tiring, so tiring. Well, that's the thing. You have to make sure that other people will do it the same passion as you have, because I used to go to every single disaster and then Paul would say to me and I'd say, it's it's not right.

I'm not right now in Ukraine, but we've raised millions and millions I have raised, and He's like, I don't think the president of Coca Cola needs to be putting every all the syrup in the bottles. Like I actually feel guilty because today I'm on Fox News talking about Turkey and raising money and my entire team is there. I'm not there, but they are doing God's work and I'm just now the sort of messenger manager, the head of the whole thing. And I feel tremendous guilt about

it because I feel like I'm it's I'm an impostor. No, well that's definitely not true. I mean, what do you have done for these disasters is just insane, And there needs to be that person that manages it all. You don't have to be the person on the front line. I know you get it though, you get what I'm saying, of course, Yeah, yeah, I understand that guilt for sure. But yeah, but the one person that's there is obviously not going to be as effective as here. But anyway, affective,

who cares? I mean I care? But okay, so what else are you working on now? Like what if I had to if I ran into you, if I was on a plane with you and said, like, what do you do? What would you say? Like, what do you? What's your job now? Well, I mean basically TV and film has been my baby for a while. Have lots of films being made right now, a lot of TV shows that you're acting in or producing also, Oh, kind of back and forth. I can't decide. Every time. I'm like,

you know what, I love being behind the camera. This is like where I belong. I love this, I love creating. And then all of a sudden I'll get like all these offers for like these movies and like, well, okay, I guess I'm gonna be an actor this year. But honestly, I love it all. So as long as I can do both, I'm very happy. So, and what kind of

characters are you playing? Are you ever playing yourself? A lot of the time, I mean, especially with TV, they're like, oh, we want you to do you know, blah blah blah blah blah, And I'm like, great, what's the character? Like? Oh, yourself, but the exaggerated version of yourself. I'm like, okay, I've played the aerated version of myself I don't know how many times, but this year is gonna be yourself? Isn't even yourself anymore? Like anymore? Yeah? I don't. It's a

character that's so funny. Very few people are like the caricature of themselves. That's really interesting. I mean, it's so true. But this year I do have a couple of movies, great comedies that I actually get to really act in, so that'll that'll be fun. And then I've just been loving going back in front of the microphone. You know, I've had radio shows before, but with Froust to Tips, it's going to be It's been really fun. But also we're getting into scripted podcast which is kind of the

new thing. And as a producer, it's really fun because you can take your ideas that you create and write, you can make a scripted podcast of us, so you actually get to hear what it is and then take that to the studio and be like, well, here's the show you cant No. One of my favorites is coming

out now. Yeah. It's called The Last Soviet and it's a scripted podcast about a true story about the this cosmonaut who was stuck in space when communism fell And oh wow, fascinating to like just to relive that history through my cosmonaut's eyes and show you, like just how everything is so political, even space. But that has been very it's such a great show. What is a cosmonaut? A cosmonaut is a Russian astronaut, So oh okay, oh okay,

got it. Wow, that's I like that. That's so interesting. Yeah, And you didn't mention music, which is so funny because and I read in some of the research I did that people always ask you about the getting the band back together. And I did see at the Backstreet Boys at the iHeart Awards and I did think of you and this and think, wait, why that was so? It was the best part of the jingle ball. It was so iconic and so fun and can't be in alive? And I thought, and what is the answer? You will

guys will do that? Or now? I mean, who knows? We've been talking about it for twenty years, And I mean, well, why who? Why don't you organize it? That's so you? Um, you would think I'd be the one, but no, I'm so music really burnt me out, Like I didn't have the best experience in the music industry. So I just kind of cut that out. And with my guys, like we're very all five of us, very opinionated. It's like herding cats with us. It is very, very hard to

get us decide on anything. Let me ask you a stupid question. What would have to be decided upon? Like, aren't wouldn't there just be a series of events Like wouldn't you guys just say, yeah, of course, we're gonna perform together at the Irheart Awards and perform these songs that we've all performed together. Yeah, Like and does it have to be with everybody? Like what if if? So let's say justin didn't want to do it obviously, or maybe like what does he have to be in it?

It's just you know, one guy thinks that you know, they're purist, it has to be all five and you know, I don't think that. Do you think that the Beatles have had multiple different members and the Rolling Stones? No? No, I mean I don't think that at all. I mean every single band it has different iterations, is you know right? They get legacy bands always do that. Um. But yeah,

and this is giving people what they want. This is effectively it could be almost none of you in it, but it happens to have you like you want to give them what they want. You could almost be the caricature versions of yourself doing it. Yes, I mean we could be holograms at this point. Just you know, the fantais want to hear the music and see the dancing. I would love. I'm literally calling connal Burne from iHeart and saying, can you please get them get them back

together because the iHeart Awards. I mean, I don't say never, say never, but I think it's exhausting. It's not one night, it's a whole thing. And well, and that's the thing. If we did it again. It would have to be world tour, new album, like it would be fully exhausting to be a one off thing. So yeah, that's so true. Yeah, but let me ask you, is Backstreet Boys making fuck you money or just good money? Major fuck you money?

So that's the thing, And thank god because just like us, they got screwed through Lou Proman right, and by the time their career started kind of going down, they were finally making money. But then, you know, it wasn't the hype that it was. Now I think Back You boys are kind of at the peak they've ever been right now, totally dude. Yeah, and they own their stuff, they're planning their tours. I mean, they are making some time, but I respect you not caring that much. You know the

money they're making. And you're like me with the guy who said to me, let's build this and let's do that, and you're going tour, you do the weekend with Bethany, I'm like, no, I'm exhausted listening. So you're never going to get the time back with your twins. It's in fact, you won't get back. Its true. So that's why you're saying it this way. You have you have a beautiful home, you have a beautiful relationship. And the blue vase behind you, I believe is a Baker raw vase because I have

it in clear. And this is a crazy story, and then I'll let you go. I had fourteen foot ceilings in my old department and that vase was on a top shelf, just decorative, like it's on your table. And I heard a stud in the other room, like an earthquake, and I went in the other bedroom in Soho and that vase was on the floor with a giant dent and those ridges in the floor, and the vase did not break. Oh yeah, that thinks surdy. I have a big purple one too over there. But how crazy is that? Yeah?

So anyway, that's what you used exactly. Um, well, now I do know you better, Lance, So did you ever? Are you still friends of Lisa Vanderpump she's our my kids? Stop? Oh you're really good friends with her? Oh yeah, yeah. We live real close to each other. Her daughter Pandora had a kid just at the same time we did, so we have weekly play dates and we have music together.

So yeah, so we're very very in our in each other's lives and it wasn't really, because I always thought it was because you were a big Housewives fan, but not you don't even it's not because of that, No, I mean I knew Lisa before she was on the house. I'm the one who told Andy, look, remember this name, Lisa vanderp you need to put her own freaking bed, like because they were just putting Beverly Hills together. I'm like, you're going to remember this name. I didn't know that,

Oh I did. I thought you were a fan and that's why. Oh, that's amazing, because a Housewife fan, like, let's started dating him. I watch every every iteration of house Okay, well one day we'll do rewives and we'll do an episode that Lisa was in, because yeah, and he could be. He could be. He can chime in. Um, Lance, You're amazing. It's so nice to talk to you, and I'm really am excited to have heard about your life like now to know you better. Yeah, definitely. Well, it's

always good to see Bethany, you too. We'll kiss the babies. Tell us I said hello, and have a wonderful day. That was Lance Bass And the show never ceases to amaze me. And to be honest, just be on like rewives, there's different types of research. With rewives, you watch an episode and then break it down with someone and it's really usually about the two of you versus the episode. With just B, you're I'm doing homework too, and I

don't do homework in my life. So with just B, I print out information about the people and learn about them. And you know, I thought Lance Bass was friends with Lisa vander Brump because of the House, so I was nothing of the sort. I thought he was like a super fan of House, So I was that type of campy thing. Nothing of the sort. He's so calm, he's so not extra, you know, he is a character of himself. And that's why I love the show because it just

I get to really get a sense of people. And I say it a Paul in my fiance when we're at dinner, I'm like, I actually know Lance Bass now from the show. I know Cheryl Hines now, and it makes me happy because I feel like I become friends with them because we're talking for so long. Even though I've known Kelly Ripper for a year, is talking her on the show. I got to know her way better from just listening to her life and knowing what her mom was like and things like that. So I love this,

so thank you so much. Remember to rate, review and subscribe, and I appreciate you listening, and have an amazing day.