Lance Bass got candid about previously losing major projects because he was ‘too famous for being gay.’
The 45-year-old former NSYNC boyband member claimed he had ‘lost everything’ when he first came out as a gay man in a People Magazine cover story back in 2006 — four years after the pop group had disbanded.
On Thursday while appearing on the Politickin’ podcast with Gov. Gavin Newsom, Marshawn Lynch and Doug Hendrickson, Bass revealed he had been previously cast in a CW sitcom but the project was cut when he had gone public with his sexuality.
‘We were about to shoot the pilot and this came out and they were like, “We can’t do the show anymore.” They believe that you’re straight to play a straight character,’ the vocalist recalled of the time.
Bass was a member of the infamous band from 1995 until its broke up in 2002 due to Justin Timberlake’s pursuit of a solo career. NSYNC found success due to the primarily female fandom it yielded. Aside Bass and Timberlake, other members included Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez and Joey Fatone.
And when the Mississippi native came out, he said executives told him: ‘I don’t know what we can do with you now.’
Lance Bass got candid about previously losing major projects because he was ‘too famous for being gay’; seen in November
He explained on the podcast: ‘Every casting director I knew, they’re like, “Lance, we can’t cast you because they can’t look past — you’re too famous for being gay now that they can’t look at you as anything other than that.”‘
‘I had to completely just restart and rebrand at that moment,’ Bass added.
Despite the nightmare news, the Bye Bye Bye singer went on to launch a successful acting career and continued to make music after NSYNC’s demise.
He has starred in various films and TV shows including I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Handy Manny, Gravity Falls, On The Line and Finding Prince Charming among others.
Now, Bass says he has no hard feelings toward executives and agents who previously gave him the cold-shoulder as some have gone back on their stances.
He said, ‘Lot of the casting directors for sure, they’re all kinda like, “Yeah, that was really dumb.” They’ve actually cast me a lot of things since, which is really funny and ironic. But I never hold grudges at all. I get it.’
The multihyphenate has been married to actor Michael Turchin since 2014 — the pair are slated to ring in a decade of marriage on Friday, December 20.
Their Los Angeles nuptials made history as it marked the first same-sex marriage ceremony to be aired on national television.
The 45-year-old former NSYNC boyband member claimed he had ‘lost everything’ when he first came out as a gay man in 2006 — four years after the pop group had disbanded; seen in 2018
The multihyphenate has been married to actor Michael Turchin since 2014; seen in November
Back in 2021, the love birds welcomed twins Violet and Alexander via surrogate; seen in October
Back in 2021, the love birds welcomed twins Violet and Alexander via surrogate.
Both Bass and Turchin, 37, frequently show off their family-of-four and sweet moments they share together on their respective social media profiles.
Earlier this year, the Walking on Air singer revealed he and his husband’s secret to their healthy, long-lasting marriage.
He told People in April that being their true self with one another is their key to a loving relationship.
Bass said: ‘It’s just [being] understanding, letting them be who they are and not trying to change someone.
‘I think you are who you are and you just gotta accept them the way they are.’
The hitmaker continued, ‘There’s beauty in the differences that you have, and we have lots of differences that intrigue me … I think that’s why I was so attracted to [Turchin] in the first place, was that we had such different lives and different talents.’
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