Lance Bass Says He Earned Just $35 a Day at the Height of *NSYNC’s Fame

Lance Bass has detailed just how little he says he earned during *NSYNC ’s rise, claiming he was paid a per diem of $35 a day while the group was one of the biggest acts in the world.

Speaking on The Zach Sang Show , the 47-year-old singer said the money didn’t match the band’s success.

“We had a per diem: $35 a day,” Bass said.

“Our first check was a $10,000 check after years of No.

1 albums, sellout tours.

I don’t know how many millions I made off of merchandise, because merchandise was insane.” He recalled being told to be grateful for the $10,000: “You should be grateful for that.

You’ve been working for free for two, three years now.” Bass — who rose to fame alongside Justin Timberlake , JC Chasez , Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone — pushed back on the perception that the group made him wealthy.

“People think I’m so filthy rich from *NSYNC, but no,” he said.

“Not at all.

I didn’t make money with *NSYNC, like, hardly at all.” He said he still receives residuals, but “it’s not much,” and that he earned far more after the band went on hiatus in 2002.

He alleged that the bulk of the money went elsewhere, claiming “the label” and the group’s late manager, Lou Pearlman, “made a f–k ton.” Pearlman, the impresario behind *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys , was convicted in 2008 of money laundering, conspiracy and bankruptcy fraud in connection with a long-running Ponzi scheme; he died in prison in 2016.

Asked whether he still carried resentment, Bass said “not anymore,” though he maintained he had been shortchanged.

“No one set us up for life after that,” he said.

The claims stand in stark contrast to *NSYNC’s commercial record.