Lance Bass reveals *NSYNC was sexually harassed by someone close (VIDEO)

Lance Bass recently appeared on The Meredith Vieira Show to talk about sexual harassment and revealed the topic hits much closer to home than we ever could have expected.

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Bass said he was touched inappropriately by someone close to *NSYNC when he was just a teenager. And that not just he, but all the guys of *NSYNC, experienced this person’s pedophilia.

“When I was 16/17 years old, when we [*NSYNC] started, there was someone that we worked with that was inappropriately touching us. And I was even aware then, at 16, that this guy was a pedophile, and he was touching me oddly. But I didn’t feel victimized at the time because I was very aware of it, but it happens to us, too.”

Bass said he and his *NSYNC bandmates never said anything to an adult, though they would, “kind of joke about it” with each other. Though he now realizes it wasn’t a joking matter at all.

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“As a kid, it was odd,” Bass added, “but I’m glad that we were aware of it, and we didn’t feel victimized at the time.”

Of course, it’s unclear just how far this “inappropriate touching” went without any clarification or who, exactly, was making the boy band feel uncomfortable. But it just highlights the continued problem with the current culture and the prevalence of inappropriate sexual advances. Even this huge, megastar boy band wasn’t protected from that kind of thing. And it’s something that everyone should take note of. Clearly, the need for change has been a long time coming. And Bass speaking out about his experience and encouraging others to do the same is the first step.

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Watch the segment with Bass below.

Are you surprised to hear that even the members of *NSYNC were sexually harassed as teenagers?