Lance Bass, formerly of boyband ‘N Sync, spoke on Wednesday about being sexually harassed as a teenager by a music industry executive. His comments, shared during a daytime American chat show, were part of a discussion on Ashley Judd’s recent statements that she was allegedly sexually harassed by a Hollywood film executive.
“This happens to men, too,” Bass said, on The Meredith Vieira Show. “It has happened to me. When I was 16, 17 years old, there was someone that we worked with that was inappropriately touching us. I was even aware then, at 16, that this guy was a paedophile and he was touching me oddly.”
“I didn’t feel victimised at the time, because I was very aware of it,” he continued.
Asked whether he spoke out about the incidents of sexual harassment, Bass said no. “I mean, with the guys we would talk about,” Bass said, referring to his bandmates — who included Justin Timberlake. “We would kinda joke about it — but it’s not a joking thing. As a kid, it was odd.”
Like Judd, Bass did not name the person who he alleged had touched him inappropriately.
Bass joined Vieira’s NBCUniversal show as a pop culture contributor in May. He has been a regular radio presenter since 2011 and his daily SiriusXM radio show, Dirty Pop with Lance Bass, has run since July 2012.
“I’m glad that we were aware of it and didn’t feel victimised at the time,” he concluded.
— Guardian News & Media Ltd
