Former ‘NSYNC singer Lance Bass said that he believes ex-Bachelor star Colton Underwood will face backlash from the gay community for trying to cash in on his coming out to Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts on April 14.
Lance spoke to Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti for their podcast Almost Famous where he expressed his feelings.
In the interview, the former boy bander said that the news that Colton is in development with Netflix for a series about his life as a gay man could backfire.
“This gay community is very diverse, but we can also be very fickle,” Lance said to Ben and Ashley.
“He’s definitely gonna get a lot of backlash from the community at first. Not the majority, but there is a small percentage of the community that’s just gonna not like the fact that he came out this way, that he’s monetizing the experience. They don’t think he deserves this attention and one of those reasons is, and this is what I experienced when I came out… when you first come out, most people have no clue about the LGBT community.”
Lance came out in 2006 on the cover of People Magazine after reports he was gay were published by gossip blogger Perez Hilton reported Today.
Lance said that Colton may face some challenges
Lance said to Ben and Ashley that Colton may not know how to navigate this new aspect of his celebrity.
“They don’t know what the issues are because they’ve been so separated from that on purpose. So when someone comes out as a public figure, so many people immediately go, ‘It’s too late,’” said Lance.
“They don’t like to support it because they don’t feel like you know what you’re talking about yet. But I don’t think Colton is trying to lead that charge of trying to be the spokesperson for the LGBTQ community,” he admitted.
Lance related to Colton’s unique situation
The former boy bander admitted that he too was afraid of revealing his truth to the public because ‘NSYNC made a career of off a huge female following and he had to portray himself as being straight when in fact, he struggled with his sexuality for many years.
“90% of my fans were women, and they all thought I was straight. I made my money off women and singing about love and using that market. So me coming out, it was scary… cause now everyone is gonna see me as a liar,” he penned.
Colton also found fame in a television franchise that caters to female viewers who become very invested in the relationships they see portrayed on the series.
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus.