Former Disney teen star exposes chilling warning signs of predatory behavior in Hollywood
Former boy band members Ricky Garcia and Lance Bass are shedding light on the dark side of the entertainment industry, warning that young artists are often targeted by predators who exploit fame, money and power.
Garcia, 28, who starred on the Disney show "Best Friends Whenever," was a member of the boy band Forever in Your Mind. Bass, 46, rose to global stardom alongside Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick as members of *NSYNC, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
Both singers appeared in the new Investigation Discovery docuseries "Boy Band Confidential," which explores the highs and lows of boy band fame.
"Boy Band Confidential" premiered April 13 and 14 on Investigation Discovery.
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During an interview with Fox News Digital at the docuseries' premiere, Garcia, who previously won a multi-million dollar sexual abuse lawsuit against his former manager, issued a warning about predatory behavior in show business.
"I think it's the number one focus that people in the industry should be aware of," he said. "It seems like it's all glitz and glamor to people, but the reality is there's people that are abusing others."
"They use power, money, fame — all of it," Garcia continued. "Like cars and houses and money."
"I think that is very enticing and people use that against somebody that's very vulnerable, very fresh in the industry so I would be on the lookout for that," he added.
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Garcia went on to say that artists examine their purpose for aspiring to careers in the entertainment industry.
"Like, 'Do you love the music or are you just trying to be famous?'" he said.
Reflecting on his own experience, Garcia identified early red flags for young artists and their families.
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"I think the warning signs particularly is being isolated or being treated special," he said. "I'm just speaking for myself too, that was my experience. I was very isolated and I was picked off and...I was treated very specially."
WATCH HERE: FORMER BOY BAND MEMBER RICKY GARCIA EXPOSES HOW PREDATORS TARGET YOUNG STARS IN THE INDUSTRY
"If somebody is just treating you super nice and doing the dinners and doing all the fancy things for you, I would say that's not a great sign," Garcia continued. "It feels good in the moment, but you have to think about, 'OK, why is this person treating you this way? I don't really know them, so there must be a hidden motive.'"
"It's hard, because you wanna trust people, you wanna love people, but there's always a hidden agenda, especially for agents and managers and there has to be a very clear boundary, I think, with family and parents and even guardians," he said. "You need to know who is your safe person to talk to. There has to be really big communication."
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While speaking with Fox News Digital, Bass also shared his advice for how people can protect themselves against potential predators.
"There's going to be predators everywhere no matter what business you're in — they are everywhere," he said. "So we have to be our own advocate for all of that — our family, our friends, our inner circle — we all have to be on the lookout for each other."
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"Just rely on your family and your circle but just know that you're always — someone's always coming after you," Bass added. "No matter what it is — someone's coming after you."
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Bass, who shares twins Alexander and Violet with his husband Michael Turchin, also offered guidance for parents whose children want to pursue careers in the entertainment industry.
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"Parents know that you're not the star," he said. "Listen to your kid, make sure that they are getting enough rest and also find an entertainment lawyer, not just a lawyer, an entertainment lawyer to protect yourself."
In 2019, Garcia filed a lawsuit against his former manager, Joby Harte, alleging he was groomed and sexually abused over several years beginning when he was 12-years-old. In court documents obtained by People magazine and the Hollywood Reporter at the time, Garcia stated that Harte sexually assaulted and raped him "dozens of times" while he was a teenager. Garcia also said that Harte groomed him to be a "sexual plaything that could be passed around his friends in the business."
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The case went to trial, and in March 2024, a Los Angeles jury found Harte liable for childhood sexual abuse, gender violence and intentional infliction of emotional misery. Garcia was awarded $5.5 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Garcia reflected on coming forward about the abuse he suffered and how he feels years after sharing his story.
"I think I'm stronger than ever, honestly," he said. "It wasn't even just me, it was people around me, my family, my friends, my wife, who were able to give me strength to be vocal about it. To put a perspective in place to where like, 'Hey, this is not just about you.' It's hard to share, but those are some of the most freeing things that you can do is opening up about just all the hard things — bad, good, ugly, all of it."
"And you gotta think about you're saving somebody's life," Garcia continued. "You're preventing somebody from going through what you've been through. So if you can save one person from going though that suffering, then I think you've won."
"Boy Band Confidential" also explores the legacy of disgraced manager Lou Pearlman, the talent manager behind some of the biggest boy bands including the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC.
Pearlman created and managed *NSYNC in the 1990s, maintaining control over the band's contracts, finances and career direction.
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In 1999, *NSYNC sued Pearlman for fraud, misrepresentation and financial exploitation, alleging they were underpaid while he took a disproportionate share of their earnings. The case was settled out of court, with Pearlman receiving a payment to release *NSYNC from their contract, and they later signed with Jive Records.
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In the early 2000s, Pearlman was accused of running a massive Ponzi scheme and he was charged with conspiracy, money laundering and making false claims in bankruptcy in 2007. Pearlman was later convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison, where he died in 2016 of cardiac arrest at the age of 62.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Bass recalled how he and his fellow bandmates persevered in their efforts to break free from Pearlman's control.
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"I think all good usually rises to the top and, you know, you just had to wait for that moment," he said. "We had a lot of things thrown at us, a lot of wrenches in our career, but it only made us stronger, braver, and I don't think I'd be here today if I didn't go through that adversity."
The "Dancing with the Stars" alum also shared his thoughts on revisiting his experience with Pearlman during the height of *NSYNC's fame while participating in "Boy Band Confidential."
"Looking back at things, especially shows like this and I see old footage of myself — I hardly recognize myself," he said. "I mean, that was many years ago, but I do see in my eyes a lot of the struggle that I was going through, being put in a business like this and with the market that we had, it was a little joke on me."
Bass continued, "I see sadness, but also see a lot of happiness too of what I got to go through. I was so lucky to be able to be put in that position and come out of it like this. So I don't regret any of it."
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During his interview with Fox News Digital, Garcia reflected on what he hopes viewers of "Boy Band Confidential" take away from the docuseries.
"I think what I'm excited for the viewers to see is just a little more in-depth, maybe they're seeing some of their favorite artists get vulnerable, and I think we can all appreciate when somebody is willing to just break down the barriers and just open up about things that were really hard to share and even good things like the good memories," he said.
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"There's a vulnerability that I think a lot of the fans and the viewers, even including myself — I'm a fan and also an artist, and it's a beautiful thing," Garcia continued. "I'm just very excited to see the fans. I'm excited to see their reactions."
Bass, who told Fox News Digital that his former bandmate Fatone persuaded him to take part in the docuseries, said he hoped audiences would recognize that there were both negative and positive aspects to the boy band era.
"It's a great cautionary tale for anyone going into the music industry, especially at our age," he said. "And I hope this is gonna be more of a celebration of what we all went through."
"It's fun club that we all kind of joined, and it'll be nice to kind of see how everyone saw it as they grew up," Bass added.