Nick Lachey says 98 Degrees kept a book listing age-of-consent laws on their tour bus during their early days on the road \u2014 a move, he admits, that \u201csounds super shady\u201d in hindsight.<\/p>\n
Lachey, alongside his brother Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre, made up the \u201890s pop group<\/a>, who were between the ages of 21 and 24 when they first went on tour in 1999. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is going to sound super shady, but when we first went out, I remember our first tour, someone at the label gave us a book, and it was the age of consent in every state in the country,\u201d Lachey recalls in the new ID documentary \u201cBoy Band Confidential,\u201d<\/a> produced by *NSYNC\u2019s Joey Fatone.<\/p>\n 98 Degrees members Nick and Drew Lachey, with Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre, circa 1995. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, like, we kept that book on the tour bus.\u201d<\/p>\n Explaining that the age-of-consent book was meant as a safeguard to keep them out of trouble, Lachey adds: \u201cUnfortunately, there were people out there looking to tear you down.\u201d<\/p>\n Lachey reveals in the documentary \u2014 premiering April 13 on Roku \u2014 that while the band was surrounded by adoring fans, their financial reality was far less glamorous after signing with Motown, forcing them to be deliberate about spending.<\/p>\n Nick Lachey said the group kept a book listing age-of-consent laws on their tour bus during their early days on the road. GC Images<\/p>\n \u201c98 Degrees, we signed with Motown and we got a very nominal advance on our contract,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew that all expenses were recoupable and so we took the opposite approach [from other bands].<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Hey, we\u2019re not paying for anything. We\u2019ll take a break, go around the corner to Wendy\u2019s, and go back to the studio.’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Instead of luxury perks, the group stuck to basics and often relied on public transportation after long nights recording in New York.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the session at 4:00 a.m., we\u2019re not going to get a car service back to Brooklyn,\u201d Lachey adds.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll take the A train back to Brooklyn, in the middle of winter. The four of us, at 4 in the morning, standing in the subway station.\u201d<\/p>\n 98 Degrees performing on \u201cLive with Kelly and Mark\u201d on May 9, 2025. Disney via Getty Images<\/p>\n Lachey also points to the intense pressure of the era, claiming artists were expected to push through regardless of how they were feeling, with little room for breaks.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see a Justin Bieber cancel a tour,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see a Shawn Mendes cancel a tour because \u2018my mental health needs to come first.\u2019 That was not an option when we were out there.<\/p>\n 98 Degrees at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards in Los Angeles, California on May 9, 2000. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cYou went out there and you did the show and you came back after the show and you broke down and you cried and you kicked a hole in the wall, or you did whatever you had to do.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you didn\u2019t bow out. You work so hard to get there, you can\u2019t let your foot off the gas.\u201d<\/p>\n In November 2024, Timmons said fan behavior could cross the line at times, recalling how people would sneak into spaces they weren\u2019t supposed to be.<\/p>\n Lachey said canceling a tour over mental health was not an option in the \u201990s. SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cFans would sneak on our tour bus and we wouldn\u2019t even know they were there until the next city,\u201d Timmons said in the documentary \u201cLarger than Life: Reign of the Boybands.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe ordered room service and they were in the room service cart and popped out.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cSome things are a little too crazy to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n Lachey now hosts \u201cLove Is Blind\u201d with his wife of 15 years, Vanessa Lachey. Getty Images<\/p>\n Formed in the mid-1990s, 98 Degrees broke through with hits like \u201cBecause of You,\u201d \u201cThe Hardest Thing\u201d and \u201cI Do (Cherish You),\u201d becoming one of the era\u2019s biggest boy bands alongside *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.<\/p>\n They slowed down in the early 2000s as members pursued solo projects, effectively going on hiatus before later reuniting for tours.<\/p>\n Lachey married pop singer Jessica Simpson in 2002, and the pair became reality TV stars with \u201cNewlyweds: Nick & Jessica\u201d before divorcing in 2006.\u00a0<\/p>\n He is now married to Vanessa Lachey, having tied the knot in 2011, and the two host \u201cLove Is Blind\u201d together<\/a>.<\/p>\n