'That was the most fun, welcoming basket': NSYNC's Lance Bass opens up about Elton John’s gift after he came out in 2006

American singer and dancer Lance Bass opened up about the time he came out in 2006, in an interview with PEOPLE on April 12, 2024. Bass recalled being nervous at first when he was about to come out as g*y, so many years back. He also talked about a gift he then received from British singer Elton John.

Lance Bass talked about the gift and said,

"I'm like, ‘I'm in!’ I thought that was the most fun, welcoming basket you could ever get."

Lance Bass is now married to Michael Turchin since 2014, and also have two children. Recalling the time before he came out, Bass said that he was scared that this move might just end his career.

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NSYNC singer Lance Bass recalls the moments when he came out and also received a gift from Elton John for "joining the club"

44-year-old musician Lance Bass talked about the time in 2006 when he came out as g*y in the interview. He mentioned being very skeptical about whether to come clean about his s*xuality back then. Bass said,

"Of course there were rumors, but that was also at a time where social media wasn't so much of a thing and you could actually have more of a private life. No one was taking pictures everywhere you went. So it was kind of easy for me to live this kind of private life.”

He stated that due to the lack of immense popularity of social media, he still lived a normal life even though some rumors were flying around. Bass further added that he was dating a guy then and his friends were aware of it. According to the singer, he didn't feel his s*xuality could be a hot topic of discussion.

Bass talked about Elton John, and said,

"The most fun thing I got after I came out was a nice gift basket — I think on my front step — and it was from Elton John basically saying, ‘Welcome to the club.'"

Bass also opened up about the moment he received the gift basket from Elton, and said,

"I was like, 'Wow, I got a welcome basket from the king of the g*y mafia.'"

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Bass mentioned that he was scared of his career getting a hit after coming out

The singer recalled the first incident when he opened up to a stranger about being g*y. This was when Bass was on a vacation in Provincetown, Massachusetts. A man recognized him and then asked him if he was g*y and he replied positively.

The stranger, who in fact was a journalist, got this published in the tabloid soon. Eventually, people came up with several speculations which took a toll on him. This prompted Bass to come clean about his s*xuality. Bass recalled being scared for both his family and professional life, as to how they will be impacted by this decision of coming out.

During that time, NSYNC also reached the peak of its success, before its members went along on solo projects. Bass talked about Ellen DeGeneres, whose career was badly affected after she came out as a l*sbian. He said,

"I saw how she was treated. I'm like, ‘Oh, Lord have mercy. That's horrible.'"

The singer and his then-boyfriend Reichen Lehmkuhl decided to keep quiet for a while after coming out in an exclusive 2006 interview with PEOPLE. Lance Bass stated that he was quite anxious to witness the reaction to his action.

While Bass lost the sitcom that he was supposed to do then, he mostly received support and positivity from people all around. He added:

"Once I was able to see that reaction, it made me feel so good that I wasn't going to be hated."

Lance Bass' career after the revelation, was anything but a failure. He lost the sitcom but his autobiography Out of Sync became a New York Times best seller in 2007. Bass expressed his gratitude for having an amazing life with a loving husband, two children, an amazing family, and a succeeding career.