Overview
- Nick Lachey says someone at the group’s label gave 98 Degrees a book listing each state’s age of consent early in their touring years, and they kept it on the bus.
- Lachey frames the guide as a safeguard to avoid breaking the law on the road, saying performers faced pressure and people looking to tear them down.
- U.S. age-of-consent rules vary by state from 16 to 18, and federal law can set 18 in interstate or federal contexts, so legal risk could change from stop to stop.
- The disclosure appears in Investigation Discovery’s Boy Band Confidential, executive produced by *NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and featuring first-hand accounts from era peers.
- Coverage also notes tight finances and boundary-crossing fans, with Lachey recalling a modest Motown advance and Jeff Timmons saying fans even slipped onto their tour bus.