Lou Pearlman was responsible for making boy bands like Nsync and the Backstreet Boys successful in the 1990s. By 1998, though, members of the "I Want It That Way" group started to ask questions about the amount of money they were receiving for their work. They have since sued Pearlman multiple times, the first lawsuit alleging that they only made $300,000 after a tour that raked in millions for his company. In a new clip for Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of documentary, the group visit Pearlman's old house -- the one that their hard work likely helped pay for.
"We were being taken advantage of and no one was looking out for us," Brian Littrell says in the clip below via Vulture. The tension is palpable in the video -- just look at Nick Carter knawing on his fingernails. There's no actual confrontation in the trailer, though, because Pearlman's other shady business practices landed him in prison in 2007. He was convicted of running a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme that earned him 25 years in the slammer. His release date in March 2029.
"This is where the old bastard lived right before he went to prison," Kevin Richardson says before A.J. McLean adds that he's now living in a tiny cell.
According to an interview with Pearlman in January, he was supposed to make an appearance in the Backstreet Boys doc.
"The Backstreet Boys were planning on coming here to film me for their new movie," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "We were going to interact, but unfortunately the warden didn't approve it."
Once the boys decided to sue Pearlman, they also found out that he was legally a sixth member of the group. In all, Pearlman was pulling in money as the group's manager, producer and creative member. Nsync also went after Pearlman following the Backstreet Boys lawsuit.
Show 'Em What You're Made Of is due out Jan. 30.
