Nick Lachey Says 98 Degrees Carried ‘Age of Consent’ Guide on Tour Bus During the Early Years [WATCH]

Nick Lachey says the members of 98 Degrees kept a book outlining age-of-consent laws across the United States while touring in the group’s early years, a decision he acknowledged now “sounds super shady.”

As Page Six reported, Lachey made the remarks in the upcoming documentary “Boy Band Confidential,” produced by Joey Fatone of *NSYNC.

The documentary is set to premiere April 13 on Roku. Lachey appeared alongside fellow group members Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons, and Justin Jeffre, who were between the ages of 21 and 24 when the group first toured in 1999.

“This 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,” Lachey said.

“And, like, we kept that book on the tour bus.”

He explained that the book was intended to help the group avoid legal issues while on the road.

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“Unfortunately, there were people out there looking to tear you down,” Lachey added.

In the documentary, Lachey also described the group’s financial situation after signing with Motown, noting that the band received a limited advance and took a cautious approach to spending.

“98 Degrees, we signed with Motown and we got a very nominal advance on our contract,” he said.

“We knew that all expenses were recoupable and so we took the opposite approach [from other bands]. ‘Hey, we’re not paying for anything. We’ll take a break, go around the corner to Wendy’s, and go back to the studio.’”

Rather than relying on private transportation, Lachey said the group often used public transit following late-night recording sessions in New York.

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“At the end of the session at 4:00 a.m., we’re not going to get a car service back to Brooklyn,” he said.

“We’ll 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.”

Lachey also addressed the expectations placed on artists during that period, saying there was little flexibility for performers to step away from touring commitments.

“You’ll see a Justin Bieber cancel a tour,” he said.

“You’ll see a Shawn Mendes cancel a tour because ‘my mental health needs to come first.’ That was not an option when we were out there. You 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. But you didn’t bow out. You work so hard to get there, you can’t let your foot off the gas.”

Jeff Timmons also discussed fan behavior in a separate documentary, “Larger than Life: Reign of the Boybands,” released in November 2024. He described instances where fans gained unauthorized access to restricted areas.

“Fans would sneak on our tour bus, and we wouldn’t even know they were there until the next city,” Timmons said.

“We ordered room service, and they were in the room service cart and popped out.”

He added, “Some things are a little too crazy to talk about.”

Formed in the mid-1990s, 98 Degrees became known for songs including “Because of You,” “The Hardest Thing,” and “I Do (Cherish You),” gaining popularity alongside other groups such as *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.

The group reduced activity in the early 2000s as members pursued individual projects before later reuniting for tours.

Lachey married singer Jessica Simpson in 2002, and the pair later appeared on the reality television series “Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica” before divorcing in 2006.

He later married Vanessa Lachey in 2011, and the couple currently hosts the show “Love Is Blind.”

According to reports, Lachey and Simpson recently encountered one another on a flight to Hawaii, where both were on the same plane and avoided interaction.

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