Nick Lachey has revealed that during the early years of 98 Degrees, the band kept a guidebook with age-of-consent laws on their tour bus.
The pop star, now 49, admitted that in hindsight, the decision to carry the book, which listed the legal age of consent in every state ‘sounds super shady.’
Lachey, who formed the ‘90s boy band alongside his brother Drew, Jeff Timmons, and Justin Jeffre, says the group was just starting out in 1999, with members aged between 21 and 24, when the controversial guidebook came into play.
‘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 recalled in the upcoming documentary Boy Band Confidential.
‘And, like, we kept that book on the tour bus,’ he added, claiming it was a precautionary measure to avoid any potential legal trouble, as there were ‘people out there looking to tear you down.’
Lachey also appeared to take a shot at today’s pop stars, noting how boy band members had to push through personal struggles – unlike stars like Justin Bieber, who now openly address mental health issues.
Nick Lachey has revealed that during the early years of 98 Degrees, the band kept a guidebook with age-of-consent laws on their tour bus; (pictured 2025)
Lachey, who formed the ‘90s boy band alongside his brother Drew, Jeff Timmons, and Justin Jeffre, says the group was just starting out in 1999, with members aged between 21 and 24, when the controversial guidebook came into play; (Nick, Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre in 1995)
‘You’ll see a Justin Bieber cancel a tour. You’ll see a Shawn Mendes cancel a tour because ‘my mental health needs to come first,'” the singer said.
‘That was not an option when we were out there.’
He added, ‘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.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Lachey’s representatives for comment.
98 Degrees rose to fame with hits like Because of You and The Hardest Thing, quickly becoming one of the top boy bands of the late ‘90s, alongside *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.
But despite their success, Lachey, who was married to Jessica Simpson from 2002 to 2006, revealed the band’s early days weren’t as glamorous as fans might think.
When they first signed to Motown, they weren’t exactly rolling in cash.
‘We kept that book on the tour bus,’ Lachey added, admitting it was a precautionary measure to avoid any potential legal trouble; (with Jessica Simpson in 2003)
‘98 Degrees, we signed with Motown and we got a very nominal advance on our contract,’ he explained.
‘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 indulging in lavish comforts, the band kept things low-key, frequently using public transport after grueling late-night studio sessions in New York.
‘At the end of the session at 4:00 a.m., we’re not going to get a car service back to Brooklyn,’ Lachey recalls.
‘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.’
The group’s momentum would eventually slow in the early 2000s, as members pursued solo projects.
They went on a hiatus before eventually reuniting for tours in the years that followed.
Lachey also appeared to take a shot at today’s pop stars, noting how boy band members had to push through personal struggles – unlike stars like Justin Bieber , who now openly address mental health issues; (pictured 2021)
In 2022, Timmons opened up about how 98 Degrees set themselves apart from other boy bands of the era.
Speaking to AXS TV, he explained that while other bands focused heavily on choreography, they chose to prioritize their vocal abilities instead.
‘We often get the question, “Why don’t we dance [like other boy bands]?” And the answer is it’s because we can’t!’ Timmons said.
‘They tried to get us to do it, and we did try it for a little bit.
‘But you know, look, when we started the group, we wanted to be singers, known as singers. So we kinda stayed true to ourselves.’
Timmons also pointed out that 98 Degrees stood out from other boy bands because the members came together organically in Los Angeles during the late ’90s, without the influence of producers or music execs.
While all the other groups are extremely talented – we love those guys; we’re friends with all of ’em – they were put together,’ he explained.
‘And we can kinda claim that we’re a little bit different.’
As for the name ’98 Degrees,’ Timmons has shared the story behind their now-iconic choice.
‘We could not come up with a cool name, he recalled in a 2014 interview on Bethenny. ‘Our manager, believe it or not, had a really hot girlfriend, and she was like, ‘Why not call yourselves 98 Degrees? And we were like, “bingo!”‘
