Sneak peek at 20/20's Lou Pearlman special shows the unseen dark side of boy bands
The world has Lou Pearlman to thank for some of the most successful bands in the past 25 years — he created and managed the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, O-Town, LFO, Take 5, and more. But there was also a dark side to the way he did business, and 20/20 is exposing all his criminal dealings in a new two-hour special.
EW has your exclusive first look at the special edition episode on the late Pearlman that takes a deep dive into his past, including his role in running one of the biggest Ponzi schemes ever, swindling investors and banks out of hundreds of millions of dollars, and the lawsuits brought against him by almost all of the bands he managed for fraud and misrepresentation.
Featuring interviews with NSYNC’s Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick and O-Town’s Jacob Underwood, Erik-Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, and Dan Miller, the former bandmates open up about working with Pearlman and how he affected their lives. Plus, the special also reveals how Pearlman first got involved in the boy band scene and how he led authorities on an international manhunt. Check out our exclusive sneak peek at the special above now.
Pearlman died back in 2016, eight years into his prison sentence after being found guilty in 2008 of conspiracy, money laundering, and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding after investigators discovered he defrauded investors out of some $300 million over 20 years.
The 20/20 special airs Friday, Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. on ABC.
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