*Nick Lachey has revealed the personal challenges he faced as 98 Degrees rose to stardom, including struggles with identity and mental health, in the Investigation Discovery documentary “Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Event.”
Lachey and his bandmates, which also includes Jeff Timmons, Justin Jeffre, and Drew Lachey, signed with Motown Records in early 1997. In the documentary, Lachey recalls how the label attempted to craft 98 Degrees into the “white Jodeci,” sending them to Black churches in Harlem and arranging sessions with DeVanté from the iconic R&B group, PEOPLE reports.
“They said, ‘Hey, I want you guys to go to Black churches in Harlem on Sunday.’ I remember going on a train to Rochester, New York, to work with DeVanté from Jodeci and we show up and DeVanté is being fitted for a bulletproof vest, in the studio. And I’m looking around like, ‘Do we need a bulletproof vest? What did we just walk into?’ ” Lachey shares in the doc.
For Lachey, the pressure to fit this image weighed heavily. “It does make you question, ‘Well, why did you sign us if you didn’t want us to be who we are? You’re trying to make us into something else,’” he said.
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The group went along with these directives, recognizing they were a new act with limited control over their careers. “What was asked of us really starts to mess with you mentally,” Lachey explained. “We’ll do whatever we have to do. But then you go home and you’re like, ‘What am I? Who am I?’”
Timmons also struggled during this period, experiencing severe depression and feelings of worthlessness. He recalls, “I just didn’t feel good about myself… I felt so worthless and just the fact that I could not handle all this pressure, that I was like, ‘Just end it.’”
With help from their manager, Timmons sought professional support, including a psychiatrist, medication, and dietary changes. Within three months, he began to feel significantly better and able to continue performing.
“Boy Band Confidential,” premiering April 20 on ID and streaming on HBO Max, explores not just 98 Degrees’ journey but the broader realities of the late-1990s and early-2000s boy band era. The documentary offers an unfiltered look at fame, exposing pressures, exploitation, and the human cost behind the polished images of some of pop music’s most iconic acts.
The series also features candid interviews with members of NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, O-Town, LFO, and more, as well as managers and insiders who witnessed the pressures firsthand. Through these stories, Lachey’s experiences highlight how navigating industry expectations can challenge personal identity, even as young artists achieve massive success.
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