by Jada GomezBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffAs the Managing Editor of Streaming at BuzzFeed, I cover all things entertainment, and especially love to nerd out on all things Disney.

Note: This article mentions suicidal ideation and sexual assault.

We're three decades out from the glory days of *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and racing home to watch TRL, but there's a lot of lore about the boy band era that hasn't been told. And it isn't so glamorous; in fact, it's downright dark at times.

Investigation Discovery

That's why Joey Fatone of *NSYNC fame, along with co-producer Joe Mulvihill (*NSYNC's former personal assistant), created the ID-limited documentary, Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Event, to share the tough stories behind the rise to fame, the hefty prices paid, and the mental toll that still remains for some band members.

Investigation Discovery

Boy Band Confidential features members of the most popular male singing groups from the '90s and early 2000s, including Wanyá Morris and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men, Lance Bass (and Joey, of course) from *NSYNC, AJ McLean (who goes by his full name Alexander in the docuseries) of Backstreet Boys, and Nick Lachey and Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees, among others.

Investigation Discovery

The docuseries also touches extensively on Lou Pearlman, the music mogul who launched the careers of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. He was never charged for any of the numerous sexual allegations against him, and denied them. He died in prison in 2016.

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Here are the biggest moments from Boy Band Confidential:

The series makes no mistake: The modern-day concept of the boy band is based on Black singing groups.

Major kudos for Joey for starting the docuseries by saying this quiet part out loud. Boy Band Confidential starts with an homage to bands like Boyz II Men and New Edition getting their flowers from members of BSB, *NSYNC, and 98 Degrees for being the sound, look, feel, and all around blueprint for their pop success.

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“That’s one of the groups we looked up to, that we strived to be like," AJ said of Boyz II Men.

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“There was something about the way that sounded that was on a whole other level than anything I had ever heard, arranged, or performed in my entire life," Jeff Timmons said.

Investigation Discovery

Boy bands were more palatable for teen girls in middle America than Black R&B groups. (Probably the most obvious truth bomb.)

Shawn of Boyz II Men made a "drop the mic" statement on the subject:

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“It’s text book. Do Black music with white faces: Pat Boone, The Osmonds, Elvis. They were all doing Black music. That is the truth, and it’s a hard truth,” Shawn Stockman said. "It's no diss to 98 Degrees, *NSYNC, Backstreet, any of those guys. They were just kids trying to make it, too."

Investigation Discovery

He continued: “To the average white girl fan, the Black groups, 'Oh, I’d f-ck him.' But the white groups, 'Oh, I’d marry him. Justin Timberlake on my wall is more acceptable opposed to a couple of Black guys. I can marry Justin. I can bring him to my house. He can have dinner with my family.' It’s a little harder to bring Black ass Shawn to rural Arkansas.”

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Boyz II Men took a break after touring for one year. When they returned, their record label, Motown, had begun heavily promoting 98 Degrees.

The label even gave 98 Degrees the song, "Invisible Man," which was originally written for Boyz II Men. "People were done with us, and with our era of music, and it shifted to the boy bands,” Shawn said.

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“And they look nothing like us," he continued. "Motown, our label in particular, made it painfully obvious that they were done. They were done with us, and the pendulum has shifted."

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Nick Lachey said 98 Degrees was marketed as "the white Jodeci."

“The president of Motown, he wanted us to be the white Jodeci," Nick Lachey believed. "So he was trying to give us that in a crash course."

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“I remember going on a train to Rochester, New York, to work with DeVanté [Swing] from Jodeci," he continued. "And we show up, and DeVanté is being fitted for a bulletproof vest, in the studio. And I’m looking around, I’m like, ‘Do we need a bulletproof vest? What did we just walk in to?’ It does make us question like, ‘Why did you sign us if you don’t want us to be who we are?’”

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"It starts to really mess with you mentally,” Nick finished.

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Jeff Timmons recalls having suicidal ideations when 98 Degrees was initially signed.

“And for me, it caused a severe depression," Jeff shared. "But I felt like I was the weakest link in the group. Just didn’t feel good about myself, didn’t feel good physically. I could not sleep, and my head wasn’t right. I felt so worthless, and just the fact that I cou

Untold Boy Band Secrets: New Documentary Shocks Fans