N*Sync's Secret Sixth Member: The Boy Band Pyramid Scheme with Good Children Podcast | 77

The Big Flop

Wondery

Society & Culture, Comedy, Business

4.6 • 884 Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

He turned five fresh-faced teens into the Backstreet Boys, then secretly created their rivals N*SYNC. But while his boy bands were hitting high notes, Lou Pearlman was orchestrating one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in history. From fake accounting firms to $300 million in fraud, discover how the man who built a pop empire ended up behind bars.

The hosts of Good Children, Joe Hegyes and Andrew Muscarella, join Misha to share a story that might sound crazy, but it ain’t no lie: It’s the downfall of Lou Pearlman.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Pst. Hey, you. Yeah, you, the one who can't get enough of the big flop? I've got a proposition for you. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or in Apple Podcasts, and you'll unlock a treasure trove of ad-free episodes and early access to the big flop. It's like having a secret map to the most notorious corporate catastrophes.
0:22.6	Trust me, it's an offer you can't refuse.
0:32.8	I've got a tough question for you.
0:35.9	Which group do you stand harder?
0:38.6	The Backstreet Boys or InSink?
0:41.0	You know, they were the biggest boy bands of the 90s,
0:44.5	but did you know that the same guy was responsible for creating both groups?
0:50.2	And did you know that he also wound up in jail?
0:57.0	Well, today on the big flop, we're talking about Lou Pearlman, the boy band mogul who lost everything because he made some exceptionally shady
1:03.8	business deals and made a lot of people's money go, a buy, buy, buy. Lou Perlman created the Backstreet Boys and in sync, and he cashed in big on their fame at their expense.
1:15.6	I was in the biggest band in the world and selling millions of records, and someone's making millions and millions, but I can't even afford my apartment in Orlando.
1:24.6	Boy band promoter turned federal prisoner.
1:31.1	Flew Perlman sentenced today for defrauding banks and investors out of as much as $300 million.
1:34.3	We are on a sinking ship.
1:44.0	I'm John Robbins, and on my podcast, I sit down with incredible people to ask the very simple question, how do you cope?
1:51.1	From confronting grief and mental health struggles to finding strength in failure, every episode is a raw and honest exploration of what it means to be human.
2:00.4	It's not always easy, but it's always
2:02.3	real. Whether you're looking for inspiration, comfort, or just a reminder that you're not alone in
2:07.4	life's messier moments, join me on How Do You Cope? Follow now wherever you get your podcasts,
2:13.2	or listen to episodes early and add-free on Wonderry Plus.
2:19.3	How Do You Cope is brought to you by Audible,
2:22.7	who make it easy to embark on a wellness journey that fits your life with thousands of audiobooks, guided meditations, and motivational series.
	...

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