Good Friends Matter

Lance Bass rescued Debbie Gibson from a financial hellhole

When singer Debbie Gibson struggled with her finances, *NSYNC boy band member helped her

Lance Bass and Debbie Gibson attends the Los Angeles premiere of "Take Me Home Tonight" at The Conga Room at L.A. Live on March 2, 2011 in Los Angeles

SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 6:24 PM EDTSEP 19, 2025, 6:24 PM EDT

Lance Bass dug Debbie Gibson out of a financial hellhole with a $5,000 loan. The 55-year-old singer was broke in the late aughts, and as her financial situation worsened, she was even forced to rehome her cat temporarily.

But *NSYNC boy band member Lance, 46, gave Debbie a lifeline when he handed over the cash through his assistant in a brown paper bag, something she says she will always be incredibly grateful for.

American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson wearing a wide-brim hat with a blue paisley pattern shirt over a white t-shirt, circa 1989.

The Only In My Dreams songstress wrote in her memoir Eternally Electric: The Message In My Music, released on September 9: “I had gotten so far behind with my bills, and my living situation was so up in the air, I even had to temporarily rehome my cat."

"I’ll never forget the day when Lance Bass’s assistant delivered five thousand dollars cash in a brown paper bag, a loan from a true friend who knew I needed some support and has since never made me feel less than!"

Joey Fatone, Deborah Gibson and Lance Bass attend the LA Confidential party in 2005

She continued, “That was a humbling moment, one of those times where you feel so vulnerable, the earth could swallow you up whole. The way Lance didn’t flinch and sent help immediately, I was so grateful to know such kindness in the midst of such a surreal and painful chapter in my life.”

Recalling that time, Debbie said her finances created a “period of emotional chaos.”

Debbie Gibson poses backstage at the Jimmy Fallon show on Monday, September 8, 2025

The Lost in Your Eyes singer explained: “So, spending money I didn’t have, I put a down payment on a rustic, two-bedroom, ivy-covered house on Forest Knoll Drive, off Sunset Plaza Drive, [Los Angeles], and now I had a mortgage.”

“I’m not a big fan of mortgages: Don’t pay the note and see who owns your home. I had bought my two New York apartments outright, but this time around, my financial advisors encouraged me to take a loan, and, impressionable during a confusing period, I was swayed."

She continued, "Given how stubborn I can be, that was kinda strange, but financial investments weren’t my forte. In other areas of my life, I am very clear about what I want and what I’m doing, but this was a period of emotional chaos."

Lance Bass and Debbie Gibson have been good friends for many years

Debbie and Lance struck up a friendship after he jumped to her defense when *NSYNC’s management initially refused to allow her to use her piano for her set as a 12-show opener for the boy band’s 2001 PopOdyssey tour.

Debbie recalled: “So when the boys’ management declared I was a ‘track act’ — ‘we’re not traveling with her grand piano for one song; that’s ridiculous’ — Lance Bass went to bat for me, ‘You give her whatever the f*** she wants.’ He and I have been friends ever since.”