’Believe in Yourself' (w/ Lance Bass)

Lance Bass joins the Js and it’s every bit as amazing as you want it to be. They waste no time getting into it…from being closeted in the industry (find out what Jonathan has been waiting to say to Lance), to how they view what it's like working with your husband, to how Lance and Michael are handling being parents of 16 month old twins!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is Pridecast with Jonathan Bennett and James vaugh on
I Heart Radio. Welcome to Pridecast. I'm your host Jonathan Bennett,
joined by my husband, James Vaughan. Say hi, babe, what
happened to all the accolades? Oh? My handsome, hunky happy
I married him? Husband James Vaughan. James, we have someone

(00:25):
super special on podcasts today. We do in a in
a roundabout way. He's actually the reason that we are together. So, um,
it is exciting to have Mr Lance Bass and his
husband Michael Urchin on the show today. You know, I
always joke about Lance because I'm like, he's the mayor
of the gays. Like if you're an entertaining if you're

(00:45):
gay and in Hollywood, you know Lance Bass. It's like
a thing you don't even need to say, like, oh
do you know Lance? Like of course we know Lance.
We're gay and we're in Hollywood. Everyone that's he's are
What's who is the guy that Kevin Bacon? One degree?
Like six degrees of Kevin Bacon. There's that game where
every after there's like six degrees, but it's one gay degree,

(01:06):
one gay degree from him. Yeah. I love that and Um,
he's gonna be on here talking about his new podcast
that he's doing with his husband. You know, we don't
think about husband's doing a podcast together. Um baby, do
you remember you're very first time you saw in sync
like on your screen and what you thought? Um? Yeah,

(01:26):
I was like, Yes, I saw justin Timberlake, and I
was like, Oh, that's the epitome of what I think
a beautiful man is. I love blonde, curly hair and
blue eyes. I'm gonna marry Justin Timberlake and guess what
I'm Mary James Vaughan. Blonde, curly hair, blue eyes, same aesthetic. Singers, dancers,
That's what I saw. I remember seeing them and being like, man,

(01:48):
I want to do that because to me, performing was
always my ticket to getting out of my town. Like
I was like, if I can just use my skill
set as a singer to get out of here, I
can start figuring out who I am and how to
actually beat myself and live as myself. I remember seeing
that and being like, well, I gotta learn these dance moves,
let me, let me, let me get with this, and

(02:09):
doing your hair like that. No, my hair was already
like that. That's why I felt like kind of like
this is where I could fit because I already had
the ringlets. So I remember I was like, I'm gonna
do this. I was in a boy band. I was
actually several several boy bands, boy girl bands, everything. None
of them really popped. That's how I'm now here today,
sitting in our kitchen talking with my husband on a
podcast called podcast and coming up next, the one and

(02:31):
only Mayor of Hollywood Gay Hollywood, Lance Bass and Michael Church.
Welcome to Prodcast. America's his self self proclaimed America's favorite guncle.

(02:52):
But I think it's true. I agree, it's true. He
is one of my oldest friends and James's oldest friend
and at one of the oldest friends. It's not as
an age just known you forever. He's the mayor of
the Gays. Please welcome Lance Bass and his husband Michael Church.
And hello everyone, right, hello, hello, everyone, all, Hello, everybody.

(03:17):
Now you're the reason that James and I started dating. Yeah.
Do you guys know this? You guys know this. You
guys know this. And Wes Brown and Amanda as well.
We have a picture of the four of us. This.
All these people are together because of Lance Bass. Oh
my god see all the wonderful Christmas movie making wonderful. Yes,

(03:37):
all get together because of men. Guess like we're together
because no, because like when we met in that interview,
had I not snapchat at you guys, um, right after
I met him, to be like why I never meet
this guy? Right? Because remember I was interviewing him, but
I sent the snapchat. But like, we would not have
made physical contact had I not had him lean into

(03:57):
me to make that snap chet because we didn't really
I didn't host the TV are that close to folks,
But because it was when he leaned in that I
was like, what is this? What is this feeling? I
remember Michael text and you afterwards to being like, um, okay,
this is not not what I would normally do, but
oh my gosh, like what is this? This is crazy? Um.
So we always say like, if the power of Lance

(04:18):
Bass actually brought us together, you're our leader, lands, You're
you're the gays leader, guys. Things. I just believe. I
just believe in. Yeah, And you guys are the twins
a year old. Now they are sixteen months right now,
Oh my gosh, that went fast. How is it having
to sixteen months? I mean it's great. It's it's tiring,

(04:42):
it's exhausting, but it's so cute. But it's great. I'm
I'm glad we started with two because we don't know
the difference. You know, I think, uh, if we have
another one after this and just one, I think it'll
just be a breeze. They're like, oh my gosh, like
this is way easier than we thought. So I'm glad
they kind of started with two because it's challenge but
so good. Yeah. Yeah, because everybody says, like second kid,

(05:03):
you just kind of like, you know, you don't worry
too much anyways. You're probably just be like passing the
kid off to whoever you're old this baby. It's fine.
The first few months, I mean, you're so worried because
you're just like looking like all the breathing. Okay, this
milestone has to happen. Okay. Now that they're sixteen months
and they've hit a lot of the milestones, you definitely
relax a little more like, Okay, I'm not scared they're
going to I mean, you know, and now they they

(05:25):
I don't even know how old, Like what does the
sixteen month old do? Doesn't nothing like if you were
like it's you're like, oh, it's driving a car. I'd
be like, yeah, that sounds right, or you could be
like it just lays there. I don't know the difference. Yeah,
they're they're definitely walking. This is when they're you know,
learning their first words. Um. So a lot of it's
just kind of like my sound like, so there're thank
you sounds like um. That's kind of like how I

(05:49):
think James. And it's fun because with twins they kind
of make up their own language. So every morning I
hear them just looking each other in their cribs and
they're just talking like evert what Like, they're just full
on conversation. It's like a joke, but not like it's
like what you would see in a movie, but it's real.

(06:10):
It's like they're they're saying something. Have you figured out
with any of those little sounds mean because there's something
you're like, oh, I know that means I want food?
Or they're planning a huge attack. Yeah, it's a whole
coup is about. Yes, it's gonna be a whole situation.
He's gonna wear a little antlers with face paint. Our

(06:32):
daughter definitely has a tell when she's upset and she's
like if she's done with food, or like oh I
need my diaper changed, or like I just don't want
to be around you right now. She does this kind
of like call and she goes, yeah, like for your princess. Yeah,
She's like, I'm well, um, we have y'all on our
podcast because we'd like to talk to you all about

(06:55):
your podcast. I mean, it's the cutest thing ever. This
these husbands, these big old gay husbands talking to those
big old gay husbands about their podcasts and working together.
What a fun day to be alive. We got frosted
tips coming out on My Heart. Tell us about it. Uh.
You know, it's a show that I've been wanting to
do for a while. You know, I had I had

(07:16):
my talk show with Serious X down for so many years,
and you know, it was fun, but it was it
was a lot, two hours live every day Monday through Friday.
It didn't give us much a life. Um, so you know,
I had to quit that a few years back. But
now My Heart offered us our own podcast that we
don't only have to spend two hours a week on. Uh,
and it's just so great. Because of course we had

(07:38):
to use frosted tips because the man, come on, where'd
you come up with the name? Where'd that come from?
No idea? I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Well, we decided like
maybe Michael and I should do it and then kind
of make it very you know, for the fans out there,
bringing all the most iconic boy band members and really
know them and conversations I've never been able to have

(07:58):
with them before. Uh, It's it's been really fun. And
you know, we're not just stopping with boy bands. We
definitely won't teen idols. So I mean, Jonathan, you're definitely
coming on the show because I saw those frosted tips
back in the day, So definitely. Oh my god, I
think it's so much. Yes, and we had frosted tips
when we met in the Dominican Republic because of the
bleach of the hair. I think my hair was was frosted. Michael,

(08:20):
are you going to frost your tips for the podcast?
That is a question. You should. I think that should
be like we should do a charitything like yes, tis yeah, yeah,
I guess I'm fine. I think it would look good.
I I always wanted to do it when I was younger,
but then I was like, oh, what if it looks horrible,
you have to do it like three times. You have

(08:41):
really dark hair, thank you, but oh my god, please Churching,
you never did the like gay exploration thing. Churching has
done a lot of gay exploration things, just the hair. Okay,
He's explored lots of things, I'm sure, and it's like different. Yes, yeah,

(09:03):
I like that. I do it for charity because like,
I think that would that would I feel like it
would look good on you. I think so like blonde
would look but like maybe like all blonde, not even
just frost and tips, just like you know what I'm
gonna do. Yeah, okay, when we got home, we're dying
my hair. Well, I look, during COVID, I became a
professional with bleaching the hair all the way down to
the roots. So same I died in mind during COVID too,

(09:24):
same thing it becomes because what else do we have
to do? Now? You guys are working together. Have you
ever done a a like a podcast together or like
a talk show together? Maybe they just obviously serious, but
like but in this capacity, it's different because you're just
like at home together just to be like, oh, we
gotta do the podcast today first, Like going in and
doing it every hour on the hour. You know what

(09:45):
I mean? That was that was a lot. Yes. So
when we met, I was doing the Serious Show. So
he became a kind of a fixture on that and
that's how he became king. Um. But there was a
lot of characters on that show. Then we did a podcast,
um and he was a yes podcast. Uh. The fans
just love him because anything he says it's just hilarious

(10:08):
because he kind of he says the things I say. Um.
And so his his fathers get ruffled a lot. That's
why we call him Turkey. Um. But yeah, but now
it's just him and I and Turkey. It's a different
dynamic because the you know, the other shows have other
people and that now it's just like the two of
you in your closet, like boom do the podcast Who's

(10:29):
who do you have so far that you filmed? Um?
So we have done five episodes. So we had Joey
for tone. We've had j. C. Chase, which was people
loved that because he's a unicorn. He never does interviews. Uh.
We've had Jonathan Knight from You Kids on the Block, Um,
McClean from Action Boys. Today we're doing Kevin mckel from Glee,

(10:51):
which is great because I didn't know he was in
a boy band in two thousand and seven, Like I'm
what m lt And then we just last week interviewed
Jeff Timmans will be coming up next? Uh and you
know what I mean. Look, so many people don't the
big I forgot. I like, how like all these like

(11:11):
boy band people like circle each other like in life somehow,
like I taught Jeff Timmins when he came in and
did the Chipping show, like that was when my frosted tips.
Now when when Lance brought you to Chippendales and I
saw how smitten it and love he was with you,
and I was like, this is wait Lance brought Michael
to see you and Chip got to see me to

(11:34):
see the show. Yes, but I remember being like, what
was your first impression on kind of the same open
people I think met me with you when when people
first met you with me and my friends were like
what that doesn't seem like normal? But oh I get it.
It was kind of that with Lance. I was like, wait,
this is the one, Like this one's gonna go the

(11:55):
long haul because it's not what I expected and it's
exactly right, like it was look at that life advice.
Oh oh my gosh, now boys were on pridecast. Obviously,
pride means so many different things to so many different people,

(12:16):
and it's always changing, always evolving. What does pride mean
to you, Lance, Um, Pride is finally being comfortable and
who you are. And it took many years for me
to be comfortable. One of those still parts of myself
that I still feel uncomfortable. And there's so many things
kind of hidden inside all of us that even walking

(12:36):
down the streets of New York and holding hands, there's
something that you just kind of like, you feel like, wait,
should I be doing this? Because in the back of
your mind, in so many years you've been having to
hide yourself that that's just kind of stilled to you.
And it's so sad that moments like that pop up still.
But you know, being so comfortable and authentic in what
you're you know what you're doing. And I'm also very

(12:56):
proud of the entertainment industry right now because look at
all what's happening right now, you guys having a podcast
like this, you know, us being able to do this,
the movies you're doing, the shows, it's finally the representation
that is happening in this industry I am so proud
of and it's and it's coming so quickly, so it's
only going to grow bigger and bigger and and church.

(13:19):
And as as husband of the most famous person, um,
I understand what you go through and you just sit there.
So I'm gonna ask you, what does pride me to
you baby having to deal with his bullshit? No no again,

(13:39):
the lands kind of took my answer. But comfortable with
who you are, UM, no matter what that they be. Um. Yeah,
just be your authentic self and be proud of it
and not caring what other people will say about it.
You're regardless of being yourself and who Here's about the
day sayers. I think it's such an important thing to

(14:01):
hear you guys say this. But also Lance, if we
think about back to like when we first met back
in twenty two thousand six something around there eight somewhere
in that zone, Hollywood was a different time. And so
I just want to say on this podcast as like,
because I think it's important to be seen like I
see you because there's a group of people. Obviously you

(14:24):
were in the biggest band in the entire world. I
was in a movie that did pretty well, and like
we were in the closet and we were and we
couldn't be our true authentic self, and we were being
told by everyone around us, not just our managers and
agents and things, just like the consensus of the industry
like don't be you, right, like, don't be you because
you'll lose it all. And to think of, like what

(14:45):
scared little boys we were at that point, Like we
were scared. And I remember being together and we would
like have conversations like oh do you think they know?
Or oh do they do you think they know? Like
we can't go there because what if what if they know?
Like Okay, I'm gonna go in, but you don't go
in at the same time because they might think we're gay.
Like there were so many things that we would like
do and so like, but no one gave a handbook

(15:09):
to the people that were had success or fame if
you want to call it, like you and like, you know,
our generation of gays in the industry, there was never
a handbook written where it was like, Okay, you have
to lie to everyone. You're not allowed to say who
you are or be your authentic self, and then all
of a sudden, the industry starts evolving and changing, and

(15:29):
it's like, now you are allowed to be your authentic self.
But what no one thinks about and no one acknowledges
are these group of people that were told to say
one thing for so long and then all of a
sudden we're allowed to be themselves because it was like
our brain didn't know how to switch of like wait,
what's okay, what's not okay? And then having to deal
with it, and then on top of dealing with it,

(15:50):
getting success from it, which is what you've done. So
I just want to sit here and acknowledge that, like
that's a there's a very very handful few you, very
few handful of people that understand this. I'm one of them.
I think you're one of them. There's other people out there,
but I just want to say, congrats on writing your
own handbook and making it work. Well thanks. I mean yeah,

(16:13):
I mean it's the outside world, you know, that was
in our head and we were never given permission to
be gay, so like that wasn't even in the cards.
Uh So yeah, I mean that that seeing everything evolved
when we were just kind of like right in the
middle of our career. Was definitely a hard situation because
you didn't want to be yourself, and eventually we did

(16:34):
because I remember when we did Love Recked, we were
both in the closet. I had my first book. Um,
so we were living authentic lives personally with our friends,
but publicly we were never given permission to be able
to talk about it. So going through that and being
able to reveal ourselves was very hard because one thing
that you think about is like, well, everyone's gonna hate

(16:56):
us because they're gonna think we've we've been lying to you,
so like no one likes a liar. Uh So that's
thank you. Yes, that was my biggest fear. Yeah, and
and and you said it. You did get You know
a lot of people like you lied to me, even
people in my lives that I don't even talk to today.
Their biggest concern was like, well I would have accepted you.

(17:16):
Why did you lie to me? But they'll never understand
why don't we lie to you? And for us, we
lie because for survival, like it was just to survive,
you know what we did. And and now with the truth,
everybody is thriving. And so congratulations on your new podcast,
Frost to check out Frost to Tips but last mass Yeah,

(17:38):
and Michael Church, I mean, my heart's been sober. I
mean we had a podcast before, we were doing it independently,
and now they made us the number one music podcast
in the world for like five weeks now, so we
would have never let go doing it right. All right, boy, congratulations.
I know y'all are busy and you have a whole
press schedule this morning, so thank you so much taking
the time to talk with us here on y'all got

(17:58):
to come over and squeeze babies. Oh my gosh, yes,
we're coming boys. Alright, it's time for our favorite part
of the episode, which is lgbt Q plus History, because
it's important to look back so we know where we
came from as we look forward. James, that's what happened
this week in LGBTQ plus History. Al Right. So in

(18:19):
the States, we have the nineteen nined Stonewall Riots, which
took place in New York City that kickoff Pride. Right, Well,
here's how it went down in Canada. So February of
nineteen eighty one, remember that year, baby, you were born,
A year Operations Soap was arrayed by the Metropolitan Toronto

(18:41):
Police against four gay bathhouses, and that actually kicked off
the protest that that became modern day Toronto Pride. Wow.
So I'll just kind of give you an idea of
where it all launched off, what things started in different countries.
TEENA one is when the Canadians found the said, you

(19:03):
know what, enough is enough fighting back and now that
is the modern day Toronto Pride. And there you have it.
And that was this week in gay history.