AJ McLean opens up about Backstreet Boys exploitation by 'sixth member'

AJ McLean just opened up about how his boyband, Backstreet Boys, were exploited back in their prime time.

In the three docuseries long Netflix original, Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam, which is based on the rise and fall of Lou Pearlman, the creator of Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, the 46-year-old musician makes an appearance.

Pearlman gained significant fame after launching the two successful music groups but was later revealed to be running a fraudulent investment scheme as a con man.

As per the documentary, the talent manager used to finance both the bands as they skyrocketed to fame which caused problems later when Backstreet Boys as well as NSYNC realized they were not receiving their fair share of profits made.

“You’re estimated to have earned $200 million. How much of that have you seen?” a reporter in the throwback footage from a 1998 MTV interview, featured in Dirty Pop, asked the Backstreet Boys member, Howie Dorough, who replied, “We haven’t seen anything near that.”

Earlier in the documentary, McLean admitted, “We were blindsided to Lou being the sixth member of the group,” adding, “You know, you’re gonna make your management commission, but you’re also gonna make exactly how much the five of us make, and you’re not out there doing what we’re doing.”