Lance Bass reveals his relationship with
Reichen Lehmkuhl

Lance Bass (Left) and Reichen Lehmkuhl (Right)

Lance Bass, former NSync singer, recently revealed that he is gay but he and his lover Reichen Lehmkuhl seem to be having problems. Just as Lance Bass crept out of the closet, his relationship with boyfriend Reichen Lehmkuhl seams to have hit the rocks. NSync band member Lance Bass has officially come out of the closet, saying that he is gay and in a stable relationship with reality-show star Reichen Lehmkuhl. Bass, who was part of the musical group NSync along with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, told People magazine that he did not reveal his sexual orientation sooner because he did not want to risk affecting the band’s popularity. Coincidentally, the episode of 7th Heaven that he guest-starred in aired on ABC Family the same day his coming out became public.

But it has been reported recently that the former NSync singer has grown weary of his man’s controlling behavior and is ready to end their romance. Bass added that he is coming out now because rumors of his sexuality were growing louder, especially after the couple was spotted over the Fourth of July weekend at Atlantic House, a gay bar in Provincetown, Mass. It was said that Reichen forced Lance to come out just at the same time he has a book coming out “Here's What We'll Say” so he could ride the “publicity wave”.

Singer Lance Bass says that he is in a relationship with 32-year-old actor Reichen Lehmkuhl, winner of season four of the CBS Show “The Amazing Race”. Lehmkuhl is a big gay activist and it has been said that he is very controlling. He wanted Lance to give up all his straight friends and do whatever he tells him to. Lehmkuhl’s former partner Chip Arndt, who was the other half of the reality show-winning team, congratulated Bass for coming out.

Lehmkuhl publicly said that he is happy the Lance’s “Coming out” is shocking people, and that he couldn't be more proud of Lance. Reichen also said that it's definitely a sense of relief and that there are a lot more smiles, and the couple is happy about it.

“As we continue to be demonized and exploited by the highest levels of government and anti-gay-for-pay religious extremists, Lance’s example for his countless fans and those who don’t know him personally is another major step forward on the road to full equality for LGBT people,” Chip Arndt said in a statement.

Justin Timberlake, another member of NSync, who will soon release a second solo album, also conveyed his support. “Lance is one of my great friends… I support him and wish him all the happiness in the world.” Timberlake declared in a statement issued by his rep, Ken Sunshine.

Bass also told People that he wants everyone to know that stereotypes should go by the wayside. “I want people to take from this that being gay is a norm,” he said. “I love to watch football and drink beer.”

ABOUT LANCE BASS

Lance Bass was born James Lance Bass on May 4, 1979, in Laurel, Mississippi. He is an American singer and actor best known as the former bass singer for the American pop group N Sync. His musical career began in the seventh grade in the school chorus. He later joined “Mississippi Show Stoppers”, which is a state-wide group sponsored by the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. Bass later joined “Mickey Mouse Club” alumni JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake in 'N Sync, a boy band turned overnight sensation.

Bass starred in the 2001 motion picture “On the Line”, which resulted in a loss of over $11 million to the film producer Bacon & Eggs LLC (formerly A Happy Place), a company owned by Bass, which is currently producing a new film entitled “Lovewrecked”.

In addition, Bass formed a music management company called Free Lance Entertainment, which is now defunct. The only album released through Free Lance was Reach by Meredith Edwards.

In August of 2002, Bass entered cosmonaut training at Star City, Russia. He was scheduled to fly into space on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft in October of that year with the mission Soyuz TMA-1. However, his sponsorship funds failed to materialize.Later in October of 2004 during World Space Week, Bass was formally inducted as a member of the National Space Society's Board of Governors. Serving in an advisory and public outreach capacity, Bass has joined astronauts and prominent individuals who have made a lasting, positive impact on human space exploration.

Bass was also featured as a voice actor for the video game Kingdom Hearts, voicing Sephiroth, to the dismay of some Final Fantasy fans. Other voice acting guest spots by Bass include Higglytown Heroes, Kim Possible, and Robot Chicken. Bass later appeared in the CBS primetime series Gameshow Marathon.

Bass officially announced that he is gay in a front page cover story for People magazine on July 26, 2006. There had been considerable speculation about his sexuality due to numerous paparazzi snapshots of him with the openly gay Lehmkuhl. The two had been spotted together in many different locations. Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton had outed Bass beginning in September 2005 with postings on Hilton's website.

Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, of 'N Sync, are developing a sitcom pilot based on the “The Odd Couple” in which Bass' character will be gay.

ABOUT REICHEN LEHMKUHL

Reichen Lehmkuhl was born Richard Lehmkuhl on December 26, 1973 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a gay male fashion model best known for winning season four of the CBS reality game show “The Amazing Race” with his then-partner Chip Arndt.

Lehmkuhl's parents divorced when he was five and his family moved to Norton, Massachusetts. Lehmkuhl's mother remarried and Richard later changed his first name legally to Reichen. When Reichen was 16, he received his nomination from United States Congressman Barney Frank for admission to the United States Air Force Academy. He graduated from the academy in 1996 and served five years and attained the rank of Captain before he was honorable discharged. He has since advocated for gay rights in the military as a spokesperson for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. It is reported that Reichen hid being hid his homosexuality while attending the Air Force Academy, and has written a book about this titled “Here's What We'll Say”. It is though that Lehmkuhl may have forced Lance into revealing that he is Gay in order to help promote the release of his book.

Lehmkuhl was working as a physics teacher at Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences as well as a flight instructor and model in Los Angeles when he was approached by a casting director for The Amazing Race. Lehmkuhl and Chip Arndt were a happy couple during the competition but have since split. After his win on The Amazing Race, Lehmkuhl moved to Dallas, Texas. His spending habits at that time caused speculation that he had won “The Amazing Race” and rumors spread that he and Arndt had broken up. During the show, the couple was typically described as "Married" in the subtitles that are used to illustrate the relationship between team members.

Lehmkuhl hosted “The Reichen Show” on Q Television Network until the network ceased operations in May of 2006. His autobiography “Here’s What We’ll Say”, about his time in the Air Force under the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy, is scheduled for publication by on August 28, 2006. He also publishes a beefcake calendar each year and has appeared on sitcoms, soap operas, and other reality shows.