Netflix’s ‘Dirty Pop’ Docuseries Shocks Music Lovers: Where Is Everyone Now?

Since branching out into original content, Netflix has exceled in the documentary genre , telling compelling stories about everyday folks, animals and the world’s biggest celebrities . The latter category is what the streaming giant currently has viewers talking about following the release of Dirty Pop – a three-episode series executive-produced by former Natural member, Michael Johnson. The boyband alum talks extensively about his experience in the group, along with a handful of faces you’ll recognize from Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync and O-Town.

These successful groups were all put together by Trans Continental Records founder Lou Pearlman, but little did their members know how exploited they were under his rule. Dirty Pop examines the late con man’s unbelievable manipulation, which has been called the longest-running Ponzi scheme in American history , as well as potential motives for his crimes. Pearlman swindled approximately 2,000 people out of $500 million over more than 30 years. Sadly for his victims, the majority of this wealth was never reclaimed, though some of them continue to work in entertainment today.

Who Is Lou Pearlman?

In the 1990s, Pearlman saw the success of boybands like New Kids on the Block and set out to emulate their charm with a group of his own out of Florida. The Backstreet Boys came first, blowing up in ’93 with ‘N Sync following just two years later. During his time in artist management, the convicted felon helped launch the careers of Aaron Carter, LFO, Brooke Hogan and Natural. Some of Pearlman’s past colleagues, such as Johnson, remember him fondly despite his charges. Meanwhile, Chris Kirkpatrick of ‘N Sync fame describes his former mentor as a “snake.”

We’ll break down the details of his 2007 arrest as we reflect on the most shocking revelations from Dirty Pop below, though it’s worth noting now that he passed away in 2016 during his 25-year sentence. At the time, Pearlman underwent heart surgery to replace a valve but lost his life to infection at age 62. His funeral was reportedly attended by only five people, and his famous cousin, Art Garfunkel, refused to claim the controversial figure’s body, leaving him to rest in an unmarked grave at the end of his tumultuous life.

The Most Shocking Revelations From Netflix’s ‘Dirty Pop’

Pearlman’s Elaborate Ponzi Scheme

During his interview scenes in Dirty Pop , Johnson reveals plenty of Pearlman’s secrets, including how he came up with the money to finance the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync. The disgraced music executive invested insurance money from a blimp crash into the boybands. As it turns out, he was committing fraud in other industries too, such as his Trans Continental Airlines, which allegedly never had any planes.There was also a fabricated accounting firm through which Pearlman forged bank statements and tax returns. He talked people into opening Trans Continental Airlines Employee Investment Savings Accounts, promising high rates of return while actually swindling them out of thousands.

While scamming investors, Pearlman was also taking healthy amounts from all his clients, operating as the “sixth member” of the groups he managed. This meant that he was collecting management fees and a salary for work he wasn’t doing. When the members of ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys realized what was going on, they quickly lawyred up in an attempt to sue Pearlman for exploiting their efforts. Instead, the 10 members of the two groups had to pay their opp an estimated $64 million for going against their contract.

After that money ran out, the New York native made an unfavorable deal with BMG, the label that previously represented both of his groups, leaving him with “a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction” of what his clients made. This went on for some time, until Pearlman eventually wasn’t able to pay legal fees to his attorney Cheney Mason, who called the FBI on him in 2003. At this time, they uncovered his history of bank fraud and launched a bigger investigation into the music manager, who was deaing with the split of his group Natural moving into 2004.

Some Hold Him Responsible for the Death of Frankie Vasquez

One of the juciest topics visited in Dirty Pop is the untimely death of Frankie Vasquez – Pearlman’s longtime friend and business partner. He passed in 2006 as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning; the incident has officially been ruled an “apparent suicide,” though Frankie’s mother, Julia Vasquez, and others theorize that wasn’t the case. While doing press for the Netflix docuseries, Johnson spoke candidly about the rumors of Pearlman’s involvement.

“A lot of people talked about [the possibility that Pearlman had Vasquez killed] in their interview and they actually got scared and told us not to include it,” the Natural alum told Real Form Radio. “Frankie was Lou’s best, best friend and right-hand man with all of his endeavors… Right when the kingdom was crumbling, Frankie died. A lot of people think that Frankie knew what was going on and that Frankie was going to out Lou to the feds, and that Lou had him killed,” Johnson continued. “Even [Frankie’s] mother thinks that.”

Con Man’s Potential Criminal Motive

Pearlman wasn’t in the public eye as a child, but his close pal Johnson described the late East Coaster as “a very insecure kid that got ridiculed and picked on.” After so many disheartening experiences in his youth, the businessman appreciated the feeling of being needed and admired by the young men in his groups. “Through the boy bands, all of a sudden, he was this really cool guy, which he had never been before,” the ex-member explained.

“Obviously, there’s the sociopath/narcissist side of the story, of course. It doesn’t exist without that. But I think the root of it was just wanting to be liked and having friends and people looking at him and respecting him in a way that he had never been able to accomplish just by himself,” Johnson added. “At one time, the entire world was his friend. Now, he’s in an unmarked grave with nobody going to his funeral, so it’s a hell of a fall.”

Where Is Everyone Now?

Not every member of the Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync and Pearlman’s other groups wanted to participate in Dirty Pop . Noteably, Nick Carter, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson of the former group weren’t interviewed. Meanwhile, from the latter group Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass and Joey Fatone all sat out.

AJ McLean (Backstreet Boys)

Like many former teen stars, AJ McLean has struggled with substance abuse throughout his career. His first time using cocaine was during “The Call” music video shoot in 2000, at which time Richardson confronted him causing McLean to nearly quit the Backstreet Boys. Instead, he headed off to rehab for drug and alcohol abuse, returning again in 2002 and 2011. More recently, the singer suffered a relapse at the end of 2019 but has been back on track since 2020 and now hosts occasional Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at his home.

To set healthy boundaries between his professional and home life, McLean now asks his colleagues to refer to him as Alex, acknowledging AJ as a character. “It doesn’t define who I am, and I now feel like I’m getting this healthy balance of when I’m done on stage and I walk off. I’m a dad, I’m a husband, I’m a friend, I’m a brother. That’s all that matters to me,” he told People Magazine . “[I’m] just trying to continue to grow in my true, authentic self.”

Howie Dorough (Backstreet Boys)

Dorough spends less time in the spotlight now than at the Backstreet Boys’ peak, but he’s managed to stay relevant over the years – particularly in the reality TV world. In 2021 he visited Theresa Caputo of Long Island Medium fame to get a reading about his late father and sister; the next year, he was on Fox’s Dirty Dancing series. Most recently, the father of two competed against Drew Lachey from 98 Degrees on the musical competition series Name that Tune .

Chris Kirkpatrick (‘N Sync)

One of the only artists from ‘N Sync to participate in Dirty Pop is Chris Kirkpatrick, who you might also recognize as the voice of Chip Skylark from The Fairly OddParents on Nickelodeon. Like Dorough, he’s become a favorite in the reality TV world, appearing on the third season of Celebrity Big Brother in 2022. During that he won just one Head of Household competition before leaving the show, but later joined the cast of season eight of The Masked Singer , placing second in his group. That same year, Kirkpatrick appeared on the revamped version of MTV Cribs , and he hosts the Name Drop podcast with Brian McFayden, where they swap stories about their wild lives in the public eye.

Michael Johnson (Natural)

As executive producer, Johnson is one of the voices most often heard throughout Dirty Pop . He was one of Pearlman’s closest confidants, and even bought tickets for a trip out of the country with his former manager without knowing Pearlman was a fugitive evading the police. “I always say it’s as if Lou was Clive Davis, Howard Hughes, Frank Abagnale Jr. and Bernie Madoff, all in one person,” he told USA Today . Johnson’s been trying to make his Netflix docuseries a reality since as early as 2009, but has continued to work as a singer, drummer and performer while waiting to tell his story on camera.