The singer discussed his side of the story during his latest podcast episode on Wednesday.
The drama between Lance Bass and Jax Taylor continues.
Just one day after a rep for Taylor denied Bass' claims that they are no longer business partners, the *NSYNC singer shared even more of his side of the story on his Daily Popcast show.
"We're getting a lot of hatred toward us because of our involvement with Jax ... because of what's going down with that cast and everything," Bass said of the Vanderpump Rules star, who was recently called out by co-star Faith Stowers. "[Jax] texted and said, 'Look, I think it's smart for me to step down,' and we said, 'Yes, that is the only thing we can do right now and it sucks,' and it's very big of him. I get that, you know? But then the publicists and managers and lawyers get involved and just throw the biggest wrench in everything and basically said that I was lying that he was stepping down."
"You wanna know what really went down? Look, I'm gonna preface this right now, because I know we have a lot of new listeners here. I do not think Jax Taylor is a racist or a homophobe, and I've said that millions of times," he added. "I would not be acquaintances with someone if I thought you were a racist and a homophobe. It just doesn't make sense. The whole reason I married him and his wife last summer was I thought it was a great statement, because I was replacing their [homophobic] preacher. To me, that was a statement, and I thought it was big of them to make that statement."
Bass continued on, explaining that he's known Taylor for a long time now, and often refers to him as "the lovable douchebag" who just says "the stupidest things." He says the two were first introduced to each other 15 years ago through a mutual friend, the same pal who came up with the idea for their Just Add X mixer line.
Bass was approached about collaborating with Taylor for the line two years ago. He said he thought it would be a good way to show fans how far Taylor has come since his younger, wilder days that were showcased on earlier seasons of Vanderpump Rules.
"On the show, Jax [was] looking great ... he's so pleasant to be around, zero drama, like, nothing. He changed," Bass recalled of seeing Taylor's transformation on TV at the time. "He turned his life around. We all saw it, we all watched it on television. So, that's when [our friend] was like, 'This is now your opportunity to show you've grown up. Take responsibility, you're an adult. Now, you need to show the world you can have your own company and you're looking [toward] the future.' So, we thought this would be a great idea for him, and to show this growth."
"I was happy to back him and believe in him, and I always want the best things for him -- but then, this season started airing, and he reverted back to the same crap he was spewing," Bass continued. "I obviously have not heard anything racist come out of his mouth. I mean, I hear of tweets. I'm still confused exactly, the exact tweets everyone's pissed about. This is all I know: I never heard him say a racist thing, except the big nose thing recently. ... It's like using the word 'retarded.' We all know, you don't use that anymore, and if you don't know that at this point, that's just your ignorance."
Bass said that what's most important is "how you deal with it, and how you learn from it."
"I'm an open book, I want to do the right thing. I'm trying to do the right thing," he admitted. "You have to stand up. Even if it's just your circle listening to what you have to say, that is healthy."
"Sorry this got dramatic, but I have to defend myself," he added. "Once someone calls me a liar, I gotta tell you what happened."
As for the aforementioned "big nose thing" Bass is referring to, Taylor's rep told ET on Tuesday that Bass completely fabricated Taylor's supposed comments about Jewish people having big noses.
"Those words never came from Jax," the rep tells ET.
In terms of Taylor's affiliation with Just Add X, Taylor's rep also claimed that the alleged firing was news to the reality star.
"Last week, the Just Add X website had been hacked, showcasing some hateful slurs, which Jax felt horrible about. In an emotional state, Jax had texted Lance and the Just Add X team offering to step down from the company if that was the direction they wanted to take," Taylor's rep said in a statement. "The team immediately followed up with a phone call with Lance and the team reassured and fully supported him."
"It was decided that Jax would continue to stay on the team and that they all had his back given these unpredictable times. The statements from Lance on the podcast [Monday] are not only untrue but also extremely confusing and shocking to say the least," the statement continued. "Jax is still very much a partner and founder of Just Add X and supports the team and the brand whole-heartedly. This has been a tough time for everyone involved, especially with the critical state of [his wife] Brittany's mother in the ICU, their focus has been on that."
Hear more in the video below.
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