Ashley Judd's revelation that she was sexually harassed by a studio executive is inspiring others to speak out about their own experiences.
During Wednesday's all-new Meredith Vieira Show, a group of panelists weighed in on the actress' latest interview. While his story was different in many ways, Lance Bass couldn't help but open up about an experience he had growing up as a teenager.
"It happens to men too. It's a two-way street," he shared during the show's "What's Hot Now" segment. "It had happened to me when I was 16 or 17-years-old. When we started, there was someone that we worked with that was inappropriately touching us."
He continued, "I wasn't even aware then, at 16, that this guy was a pedophile and he was touching me. Oddly, I didn't feel victimized at the time because I was very aware of it but it happened to us too."
During the candid discussion, fellow panelist Megan Colarossi had to ask if Bass ever said anything while he was in ‘N Sync.
"No. I mean with the guys we would talk about it. We would kind of joke about it, but it's not a joking thing. But as a kid, it was just odd," he confessed. "I am glad that we were aware of it and we didn't feel victimized at the time."
Comic and fellow panelist Yamaneika Saunders as well as Meredith Vieira also shared their own experiences growing up in the industry.
"I'm not going to name names…In one of my jobs, working with a fellow correspondent where she came onto the boss in order to get better work," Vieira shared. When asked if the correspondent succeeded, Vieira said "she sure did."
While each story is different, everyone on the panel couldn't help but agree that Judd's decision to speak out should be commendable no matter how long it took for her to come forward.
"If we don't speak out, it's never going to stop," panelist Lilliana Vazquez shared.