Former N'Syncer Lance Bass, who was forced to reveal that he's gay in 2006, supports Anderson Cooper coming out.

Appearing on SiriusXM's The Six Pack, Bass was asked if his friendship with Cooper was strained by the anchor's continued refusal to publicly discuss rumors he's gay.

“Everyone does it on their own time. Anderson and I have been friends for years and of course I know him and I know his boyfriend very well, for years. But he was out to his friends and family. So to us it wasn't a big deal,” said Bass.

“Unfortunately, there are certain people who still have to worry about their careers in this industry because we make everything for middle America. You know television, movies, everything. We're performing for middle America. Those are the minds that we're slowly trying to change. So with Anderson I understand it, completely, because he's a journalist. He doesn't want anyone to look at him and say, 'Of course he's going to side with them, because he's gay.'”

Bass currently hosts SiriusXM's countdown show The Pop Ten.