Earlier this month pop sensation Backstreet Boys filmed “A Very Backstreet Holiday” in Los Angeles. It features original members Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, and Howie Dorough performing hits from their 10th album “A Very Backstreet Christmas.” Seth Rogen, Meghan Trainor, Rob Riggle, Nikki Glaser, Ron Funches, and Atsuko Okatsuka made appearances as well.
The special was set to air on December 14th, on ABC. Due to allegations Nick Carter raped a then 17-year-old girl during the band’s tour in 2001, the Disney-owned network has chosen to pull the special. Shannon Ruth filed a sexual battery lawsuit, accusing the singer of rape, and infecting her with HPV when she was a minor. Ruth and her legal team held a press conference on December 8th, where she detailed the alleged attack.
The lawsuit alleges the assault happened after a Backstreet Boys concert in Tacoma, Washington. Ruth was waiting in an autograph line when Carter invited her back to his bus. When asked if she wanted a drink, Ruth requested apple juice but was allegedly given “VIP juice” by Carter. He claims the red-colored drink was just cranberry juice, but Ruth believes it contained alcohol. Carter was 21 at the time that this would have taken place.
Ruth claims the singer brought her to the bathroom and demanded she perform oral sex on him. After this, he allegedly continued to sexually assault her on the bed. Ruth says she was a virgin at the time, and contracted HPV as a result of the attack. She also alleges that Carter called her a “retarded little bitch, who no one would believe” if she spoke up. Ruth is autistic and has cerebral palsy.
Carter is denying these allegations. “This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue,” Carter’s attorney, Michael Holtz, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, for several years now, Ms. Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations about Nick – and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time. No one should be fooled by a press stunt orchestrated by an opportunistic lawyer – there is nothing to this claim whatsoever, which we have no doubt the courts will quickly realize.”
Carter, who’s pop star brother Aaron Carter recently passed away, joined Backstreet Boys for a performance at The Jingle Ball following the allegations.
This is not the first time Carter has been accused of rape. In 2017, Melissa Schuman attempted to bring charges against Carter for an alleged 2003 sexual assault. It was thrown out, due to the statute of limitations being up.
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