Nick Carter breaks silence as he denies sexual assault allegations
Nick Carter has denied multiple sexual assault allegations outlined in new docuseries Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter.
Three women, Melissa Schuman, Shannon Ruth and Ashley Repp, are featured in the documentary speaking about their alleged assaults at the hands of the musician, throughout the early 2000s. The women have sued 44-year-old Carter individually, while he has denied their allegations and countersued all three for defamation.
The show premiered on Investigation Discovery on Monday (27 May), the same network behind Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV which highlighted allegations of sexual abuse against child actors on the set of multiple Nickelodeon programmes.
Fallen Idols also follows the mental health struggles of Carter’s brother Aaron, who died from drowning and the “effects of sedatives” in November 2022, aged 35. It further documents the rift between the brothers after Aaron spoke out in support of the alleged victims when they made their claims public.
“These are exactly the same outrageous claims that led us to sue this gang of conspirators,” a statement from Carter’s attorney’s released to the Los Angeles Times read.
“Those cases are working their way through the legal system now, and, based on both the initial court rulings and the overwhelming evidence, we have every belief that we will prevail and hold them accountable for spreading these falsehoods.”
Last year, it was revealed that Carter was facing his third sexual assault allegation after an unnamed woman referred to only as AR, accused him of sexual assault while she was 15, and the singer was aged 21 and 22 at the time of the incidents.
She further alleged that Carter “knowingly provided alcohol and drugs” before he assaulted her “despite her repeated refusals and requests for him to stop”.
Carter has denied AR’s allegations, with his lawyer Dale Hayes Jr calling them “ridiculous” and “meritless”.
The “Do I Have To Cry For You” was already facing two separate lawsuits from Ruth and Schuman, a former member of the band Dream.
In Ruth’s suit, filed in December 2022, she claims that she was sexually assaulted by Carter after he invited her onto his tour bus following a Backstreet Boys show in Washington.
Ruth, who is autistic and has cerebral palsy, claims Carter gave her a pink drink that he dubbed “VIP juice” that tasted alcoholic, before insisting she perform oral sex on him. In court documents, it’s then alleged that Carter raped Ruth, who says she contracted HPV after the incident.
In a statement shared with The Independent at the time, Carter’s attorney Michael Holtz vehemently denied any wrongdoing on behalf of his client, saying that Ruth had been “manipulated into making false allegations about Nick”.
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
