Backstreet Boys holiday special canceled after autistic woman accuses singer Nick Carter of rape
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Backstreet Boys holiday special, which was shot in Los Angeles in December 2022, has now been canceled after band member Nick Carter was allegedly accused of rape by an autistic woman.
Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, and Howie Dorough were all supposed to appear in the special, which was scheduled to debut on ABC on December 14, 2022. Variety has confirmed that the holiday special has now been canceled. The band members were going to perform songs from their tenth album titled 'A Very Backstreet Christmas' for the holiday-themed show. Seth Rogen, Nikki Glaser, Meghan Trainor, Rob Riggle, Ron Funches, and Atsuko Okatsuka were among the stars scheduled to appear in the show. On Thursday, December 8, 2022, an autistic woman accused Carter of raping her when she was 17. Carter subsequently refuted the claims.
READ MORE
Nick Carter sued by autistic woman who claims singer raped her on tour bus when he was 21
Who is Ryan Stogner? LAPD cop who is ‘crucial witness’ in Tory Lanez trial has a domestic abuse past
In her lawsuit, Shannon "Shay" Ruth, now 39, claimed that after the band's concert in Tacoma, Washington, in February 2001, Carter called her into his tour van after spotting her standing in the autograph line. At the time of the incident, she was 17 years old, as per the Daily Mail.
Ruth claims that after being invited into the tour bus, Carter asked if she would like a drink. When she said she would like apple juice, she claims that Carter offered her cranberry and then handed her a drink that was "red colored" which he referred to as "VIP juice." Ruth stated that the drink tasted "off" as she sipped it and she thinks it may have contained both cranberry juice and alcohol.
Ruth, who has autism and cerebral palsy, alleged that the singer exposed himself to her in a restroom after pulling down his pants, forcing her to engage in oral sex with him, and then raping her. She described the alleged incident's "pain, confusion, frustration, shame, and self-harm" and asserted that Carter "threatened and tried to silence her" in the aftermath.
Ruth's attorney Mark J Boskovich claims that three additional women, identified only as Jane Doe, are included in a combined lawsuit with Ruth. Ruth said, "The last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping me."
Ruth continued, "Even though I'm autistic and live with cerebral palsy, I believe that nothing has affected me more or had a more lasting impact on my life than what Nick Carter did and said to me. After he raped me, I remember him calling me a r******* little b***h and grabbing me and leaving bruises on my arm."
"Carter tried to scare me into silence... he was nasty and threatening," Ruth stated, adding, "He told people he would turn people against me and because he was Nick Carter, he had the power to wreck my life." She claimed that the goal of her speaking out was to "stop" Carter from "assaulting more teens and women."
Ruth, who had been a virgin before the alleged assault, contracted a sexually transmitted infection called Human papillomavirus infection (HPV) from the assault. She is currently suing for damages. "Just because Nick Carter is a celebrity does not mean that he is excused from his crimes. I am a survivor and always will be," Ruth said.
These charges have been refuted by Carter and a source close to him stated, "This accusation is categorically false, Nick is focusing on his family and mourning the death of his brother," as reported by TMZ.