New Nick and Aaron Carter docu-series revisits Backstreet Boys star’s relationship with Paris Hilton
Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and his pop star brother Aaron are the subjects of a new doco — and Paris Hilton has been roped into the drama.
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Former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, 44, and his pop star brother Aaron Carter — who died at age 34 in 2022 of accidental drug-related causes — are the subjects of a new docu-series, reports the New York Post.
Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter aired in the US this week with the four-part series exploring the rise of the famous brothers, their relationship, Aaron’s struggles with substance abuse and mental health, and the sexual assault allegations against Nick from Melissa Schuman, Ashley Repp and Shannon “Shay” Ruth.
In the doco, journalist Scaachi Koul also revisits shock claims circulating back in 2004 about Paris Hilton allegedly telling her friends that her ex-boyfriend Nick had hit her.
A note onscreen states that Nick declined to participate in the documentary, and that he “denied the allegations and questions his accusers’ credibility”.
Stream Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter from June 7 on BINGE, available on Hubbl.
“These are exactly the same outrageous claims that led us to sue this gang of conspirators,” Nick’s lawyer Dale Hayes Jr. said in a separate statement.
“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.”
Here are the biggest revelations from the docu-series presented by Investigation Discovery, which airs locally on Foxtel, BINGE and Fetch from June 7.
Nick allegedly hit Paris Hilton
Nick and Paris Hilton, 43, were romantically linked in 2004.
In the docu-series, journalist Scaachi Koul said, “This is a 2004 story about Paris Hilton allegedly telling her friends that her ex-boyfriend Nick had hit her. There are photos of her with a swollen lip and bruises on her arms.”
She added, “Nick Carter says he didn’t do it. There’s no real follow-up and generally the stories end with Nick’s perspective on it.”
Hilton never publicly accused Nick, but he denied the allegations, telling MTV News in 2004, “If they need the media attention, let them do their thing. My family, friends and fans know that this is not my character and I would never hurt someone that I cared for or do anything like the malicious things they are claiming.”
The Post reached out to Hilton for comment.
Nick’s text message
Melissa Schuman, 39, tearfully recalls on-screen how Nick allegedly raped her in 2003. She says that following those harrowing events she got a text message from Nick that allegedly read, “Why did you make me do that?”
“That text message freaked me out,” she says in the documentary.
“I confided in my manager about going to the police and reporting the (alleged) crime. He told me, ‘[Nick] has the most powerful litigator in the country,’” cautioning her that coming forward would destroy her career.
In a statement on-screen, Schuman’s previous manager denied that she told him about the alleged rape.
Schuman also said that she got doxxed and harassed online so much by Nick’s fans that she called a suicide hotline.
In a statement to Page Six in 2017, Nick said, “I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally.
“This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm.”
Nick’s ex girlfriend supports his accusers
Kaya Jones, 39, a former member of the Pussycat Dolls who was romantically linked to Nick, appeared in the doco to say that she saw the situation with Schuman as being, “A young woman try to speak and someone who thought he had more power and authority try to shut her up.”
She recalled meeting the Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) singer in 2004 and moving in with him after a mere four days together.
“It was a very fast relationship,” she said. “I thought I was going to marry him.”
She said that Nick was “never physically violent” with her, but “he would punch walls. He could get very angry. Nick was very good at messing with your head. He liked to control everything. So if anyone called my phone, he got really jealous. He broke my phone once like a temper tantrum like a child.”
Ashley Repp was friends with Nick’s sister Angel Carter, 36.
She said she was 15 and Nick was 23 when he allegedly assaulted her at the Carter family home in Florida.
“Aaron and I were the same age. He knew about the incidents with Nick, and he was always just really sweet,” Repp said.
“We did end up having a romantic relationship, but ultimately we decided it was better if we were just good friends.”
After a second instance in which Nick allegedly raped her in front of his friends, “Aaron could tell that something was wrong with me,” she told the cameras. “Aaron was very kind to me. He didn’t have a great relationship with his brother at that time because what he said were other similar events with his brother and younger girls.”
Nick’s lawyer has denied Repp’s allegations.
Their mum pitted the brothers against each other
Jen, a Carter family friend, claimed in the doco that Nick and Aaron’s mother, Jane, would compare their success, and turn Aaron against Nick.
This led to Aaron forming a “massive chip” on his shoulder, while Nick had “no idea” that was happening in the background.
The docu-series notes that Jane declined to comment when they reached out.
Aaron’s parents allegedly dismissed his issues
In the docu-series, Aaron’s tour manager talked about a 2001 incident when the pop star found out his family went on vacation without him.
In response, Aaron picked up a knife and put it to the side of his neck.
“Aaron would tell me he would break into Bob’s safe to get Xanax,” family friend Jen said, referring to Aaron and Nick’s late father, Robert Carter, who died in 2017.
“I wasn’t surprised. I would find these aerosol cans around the compound and found out that Aaron was using them to get high,” she said, adding that she was concerned enough to alert Aaron’s mother, but “nothing changed.”
Aaron’s cousin John Spaulding also claimed to see Aaron “huffing paint” with his father, adding, “I don’t know how Bob even got into doing that with his son.”
Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter will premiere on Friday, June 7at 9.30pm (double eps, over two weeks) on Investigation Discovery, available only on Foxtel, Fetch and Binge via Hubbl.
Aaron thought Nick was cyberattacking him and hired a PI
Aaron, who struggled with sobriety, bought “like five rifles,” according to his ex, Lina Valentina.
He was reportedly getting better in 2021. That year, he welcomed his son, Prince, with Melanie Martin.
But, he got “horrific bullying” and cyberattacks that he believed Nick was involved in.
“I was hired by Aaron. He told me he was the victim of harassment. He wanted some help getting it to stop. A lot of it was from [a social media user named] Ganvel, who calls himself Aaron’s arch-nemesis,” Jennifer Huffman, the private investigator, says on-screen.
“Aaron believed his family was behind it.”
This article originally appeared in New York Post and was reproduced with permission
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Originally published as New Nick and Aaron Carter docu-series revisits Backstreet Boys star’s relationship with Paris Hilton