ABC Cancels Backstreet Boys Holiday Special After Nick Carter Rape Claims
DAMAGE CONTROL
ABC will no longer air a Backstreet Boys holiday special after group member Nick Carter was accused of rape in a lawsuit Thursday. “A Very Backstreet Holiday” was filmed in Los Angeles earlier this month and was set to air on Dec. 14, with special guests including Meghan Trainor, Seth Rogen, Rob Riggle, Nikki Glaser, Ron Funches, and Atsuko. The ’90s boy band, which had six Top 10 hits in the U.S., was set to perform songs from their first holiday album A Very Backstreet Christmas, released in October. The special was pulled less than 24 hours after a woman named Shannon Ruth gave a tearful press conference announcing a civil lawsuit against Carter, 42, alleging he raped her in a tour bus outside a venue in Tacoma, Washington, back in 2001. The singer has denied all claims. This is just the latest bad news for the Carter family. Last month, Nick’s younger brother Aaron was found dead in his bathtub after a long struggle with drug addiction. His cause of death has yet to be released, though officers reportedly found pills and inhalants near his body.