Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter

[CM-BlueButterfly]

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Investigation Discovery's 4 part documentary series on brothers Nick and Aaron Carter. ID will premiere the series on Monday, May 27 and Tuesday, May 28 at 9pm EDT and it will also stream on Max. The series will investigate the accusations of sexual assaults against Nick Carter by 3 women and will also dive into younger brother Aaron's struggles with mental health and substance abuse that led to his death in 2022. The series will also look at the relationship between the brothers, which took a turn when Aaron began speaking out against his brother in regards to the allegations and supporting Nick's accusers

 

[Annber03]

So watched this tonight - I loved me some Backstreet Boys back in the day, but Nick was never my favorite of the group (Kevin was). I never got the appeal for him, but back then, it was simply because he just wasn't the type of guy I tended to be attracted to.

This documentary sure as hell gave me even more reasons not to like him, though. Yeeeeeeeeeeeesh, these stories. Kaya not being able to go into details about her experience was chilling, and Ashley and Melissa's stories were horrifying. I know that Ashley's family wasn't aware of what happened to her during her first visit, but yeah, so many red flags that weren't noticed until it was far too late. 

Melissa's whole thing about being made to do that duet with Nick, and him showing up to her showcase, and how his presence affected her ability to perform during her showcase, to the point where the label decided not to sign her...that was as creepy and disturbing as the story of her assault. Like he was violating her all over again and actively helping to sabotage her success as revenge for her reaction to what he'd done to her prior. That's just...fucked up on so many levels. 

And then the fact that that Kenneth made a point of telling her that Nick was seeing Paris Hilton, and her having to wonder why he told her that, and what he might've told Kenneth. Just...so gross. On so many levels. 

I like how they're exploring how girl pop stars were treated in comparison to the men. I do remember reading so many interviews with pop stars like Britney and Christina and Jessica and so on in teen magazines back then, and so many of them had a bit where they'd all make a point of stating that they were saving themselves for marriage and trying to put on this totally virginal, innocent persona. And there was all the talk in the media back then about how pop stars like Britney and Christina and so on had to be "good role models" for their young teen fans, and so much judgment around what they were wearing, and connecting their sexua activity to how they dressed. 

I remember being really confused and bothered by that even then, and looking back on that time period, I'm even more disgusted by the fact that that was a thing (and the sad part is that, unfortunately, it still is a thing). Especially given that, as Melissa points out, girls like her had virtually no control over what they got to wear on stage or in photo shoots or whatever. They couldn't be too sexy, and got judged harshly for even the slightest hint of such a thing, but boy, that didn't stop the media from expoiting them and still trying to use their sex appeal to sell records or get media attention or things of that sort. Talk about your mixed messages.

And the role model thing was especilally infuriating because, a) maybe give teenage girls a little more credit? b) if a teenager is emulating her favorite pop star's life to the point where it's an obsession and taking over how she behaves and whatnot, that speaks to far deeper problems that she's dealing with. c) It's not these pop stars' jobs to raise these teenagers, especially given they're teens themselves. That's the parents' job. Don't blame them because you're having issues with how to raise your kid. 

And d) amazing, isnt' it, how the girls had to be the role models, but never the guys. Nobody seemed to be concerned about how NIck's behavior might infuence any young men, or what kind of message he was sending to young girls about what was and wasn't acceptable behavior in regards to the kinds of boys they dated or married. Nope. Only the girsl' behavior, both sexual and otherwise, had to be under scrutiny, had to be just right and appropriate. Gotta love those double standards. 

It's frustrating, too, that Melissa was told point blank that trying to report this and fight Nick wouldn't go anywhere because of his standing and power and money. On the one hand, sadly, that is true, but on the other hand, it sucks that she was so limited and isolated and alone and unable to do anything. 

But yeah, between that and all the utterly horrific things people were saying about her after she posted her blog recouting her experience, I feel like we need to show all of that to all the people out there who still can't get it through their heads as to why more women don't come forward with this stuff, or why it takes so long for them to come forward. If those superfans want to embarrass themselves on national TV by defending Nick so openly, well...I guess that's their choice. 

We're not even going to get into that Molly and everything she said and did. What the actual fuck. Some people really should just not have any access to the internet whatsoever. 

I'm also not surprised nothing happened with the stories about Paris and Nick - given the way Paris was talked about in the media back then, of course she and her complaints would've been dismissed for that reason alone, and I mean, we stil see people defending Chris Brown after those horrific photos of what he'd done to Rihanna. Unfortunately not surprising the same thing would happen with Nick and Paris, even with the photos of her looking all bruised. 

(And yeah, that article with Nick's comments about Paris. Really not helping your claims of innocence there, you creep.)

The whole thing with Aaron speaking up in support of the women who accused Nick, and all the drama and tragedy around the Carter family in general...yeah, that's gonna be really interesting. The stories about NIck and Aaron's father, and how they seemed to have all this wealth and material things, but nothing else, and all the drinking and the mess with the Carter parents' divorce...it really does explain and expand upon so much, both in regards to Nick's behavior and the messiness and tragedy of this family in general. 

On a significantly lighter note, it's nice to hear from Dave Holmes. I remember him on MTV back in the day, I always liked him. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I just watched the one on Aaron.  I didn’t find what the Aaron supporters were saying very credible.  In fact they were like from another universe.  
 

I find this series so far rather odd.  I’ll watch more before I form an opinion.  It sort of reminds me of the docu about the series Glee that aired last year.  

[Pi237]

Still so many people don’t believe these girls were genuinely raped. They say: she flirted, she went to his room/bus, why didn’t she run away or scream?…it’s good people are seeing that rape isn’t just the stranger jumping out of a dark alley.  Unfortunately, it’s dangerous to report when you can’t prove it because you become a target for defamation lawsuits. 

Their parents-wow. How do you live with yourself? Especially that Mom blaming one son for the other’s death? Handing a vulnerable child to a man you know already most likely raped your other son? Crazy.

Aaron needed long term rehabilitation. Unfortunately, if an addict (with mental health issues as well,) isnt willing to get that help, there’s not much you can do.  Those horrible people with their podcasts- wow, I hope karma comes calling tenfold. How do you relentlessly harass an obviously sick person in mental distress? Disgusting people.

[Annber03]

20 minutes ago, Pi237 said:

Still so many people don’t believe these girls were genuinely raped. They say: she flirted, she went to his room/bus, why didn’t she run away or scream?…it’s good people are seeing that rape isn’t just the stranger jumping out of a dark alley.  Unfortunately, it’s dangerous to report when you can’t prove it because you become a target for defamation lawsuits. 

This is another reason I don't get people who think that people make these accusations solely for attention. Who the hell would want this kind of attention? Who would purposefully make something like this up, knowing the kind of vile responses and comments they'd get? 

But yeah, I mean...there's three lawsuits now against Nick. Three. And numerous accusations. The chances they're all conspiring and lying are practically nil. Especially given that a lot of their stories are fairly similar in the way events unfolded. 

I also have to love Nick claiming he has witnesses to corroborate his version of events. I mean...in a lot of those cases, those witnesses were also doing drugs and drinking, since a lot of these assaults happened at parties and gatherings, and these encounters happened in bathrooms or bedrooms, away from where others could see. And he doesn't even deny that something happened, he just claims it was all consentual. So...I'm not exactly sure how helpful or credible those witnesses are going to be.

Also, some people might be a litlte more willing to hear out Nick's side of the story if he didn't feel the need to use charged language towards his accusers and insinuating that they're all justl ooking for fame and money. That's the classic refrain from people who want to dismiss rape/sexual assault accusers. It doesn't make him look good or believable. At all. He can defend himself without stooping to that kind of rhetoric. 

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Their parents-wow. How do you live with yourself? Especially that Mom blaming one son for the other’s death? Handing a vulnerable child to a man you know already most likely raped your other son? Crazy.

SERIOUSLY. Oh, my god. She's yelling at her kids - lady, your damn husband was huffing fumes with your son, who is now dead of a drug overdose. The only time he ever seemed to bother to show up to spend time with his kids involved him drinking with them, and drinking themselves into a stupor besides. And then she and her husband kept expecting their kids to be the financial providers for the family, and she lets Aaron be managed by Lou Pearlman despite knowing about all the allegations against him and suspecting him of abusing Nick. Look in the fucking mirror and take some damn responsibility. 

What an absolute mess that family is. My god. And yet they still can't seem to acknowledge what coud lead to three of their children dying of drug overdoses at incredibly young ges, and one son being mired in a crapton of lawsuits and accusations for being a creep. Yeah, gosh, it's a total mystery, I tell ya. 

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Those horrible people with their podcasts- wow, I hope karma comes calling tenfold. How do you relentlessly harass an obviously sick person in mental distress? Disgusting people.

That was INSANE. Like I said in my last post, some people really should just not have any access to the internet whatsoever. All those podcasters and people on social media getting caught up in the battles with Aaron...I just kept wondering, "Who ARE all of you? Do you not have your own lives? Why do you think this is any of your business or anything you need to get involved in?" Good lord, if ever there was a time to use the term "go outside and touch grass"...

Such a horrible, sad, disturbing documentary. I will be stunned if these lawsuits actually achieve anything, only because I know how these kinds of cases often tend to play out, but hey, I support these women continuing to fight on, and I hope something does come of their efforts in the end. 

[sskrill]

So I missed the first episode and I was too old for them so learned a lot watching this.

I was sad for Aaron, he seemed like a nice kid born in to a shitty family.  How do you have 3 of 5 kids die from drug overdoses?  I'll bet neither parent thinks they are in any way responsible for what happened to them.

I hadn't heard any of the accusations about Nick previously.  He's a scumbag and his fans are worse than he is (took a quick drive-by of his Twitter account).  I suspect there are dozens more women out there who suffered at his hands. That's disturbing because being who he is, he didn't have to rape/manipulate women, he could have just swung a dead cat and found someone willing to sleep with him.

I also discovered he lives like 2 miles from me. I'll have to keep an eye out for him or his scummy wife.

 

 

 

[CAM]

Oh man, my heart breaks for those women.

That was hard to watch, I wasn't really into the whole boy band crazy growing up, liked some of the songs, but mostly thought the fan obsession was dumb.  I don't even recall hearing about the allegations against Nick until this doc.

Talk about a toxic family. Poor Aaron wish he had gotten the help he needed.

This doc continued to confirm my belief that social media is the worst thing ever and brings out the worst in people. 

Same can be said for the modern obsessed celebrity fandom were people refuse to think a celebrity is anything but perfect and pure and can do no wrong.

15 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I will be stunned if these lawsuits actually achieve anything, only because I know how these kinds of cases often tend to play out, but hey, I support these women continuing to fight on, and I hope something does come of their efforts in the end. 

I agree, I don't have high hopes on lawsuits, feels like they have an uphill battle.

41 minutes ago, sskrill said:

How do you have 3 of 5 kids die from drug overdoses?  I'll bet neither parent thinks they are in any way responsible for what happened to them.

Yeah this made me wonder what the other sisters knew/suspected about Nick's behavior/actions and if the family was forcing them to keep quiet and they delt with the stress by turning to drugs. (Just my thoughts)

I'm am curious to know what other secrets Kaya knows/has on Nick or the family.

[babyhouseman]

I wonder if the witnesses were bribed not to say anything.

[CAM]

2 hours ago, babyhouseman said:

I wonder if the witnesses were bribed not to say anything.

That thought crossed my mind too. Same goes for the witness that made statements going along with/confirming Nick's version of events.

 

[sashabear21]

Man, if you ever think your family is dysfunctional then watch this documentary! Those parents were a piece of work, making your young adult and single digit years old child as the breadwinners for the family is a special kind of messed up.

Those bloggers and social media trolls are just horrible people with no lives. I kinda want to ask that clearly mentally deranged Molly girl if she got picked yet. 
 

I completely believe the women and I wish a lawyer would laugh Nick Carter out of court with these allegations of a conspiracy. Dude, you’re 1/5 of a past their prime boy band and your last name isn’t Timberlake. You maybe have Fatone money. Especially since it sounds like Carter’s parents spent a lot of it he made during his prime. 

 

 

 

[Sweet-tea]

I just finished the series. I was horrified. The main takeaway for me was how screwed up the family was and what abysmal parenting these kids had. They were used as commodities to make money for the parents. Three out of five of these kids died at a young age. What does that tell us about the family system? The father was an irresponsible drunk who did drugs and alcohol around his minor children. The mother was a classic, thirsty stage mom pushing her kids out there so she could get rich.

I'm glad Nick appears to have cleaned up his act, but I believe the women who have come forward about the sexual assault. And if Nick had really turned his life over, he would take responsibility for what he did and try to settle out of court with these women instead of counter suing them. The fans sounded so ridiculous. Ok, so you've seen the guy in public and that makes you think you know him? Do you think a sexual predator is going to show you his true colors? No he's a psycho who will act like a nice guy in front of most people and then target the young and the weak as his victims.

It was very sad to watch Aaron's decline from a fresh-faced cute boy to a gaunt, tattoo-riddled drug act who was so obviously in pain. The light went out of his eyes. He looked like a shell of his former self. As one person said, he wanted to be loved by his mother, but he never got that from her.

The series hinted at possible sexual abuse of Nick and Aaron. I wonder if the music industry is as bad as Hollywood, because sexual abuse of minors is rampant in Hollywood (I also watched Quiet on the Set). I expect it is. I wouldn't be surprised if both Nick and Aaron were abused by that guy that was mentioned who was a manager or producer, someone in an authority role over them.

They guy on the internet who went after Aaron is a soulless creep. Nick's wife participating by going on his show was also shocking and unconscionable. And Molly G. was another troll bottom-feeder. I can't believe all the people on the internet that glommed onto these terrible people and egged them on. Do they not have a conscience?

I need to shower after watching this.

Oh and I hope the one remaining sister is able to rise above this toxic family and doesn't end up like the others. 

Edited June 7 by Sweet-tea

[Scout Finch]

In 2019, Aaron and his mother were on a season of Marriage Boot Camp: Family Edition. It was apparent from the start of the damage she'd caused and his justifiable hurt and anger was visceral. I wouldn't put it past her to have guilted him into doing it for her financial benefit. Also on that season was Corey Feldman with his wife and brother. 

Edited June 9 by Scout Finch
Changed cause of death.

[Notabug]

14 hours ago, Scout Finch said:

In 2019, Aaron and his mother were on a season of Marriage Boot Camp: Family Edition. It was apparent from the start of the damage she'd caused and his justifiable hurt and anger was visceral. I wouldn't put it past her to have guilted him into doing it for her financial benefit. After seeing the show his suicide sadly wasn't a major shock. Also on that season was Corey Feldman with his wife and brother. 

Aaron's death was ruled accidental, not a suicide.  He drowned in the bathtub after taking Xanax and inhaling gas propellant.

Edited June 9 by Notabug

[Scout Finch]

5 minutes ago, Notabug said:

Aaron's death was ruled accidental, not a suicide.  He drowned in the bathtub while after taking Xanax and inhaling gas propellant.

Sorry about that! I've removed that sentence.

[AngieBee1]

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The series hinted at possible sexual abuse of Nick and Aaron. I wonder if the music industry is as bad as Hollywood, because sexual abuse of minors is rampant in Hollywood (I also watched Quiet on the Set). I expect it is. I wouldn't be surprised if both Nick and Aaron were abused by that guy that was mentioned who was a manager or producer, someone in an authority role over them.

I would watch Aaron's Instagram, TikTok and Youtube Lives - it was my version of watching reality shows.  I'm surprised the docu-series left out the Instagram Lives where their mother Jane says Nick was molested by Lou Perlman. She and Aaron laughed about this.  I suppose they left that out because in the same Live, Jane said that she didn't believe Nick and that he was just jealous and trying to keep Aaron from signing with Lou. She also said that she decided to get Nick some sort of deal (I don't recall if it was a solo album or what) by using Nick's molestation allegations as leverage.

Aaron has said he was molested by more than a few people: two backup dancers, his former manager (or rather he said she was "inappropriate" with him) and his late sister Leslie.  Their other sister Bobbie Jean went on the Live of a guy Aaron was in collusion with in order to take down Nick (and as usual with people in Aaron's life, they had a falling out) and said that it was the other way around: Aaron raped Leslie and said the family wouldn't believe her because she was the problem child.

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They guy on the internet who went after Aaron is a soulless creep.

Aaron teamed up with Ganval because the both of them thought they were genius hackers and were going to go after Nick's wife. Then Ganval turned on Aaron. He also got Aaron to admit to something he had long denied - that he had sent inappropriate pics to the 15-year old sister of his (Aaron's) former assistant.  So it became war; yet Aaron would always go to Ganval's livestream, act like they were friends again; offered to write a song for Ganval's girlfriend; would tell Ganval to say he loved him. All on livestream because Aaron stayed online constantly. 

The P.I. said acts as if Ganval was communicating at Aaron on Twitter, but they were warring on Twitter. The issue is that Aaron's account was taken down for doxxing people and he, himself, would often delete his account before re-upping it so it looks as if it was a one-way communication. 

Which is why I can't take his portions of the docu-series seriously.  I was online for so much of it so watching them portray him as someone who was an innocent victim, where the people who harassed him were brought into his life by him.  He said Melissa Schuman lied on Nick because she was trying to tear he and Nick apart. He didn't turn on her because he wanted harassment to stop, it's because he was mentally ill and he changed on a dime. He kicked the mother of his child out of the house so many times and called the cops on her, only to bring her back and verbally assault her and bask in his paranoia with his mother and ponder whether his girlfriend was in cahoots with Nick and his wife so they can kill him and take his money.

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Nick's wife participating by going on his show was also shocking and unconscionable. And Molly G. was another troll bottom-feeder. I can't believe all the people on the internet that glommed onto these terrible people and egged them on. Do they not have a conscience?

I can't defend Lauren on this because she should have ignored Aaron's antics, but she went on Ganval's live because IIRC they were still trying to pursue a renewal of their restraining order and fans tipped her off that Ganval recorded Aaron asking him to start a smear campaign against Nick (Ganval played the recording and it's true that Aaron instigated this). I think she was trying to use this for more legal ammo.

Most of the stuff the docu-series pinned on Ganval wasn't from him, but Aaron and Melanie acting like it was. One day he claimed Ganval sent him duster cans to trigger him and Aaron showed the box and tried to hide the address, but you can see that Aaron sent it to himself.  The dead bird? Was a bird that hit their window and Aaron and Melanie did the worst kind of CW acting to pretend the bird was shot and dumped on their porch.

When Aaron passed away a lot of Youtubers who recorded the Lives and reposted them took down the material out of respect.

Edited June 15 by AngieBee1