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Artist News
Nick Carter denies rape allegation from Melissa Schuman
By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 23 November 2017
Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter has denied a rape allegation made against him by Melissa Schuman, a former member of girl group Dream.
In a detailed blog post published last week, Schuman wrote that Carter raped her when she was eighteen. The two had both been cast in a TV movie – 2004 horror film ‘The Hollow’ – and he had invited her to hang out with him and a friend on a day off from shooting.
She later signed a management deal with Kenneth Crear, who also represented Carter. In an attempt to boost her aspiring solo pop career, Crear set up a duet for her with Carter – with their parts on the song recorded separately, she notes. She added that the next time she saw Carter was at a showcase for a major label, where they performed the song together – she implies that the awkwardness this resulted in was partly to blame for the showcase not resulting in a deal, and Crear subsequently dropping her.
Schuman adds that she did try to come forward with this story several years ago, initially intending to go to the police, but for various reasons chose not to take it further.
“A short amount of time passed after the incident”, she writes. “I confided in my then manager, Nils Larsen, that I wanted to come forward. He heard me out and said he would do some investigation and would try to find me a good attorney as I intended to press charges. He later informed me that [Carter] had the most powerful litigator in the country”.
“He was right”, she goes on. “I didn’t have the money, the clout or access to an attorney who was powerful enough to stand up against my abuser’s legal counsel. I was told I would likely be buried in humiliation, accused of being fame hungry, and it would ultimately hurt me professionally as well as publicly”.
Her motivation for coming forward now, she says, was seeing the response to a claim by an anonymous Backstreet Boys fan who said that she was assaulted by Carter. In particular, comments under a RadarOnline article accusing the alleged victim of lying about the incident to get famous.
“Victim shaming is a core reason why victims don’t speak out”, writes Schuman. “Let me ask this simple question: Who the hell wants to be famous for being raped?”
In a statement responding to Schuman’s accusation, Carter says: “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”, he continues. “It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm”.
Schuman previously published another blog post, recalling experiences of sexism during her time in the music industry.
