ABC Cancels Backstreet Boys Holiday Special Amid Nick Carter Being Accused Of Raping Autistic Fan In New Lawsuit, Singer Denies Allegations

Nick Carter

ABC Cancels Backstreet Boys Holiday Special Amid Nick Carter Being Accused Of Raping Autistic Fan In New Lawsuit, Singer Denies Allegations

ABC is pulling the plug on “A Very Backstreet Holiday,” amid reports that Nick Carter is being sued for sexual battery.

The Backstreet Boys holiday special was set to air on ABC next week, however, the network has canceled the airing. While ABC isn’t offering any explanation for the last-minute cancelation, the announcement comes less than 24 hours after it was revealed that Backstreet Boys’ member Nick Carter, 42, is being sued by a 39-year-old woman with autism and cerebral palsy who says the singer raped her as a teenager on the group’s tour bus in 2001.

According to reports, Shannon “Shay” Ruth filed a sexual battery lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada, on Thursday (Dec. 8) in which she claims that Carter gave her alcohol and assaulted her after a concert in Tacoma, Washington in February 2001. She was only 17 at the time of the alleged incident.

Nick Carter

In the lawsuit, Ruth claims that Nick Carter picked her out of a line of fans, invited her on his tour bus, and gave her “VIP juice,” which she believes was a mixture of cranberry juice and alcohol. After the alleged assault, Ruth says she contracted “the human papillomavirus (commonly known as HPV), a sexually transmitted infection known to cause health problems such as genital warts and cervical cancer,” according to the complaint.

During a press conference held in Beverly Hills, California, on Thursday (Dec. 8), 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.”

Nick Carter has since released a statement denying the allegations.

The statement–provided by his attorney Michael Holtz–reads:

“This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue. Unfortunately, for several years now, Ms. Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations about Nick – and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time.”

This isn’t the first time Nick Carter has been accused of sexual assault. Back in 2017,  Melissa Schuman – a member of Diddy’s former girl group, Dream – came forward with claims that Nick raped her in 2002, which he denied. Reportedly, Prosecutors in Los Angeles opted to not pursue charges because the statute of limitations had expired.

“A Very Backstreet Holiday” was set to air on December 14.

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