Nick Carter took the stage at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball live performance in New York City on Friday, amid rape allegations and a lawsuit towards him.
Matching in all-white ensembles, the singer, 42, carried out alongside his Backstreet Boys bandmates Kevin Richardson, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, and Howie Dorough at Madison Square Garden.
Together, the group sang a few of their basic hits, together with “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and “I Want It That Way,” in addition to a canopy of Wham!’s “Last Christmas.”
Dua Lipa, Dove Cameron, Demi Lovato, Lizzo, Charlie Puth and Ava Max had been amongst among the different performers who joined the boy band at the annual vacation occasion.
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Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Nick Carter
RELATED: Nick Carter Sued for Sexual Battery in 2001 Fan Incident as Source Denies Allegations
Earlier this week, Carter was sued by a lady named Shannon Ruth, who alleged that she was 17 years outdated when Carter sexually assaulted her on his tour bus after a live performance in 2001, when he was 21, in line with paperwork obtained by PEOPLE.
The accusation had prompted ABC to cancel the Backstreet Boys’ Christmas particular, titled A Very Backstreet Holiday, which was scheduled to air on Dec. 14, Variety reported.
The particular was set to characteristic Carter and his bandmates, in addition to Seth Rogen, Meghan Trainor, Rob Riggle and Nikki Glaser, amongst others. The band was slated to carry out songs from its lately launched tenth album, A Very Backstreet Christmas.
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A supply near Carter has since denied the allegations, and Michael Holtz, an legal professional for the singer, added in a press release despatched to PEOPLE, “This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue.”
Holtz continued, “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. No one should be fooled by a press stunt orchestrated by an opportunistic lawyer — there is nothing to this claim whatsoever, which we have no doubt the courts will quickly realize.”
Ruth, who’s autistic and has cerebral palsy, claims in her lawsuit that she was ready in an autograph line after a Backstreet Boys present in Tacoma, Washington, when Carter invited her to his bus.
The singer requested Ruth if she needed a drink, and when she requested apple juice, he gave her a red-colored drink he referred to as “VIP juice,” the grievance claims. Though Carter allegedly mentioned the beverage was cranberry juice, Ruth believes it additionally contained alcohol.
RELATED VIDEO: Nick Carter Sued for Sexual Battery in 2001 Fan Incident as Source Denies Allegations
Ruth claims that Carter then introduced her to the lavatory and demanded she carry out oral intercourse on him. Afterward, the singer allegedly continued to sexually assault her on a mattress. Ruth claimed that she was a virgin earlier than the encounter, and that she contracted HPV afterward.
In 2017, Carter was accused of rape by former teen pop singer Melissa Schuman, who was 18 at the time.
Carter denied Schuman’s claims, saying that something that occurred between them was “consensual.” He was by no means charged with a criminal offense, and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s workplace declined the case in 2018, citing an expired statute of limitations.
If you or somebody you understand has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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