ABC won't air its Backstreet Boys holiday special this month after allegations that band member Nick Carter raped a 17-year-old fan two decades ago.
"A Very Backstreet Holiday," which was scheduled for Dec. 14, was set to feature the boy band singing songs from its holiday album of the same name, but the network will replace the special with comedy reruns, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The decision comes after a lawsuit was filed Thursday in Nevada alleging that Carter raped Shannon "Shay" Ruth, now 39, on his tour bus after a 2001 concert in Tacoma, Washington.
Ruth claims Carter, 42, selected her from a group of fans and invited her on the tour bus, where he gave her an alcoholic beverage called "VIP juice" and assaulted her. According to the civil suit cited by The Hollywood Reporter, there were three other anonymous Jane Doe accusers who experienced similar assaults by Carter between 2003 and 2006, one of whom was allegedly underage.
Carter's attorney Michael Holtz dismissed the allegations in a statement to Page Six.
"This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue," the statement read.
"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."
Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Ruth slammed Carter for the alleged incident.
"Even though I'm autistic and live with cerebral palsy, I believe that nothing has affected me more or had a more lasting impact on my life than what Nick Carter did and said to me," she said, according to Page Six.
"Just because Nick Carter is a celebrity does not mean that he is excused from his crimes," she later added. "I am a survivor and always will be."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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