Nick Carter is sharing some of the struggles he and brother Aaron Carter faced after becoming famous as children.
In the new Paramount+ documentary "The Carters: Hurts to Love You," Nick and his sister Angel Carter Conrad open up about their turbulent childhood with parents Jane and Robert "Bob" Carter and how Nick and Aaron's fame tore their family apart. The film shows how stardom affected each of the Carter children. Nick and Angel are the only two surviving siblings as Aaron Carter, Bobbie Jean Carter and Leslie Carter all died of drug-related causes.
Nick, who has spoken in the past of his "complicated" relationship with Aaron following the singer's unexpected death at the age of 34 in 2022, discusses their challenging starts in the music industry as child stars.
"Aaron and I have the same story, and that is the trusting of people in this world and in this industry around us. The trust thing that we both had stemmed from the world that we were thrust into. Because every time we would come across anybody, didn't matter who it was, they would always do something to prove to us that you weren't to be trusted," he explains in one scene.
Nick says that both he and his brother suffered from trust issues that weighed on them.
He adds, " I knew they wanted something from me, and he knew that they wanted something from him, too. And that in itself causes this, like, vicious cycle of, like, you don't know who to turn to, who to trust."
Nick then shares that being in the music industry sometimes requires artists to mask their sadness and pain.
"I've done this for 31 years. I've been in this industry for so long. It's pressure, it's a lot of pressure. I was thinking about a song — you ever heard the song called 'The Tears of Clown'?" he asked, referring to the Motown classic sung by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles.
"It's basically, I put on a smile when I'm sad inside," he explains.
The documentary touches on Aaron idolizing Nick's success as a child and how their relationship became strained when they grew older. Nick also reveals how he was told about Aaron's death. Read on to learn more about what has been said about Nick and Aaron's relationship over the years, below.
Early days
Nick was born, along with his younger sister Bobbie Jean, in Jamestown, New York, per Nick Carter’s memoir.
Their apartment was above the Yankee Rebel bar owned by their parents and grandmother, all of whom were “big drinkers.”
The family moved to Tampa, Florida when Nick was 6, where his family bought and maintained a nursing home. His younger siblings, sister Leslie and twins Aaron and Angel, were born in Florida.
In his memoir, Nick describes his upbringing as “incredibly chaotic,” and an environment where “going to college and getting an education” weren’t priorities. The best times in their childhood was “when (his parents) drank and partied because at least then they weren’t fighting.”
“My siblings and I weren’t particularly well-nurtured as kids. I’m sure our parents loved us, they didn’t demonstrate their love in ways that typically make kids feel safe and secure,” Nick wrote in his memoir.
Nick said he was his family’s “fixer” and later “financier.” Angel, in an interview on “Dr. Keith” in 2006, called him “the best brother ever.”
Leaving home and joining Backstreet Boys was a “chance to change the course of (his) life,” Nick said, but he took a “growing pattern of self-destructive behaviors” with him.
The Carters’ parents divorced in 2004.
'90s and 2000s: Nick and Aaron Carter’s rise to fame
Nick found fame first, signing on with the Backstreet Boys in 1993 at just age 13, making him the youngest member of the group.
His mom “decided (he) was destined for stardom” the first time she heard him singing, per his memoir.
Before he was 10, they were hitting “all the talent competitions and auditions for theme parks, musicals, dinner-theater and commercials.” When he was “selected to join the Backstreet Boys,” it felt like “winning the lottery.
The Backstreet Boys was one of the biggest bands of the 1990s, selling over 100 million records worldwide and their first 10 albums reaching the Top 10 on Billboard 200. They have earned nine Grammy nominations and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.
Aaron released his self-titled debut album in 1997 when he was only 9 and he “earned millions from albums and concert tours,” Nick wrote in his memoir.
In the 2024 "Fallen Idols" documentary, the brothers’ oldest cousin, John Spaulding, speculated that Aaron's ascent could be attributed to Nick firing his parents as his manager at 18. “Jane and Bob were focused on money. They took the responsibility from Nick and placed it on Aaron at a very young age,” he said.
A family friend credited as Jen in the documentary said she overheard their parents comparing Aaron Carter to his older brother. “You’re never going to be as good as your brother,” Jen said. “That ended up being a massive chip on Aaron’s shoulder.”
Aaron Carter’s tour manager Mark Giovi said, “(Aaron) didn’t like to be reminded he wasn’t at the same level as his brother.”
Nick Carter, according to the family friend Jen, had “no idea this was happening in the background.”
“One minute Aaron was really happy and wanted to see him. The next minute, ‘You’re my competition,’” she said.
2002 - 2005: The Carter brothers face public difficulties
In his memoir, Nick described his early adulthood as a “downward spiral,” which was made public in 2002, the same year he released a solo album. He was arrested in Tampa, Florida for allegedly failing to follow police officers’ orders to leave a nightclub after a scuffle.
He was charged with a misdemeanor of resisting a law enforcement officer without violence, but released on his own recognizance.
Nick, per reporting at the time, denied wrongdoing. “I truly believe my celebrity motivated the officer to arrest me,” he said. "I am certain that after a full investigation of the facts my name will be cleared.”
Charges were dismissed after he completed community service, as Entertainment Weekly reported.
He wrote in his memoir, “I didn’t learn from it. I just kept compounding my problems by continuing the same unacceptable behavior and messing up … I rolled on, repeating the same self-destructive pattern for quite a while.”
Nick was ordered into an alcohol education program in 2005 after pleading “guilty” to a driving under the influence charge; he was placed on three years’ probation and had his driving privileges restricted, per AP.
In 2003, Aaron, at 16, entered into a public feud with their mother, who was then his manager, accusing her of stealing $100,000. “I feel betrayed by my own mother,” he said. He also filed for legal emancipation.
In a statement, per Billboard, Jane Carter said she had been accused of “false allegations designed to hurt me, my family and my son’s career. I am confident that the truth will come to light in a court of law.”
A month later, the situation was resolved. “All financial misunderstandings have been resolved between Aaron and his parents,” family lawyer Scott Salomon said in a statement, per TODAY.
“I don’t know exactly what happened in Aaron’s case,” Nick wrote in his memoir.
2006: Nick and Aaron Carter get into a public fight
While shooting the first and only season of “House of Carters,” which brought the five siblings under one roof for the first time in a decade, Nick and Aaron got into a fistfight.
The fight was sparked by Nick wanting Aaron to turn down the music after a certain amount of time.
Nick called the show “disastrous” in his memoir. The show “laid bare all of our family dysfunctions” and “only made them worse.” He said the show was his “ambitious attempt to bring the warring kids in (his) family together again as adults.”
Aaron, he wrote, was “struggling to find direction” and “associating with some really negative people.”
Nick's intentions to heal the family failed, he said. He said the fight was clarifying: “After Aaron and I battled it out one day, I realized again that people don’t change until they want to change.”
2012: The brothers’ sister Leslie dies
Early in 2011, Aaron entered rehab at the Betty Ford Center in California “to heal some emotional and spiritual issues he was dealing with,” TODAY reported. He stayed a month.
A year later, Leslie Carter, who had suffered from mental illness and depression, was found unresponsive in their father’s home in New York on January 31, 2012. She was 25 years old.
Later it was revealed that she had died of an overdose with multiple prescription medications found near her body. She had married in 2008 and given birth to her daughter in 2011.
Nick missed her funeral because he was scheduled to perform a concert on that date, TODAY reported at the time — but his memoir told a different story.
“It breaks my heart to even think about it now, but I did not go to Leslie’s funeral. I was in New York City when she died. I couldn’t get on the plane and go up there because some members of my family were blaming me for her death. It hurt me so badly to hear them say things like that. It really stung me,” he said.
He added he “struggles “every day with the emotional aspects of losing (his) sister to drugs and alcohol.”
2013: ‘Reconciliation’, Nick Carter says
In his 2013 memoir “Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It”, Nick said the trouble started, and persisted, from a childhood home environment defined by “stress and lack of nurturing.”
“The turmoil and drama never seemed to end with my family. Havoc ruled most of the time, and we all paid a price for it. Because most of us couldn’t handle it well, it ultimately drove us apart,” he wrote.
But he also wrote in his memoir that he and his brother had reconciled.
“I’ve actually been able to patch things up with Aaron recently and that feels great. Our reconciliation never would have happened if I’d kept trying to change him instead of myself,” he wrote.
May 2017: The Carter siblings’ father dies
The siblings’ father, Robert "Bob" Carter, died in 2017.
Nick tweeted that he was “heartbroken to share the news” of his father's death, and asked that “our privacy be respected at this difficult time.”
Aaron also tweeted about the death, writing (via Variety), “My heart is completely shattered. I’m in shock and I loved my dad so much. #RIP DADDY I Love You.”
July 2017: Aaron Carter is arrested and the brothers square off
In July 2017, 29-year-old Aaron was arrested in Georgia driving under the influence and drug possession, along with his then girlfriend.
On top of the DUI charge, Aaron was arrested for possession of marijuana and drug-related objects. Aaron was also arrested for marijuana and drug-related object possession, and additionally faces a misdemeanor charge for obstruction. He was released on a bond.
Nick Carter took to Twitter to reach out to his brother in 2017, writing, “To my brother: I love u no matter what & if u feel the need to reach for help, I am here and willing to help you get better.”
He also wrote, “Family isn’t always easy, we’re all here for you.”
In a since deleted tweet, Aaron responded, per People, “If my own blood truly cared about my well-being, why wouldn’t he call me directly and have a conversation instead of making this about him through a very public forum?”
“That’s not cool at all to use me for his PR and kick me while I am down. I love my family despite it through thick and thin.”
Aaron checked into rehab in September 2017 and reflected on the experience during a 2019 appearance on "The Doctors," speaking directly to Nick.
“After going to rehab, nobody came.I got a public tweet from my brother. You live in Las Vegas. Three hours away. Get your a-- in the car and come see your brother,” he said. “You need to make amends to me. You need to apologize to me. I haven’t even met my nephew.”
Aaron pleaded no contest and the charges were dropped in 2021, the Northeastern Georgian reported.
November 2017: Nick Carter is accused of sexual assault
Former girl group Dream member Melissa Schuman wrote a blog post in November 2017 saying Nick had assaulted her when she was 18 in 2003.
Since that time, Schuman and two other women have filed lawsuits against Nick: Shannon Ruth in 2022 and a defendant listed as A.R. in 2023.
Nick has denied any wrongdoing related to his accusers. In February 2023, he filed a counterclaim against Ruth and listed Schuman as a defendant. He added A.R. to the complaint as a defendant in January 2024.
The filing alleges that Melissa Schuman and her father Jerome Schuman brought Ruth “into their scheme and groomed and coached” her to say she was sexually assaulted by the Backstreet Boys member.
Schuman and Ruth denied Nick's allegations in the "Fallen Idol" docuseries.
Ruth said, “Nobody manipulated me or forced me or planned out any conspiracy or anything else.”
Schuman said that she is suing because she wants her own due process and thought that it would never be a possibility until the statute of limitations changed in California civil court.
Proceedings are still ongoing.
September 2019: Nick Carter takes out a restraining order against his brother
In September 2019, Nick said he and his sister Angel took out a restraining order against Aaron.
Leading up to the restraining order, Aaron had been making Instagram Live videos. In some, he was seen loading guns. In others, he talked about his brother’s sexual assault allegations and interviewed accuser Melissa Schuman.
Nick explained why he was filing a restraining order in a statement posted to Twitter.
“In light of Aaron’s increasingly alarming behavior and his recent confession that he harbors thoughts and intentions of killing my pregnant wife and unborn child, we were left with no choice but to take every measure possible to protect ourselves and our family,” he wrote alongside the hashtags #mentalhealth, #GunControlNow and #GunControl. “We love our brother and truly hope he gets the proper treatment he needs before any harm comes to himself or anyone else.”
Aaron confirmed the restraining order in tweets of his own.
"So my brother just got a restraining order against me. And I was just served lol,” he wrote.
He denied wrongdoing, writing in a tweet, “I am astounded at the accusations being made against me and I do not wish harm to anyone, especially my family.”
By that point, Aaron said he and his brother hadn’t seen each other in “four years.” In another tweet he wrote, “Take care Nick Carter. We’re done for life.”
2022: Aaron Carter dies
Aaron died in 2022 at the age of 34.
His cause of death was revealed months later as accidental drowning due to the effects of inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam, a generic form of Xanax.
Difluoroethane is “a gas commonly used as propellant in the air spray cleaners for electronic devices that can induce feelings of euphoria when inhaled,” the coroner report states.
The manner of death as an accident.
Aaron's son, Prince, was just under 1 when his father died.
The day after his death was made public, Nick wrote a message on Instagram.
“My heart is broken. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed. Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss, but the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz. Now you can finally have the peace you could never find here on earth….God, Please take care of my baby brother.”
The day after Aaron's death, Nick was scheduled to perform with a reunited Backstreet Boys. They honored Aaron on stage. Nick wept visibly onstage, per footage from the show.
“That night, it was tough to get up on stage. There’s the old saying the show must go on, that’s been with us for years, but that night, I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know what was going to come from it, getting on that stage. Getting the reaction from the fans, it was definitely comforting, and it meant a lot to me,” he later told Extra.
2023: The brothers’ oldest sister dies
On December 23, 2023, Bobbie Jean Carter died at 41.
“To my older sister Bobbie,” Angel began in the caption. “You had a great sense of humor, and a lively spirit. Growing up, I was your baby, and you were my best friend. Life wasn’t fair to you, that I know. Sometimes, it feels like you didn’t have a shot, no matter what.”
Nick summed up thoughts about all of the problems his family had experienced in the past years in his memory post on Instagram, writing, “It may take a lifetime to fully process the loss my family has endured over the years — most recently, with the sudden passing of our sister Bobbie Jean. I am completely heartbroken. Thank you for all your love and kind words. We are reminded again that life is precious, fleeting and to cherish the time we have with the ones we love. I know she is finally at peace with God. I love you BJ.”
2024: 'Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter' is released
“Fallen Idols,” an Investigation Discovery documentary released May 27, 2024, tracked Nick and Aaron Carter’s rise to fame.
One scene in "Fallen Idols" addressed Nick not attending Leslie's funeral and how it impacted his relationship with Aaron.
A family friend named Jen said in the documentary, "Once Aaron found out that Nick wasn’t coming to Leslie’s funeral, the first thing that Jane did was tell Aaron, ‘He doesn’t love you.’ That’s not the truth. Aaron became very upset and aggressive, hitting Jane and having her against the wall. It was an insane moment to be in.”
She described it as a turning point: “After Leslie’s funeral, it got really dark. I was really concerned for Nick and for Aaron.”
Nick declined to comment on the documentary. TODAY.com reached out to Nick for comment and did not hear back.
2025: 'The Carters: Hurts to Love You' is released
On April 15, 2025, a new two-part documentary directed by Soleil Moon Frye was released on Paramount+.
Told though Angel's perspective, the documentary includes home video and photos from the Carter family's childhood. Angel talks about her parents tumultuous relationship and how money and famed changed their lives.
It also goes into Aaron and Nick's relationship as brothers, highlighting a lot of the moments where things turned sour.
Nick also talks with Angel about the moment he found out Aaron died.
“I’ll never forget, you know, being in London at the time when it happened and getting the text message,” he recalled. “It’s still unbelievable to this day.”
He added, “I haven’t even had a chance to grieve.”
