Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter has responded to the rape accusations that surfaced today from Dream Singer Melissa Schuman. In a brief statement, Carter denies the claims, saying he is both “shocked and saddened” to hear the accusations. Carter also said that it was never expressed to him, both during the encounter or after, that anything between them was non-consensual. “This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later,” he wrote in the statement, before finishing by saying that the nature of the allegations are against everything he stands for as a man.
Nick Carter wrote in the statement:
“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. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm.”
Earlier, Schuman posted a lengthy and highly-detailed account of an encounter with Carter that she says ended in him raping her. The alleged incident happened in 2002 while they were filming the TV movie The Hollow. In her account, she describes an evening where Carter got her alone by offering to play her some of his new music, taking things further than she was comfortable with, and refusing to stop when she asked him to. The full harrowing account is posted on her website.
