Nick Carter performs first since the sexual accusations

• Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter has been accused of raping a teen.
• Shannon “Shay” Ruth claims he raped her in 2001 when she was 17 years old.
• Carter, who refutes the accusations, performed at Z100’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball on December 9.

Nick Carter has returned to the stage a day after being accused of raping a teen more than 20 years ago.

One day after Shannon “Shay” Ruth, a 39-year-old autistic and cerebral palsy woman, filed a sexual battery lawsuit against the singer in Nevada, the 42-year-old performed with his musical group Backstreet Boys at Z100’s 2022 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in New York City on December 9. There are no active criminal complaints.

Nick, who refutes the accusations, was beaming as he entered the stage at the Jingle Ball event and joined his bandmates in singing favourites from the group, including “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” “I Want It That Way,” and “As Long as You Love Me.” A Very Backstreet Christmas, the band’s latest holiday CD, also contains a cover of Wham”Last !’s Christmas,” from 1984.

Ruth claims Carter in her lawsuit of raping her in 2001 when she was 17 years old aboard the Backstreet Boys tour bus after a concert in Tacoma, Washington. Additionally, she claims that she was virgin prior to meeting the singer and that she developed HPV as a result of the encounter.

The singer’s attorney issued a statement the same day the suit was filed. “This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue,” said the lawyer, Michael Holtz. “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.”

On December 11, the Backstreet Boys will perform at the Kiss 100’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in Boston. The current charges against Carter have not altered Carter’s involvement in the performance series, but ABC has cancelled a scheduled airing of their television special A Very Backstreet Holiday in response to the information.

This is not the first time Carter has faced sexual assault allegations. In 2017, pop singer Melissa Schuman accused him of raping her 15 years prior, when she was 18. Carter denied her allegations. No criminal charges were filed. In 2018, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office stated in court documents, “The statute of limitations expired in 2013. Therefore, an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence is not warranted and the matter is declined.”

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