Nick Carter Responds to Rape Accusation from Dream Singer Melissa Schuman
Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter is facing some serious allegations from former Dream member Melissa Schuman, who has accused him of raping her when she was 18 and he was 22.
Schuman, now 33 years old, went into detail about the alleged incident on her personal blog. According to her post, the boy bander invited her to his home while they were working on a made-for-TV movie together. She says she brought along a friend, but that she and Carter eventually ended up alone in a room.
Schuman alleges in her post that he began to get physical with her, and that he ignored her when she told him she wanted to stop. “I told him that I was saving myself for my future husband. I said it over and over again,” she writes. “He was relentless, refusing to take my no’s for an answer.”
Carter responded to the allegations in a statement to People, saying, “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.”
He added, “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.”
Schuman, for her part, has received an outpouring of support from her fans and followers.
I just want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support. Thank you for bearing witness to my story. Thank you for providing me a safe place to be open and vulnerable. I love you all. Thank you for aiding me in the healing that I so desperately needed. I am free now.
— MelissaSchuman (@MelissaSchuman) November 21, 2017
She took to Twitter earlier this week to express her gratitude. “I just want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support. Thank you for bearing witness to my story. Thank you for providing me a safe place to be open and vulnerable. I love you all. Thank you for aiding me in the healing that I so desperately needed. I am free now.”
(Photos via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty + Jon Kopaloff/Getty)