Disabled woman speaks out about Nick Carter's alleged assault

Lina PortmanJune 1, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Backstreet Boys superstar Nick Carter has been dogged by sexual assault allegations for years, and those allegations take center stage in Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter, a four-part coming-of-age documentary series in which three women detail how their encounters with the singer turned into vivid nightmares. It's #MeToo-inspired censorship against fame and the power and privilege it engenders, and in its latest episode (airing Tuesday, May 28), the series focuses on one of those people , who is disabled, and claims that Nick took advantage of her situation. her when she was just a child – and now fights to hold her accountable.

Shannon “Shay” Ruth was a 17-year-old Mormon with cerebral palsy and autism when in 2001 she attended a Backstreet Boys concert at the Tacoma Dome in Washington state. While waiting with others to get autographs after the show, she was invited by Nick to visit his tour bus. Once inside, she claims she was given drugged alcohol (which she had never drunk before) and was then forced to have oral sex and endure that Nick gives her some, who then threatens her and calls her a “retarded bitch”. .”

In this exclusive clip from the episode, Shay and her attorney Mark Boskovich take to a podium during a press conference to announce Shay's lawsuit against Nick, which she filed in December 2022. As Boskovich notes, ” According to Disabilityjustice.org, 83% of women with disabilities will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and only 3% of these assaults will be reported.

Given this reality, Shay notes in a new interview, “I think about how many other people with even just autism are nonverbal, and I felt like I had to be the voice of those who don't have one. .”

Nick Carter, meanwhile, maintains his innocence, insisting that Shay's claims are false.

At the end of her press conference, a tearful Shay makes it clear that she hopes coming forward will inspire others to do the same, and Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter— which simultaneously details Nick's role in the tragic downfall of her pop-star brother Aaron — proves that her actions led to other actions, culminating in an ongoing legal battle between her and other alleged victims, Melissa Schuman and Ashley Repp, against the Backstreet Boys member. .

This and much more is detailed in ID's revealing four-part documentary series, which culminates with its final two episodes tonight, Tuesday, May 28, 9:00-11:00 PM ET/PT on ID and streaming on Max.

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