ABC Pulls 'A Very Backstreet Christmas' Amid Nick Carter Allegations

By Michael Malone
( Broadcasting & Cable )
last updated

Woman said rape occurred after 2001 concert

Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys performs onstage during iHeartRadio Channel 95.5's Jingle Ball 2022 Presented by Capital One at Little Caesars Arena on December 06, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan
Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys performs at the “Jingle Ball 2022” concert in Detroit. (Image credit: Scott Legato/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

ABC will not air A Very Backstreet Holiday December 14, with allegations surfacing December 8 that singer Nick Carter raped a 17-year-old girl in 2001.

Shannon "Shay" Ruth, filed a sexual battery suit in Las Vegas accusing Carter of raping her in February 2001 following a Backstreet Boys concert in Tacoma. Ruth has autism and cerebral palsy.

In a statement shared with NBC News, Carter attorney Michael Holtz called the allegations "legally meritless" and "entirely untrue."

Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson are the Backstreet Boys.

The hour-long special, produced by Film 45 Live, was to feature the band singing songs from their new holiday album, along with classic Backstreet Boys songs. "It will be a joyful night to reminisce, harmonize and celebrate the holiday season together," ABC said when the special was announced.

ABC will run comedy repeats in place of the Backstreet Boys special. ■

Michael Malone
Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.