Getty Singer Nick Carter and Lauren Kitt attend the premiere of Gravitas Ventures' "Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of" at on January 29, 2015 in Hollywood, California.
Singer Nick Carter is the latest celebrity to be accused of sexual assault. Carter, the 37-year-old frontman of the boy band Backstreet Boys, has been accused by singer Melissa Schuman of sexually assaulting her when she was 18.
In a blog post, Schuman said that she was invited to Carter’s apartment during a day off from filming a movie they were in at the time. Schuman said she was a virgin and accused Carter of taking her into a bathroom and kissing her. She claims that despite her pleas for him to stop, Carter removed her pants and performed oral sex on her, demanding that she do the same to him. The alleged assault continued in a bedroom, she said.
“My thought was the only way to get out was to get him to finish what he had started,” Schuman wrote. “That’s where I saw myself, my reflection, watching myself do something that I was sickened by. Watching myself be assaulted, forced to engage in an act against my will.”
Carter has since responded to the accusations, saying he was “shocked and saddened” by them.
“Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual,” he said in a statement to Us Weekly. “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.”
Carter recently had his first child with wife Lauren Kitt. Kitt, 34, is a fitness expert and actress. The couple starred in a VH1 reality series that led up to their wedding in 2014.
Here’s what you need to know about Carter and Kitt:
1. Carter & Kitt Got Married in a Ceremony Overlooking the Ocean in 2014
Carter proposed to Kitt with a 7-carat diamond ring in February 2013, and they got married April 12, 2014. It was something he said that he never thought would happen.
“I said I’d never get married,” he told People Magazine in 2013. “Go big or go home.”
According to People Magazine, Carter and Kitt got married at sunset on a bluff which overlooked the ocean at Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara, California. They exchanged their vows in front of the over 100 guests, including Backstreet Boys bandmates AJ McLean, Howie Dorough and Brian Littrell. Carter reportedly wore a custom tuxedo designed by Anthony Franco Designs while Kitt wore a strapless wedding gown.
After the romantic ceremony, the two moved to a ballroom for a reception, which included a huge meal and dancing into the late evening hours. Carter’s brother, Aaron, was unable to make it to their wedding due to a scheduling conflict, the magazine reported.
2. The Couple Have a Son Together, Who Was Born in 2016
Kitt became pregnant with the couple’s first child in 2015, with an “insider” telling Us Magazine: “They are so happy and overjoyed. They’ve been trying and waiting for such a long time.”
Carter appeared on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” in 2015, and he revealed her pregnancy on one of the show’s episodes. In a pre-recorded segment for the show, Kitt talked about how they previously suffered a miscarriage.
“We were pregnant before and we lost the baby,” she revealed in the segment. “It was really hard on Nick and just watching him get so excited about something and then to just see him so hurt, that was hard.”
On a red carpet in April 2016, Carter said that one of the main reasons he decided to spend the rest of his life with Kitt is her caring and nurturing ability.
“That’s the No. 1 reason why I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life, because I know she is going to be the perfect mother,” Carter told a reporter from People Magazine on the red carpet. “She is going to be the perfect person to help me, because I don’t know everything, but I know her intelligence, her just heart, her love and her compassion. These are things that my child is going to need.”
On April 19, 2016, Carter and Kitt welcomed a baby boy to the world. An exclusive report by ET Online said their son’s name is Odin Reign Carter, and he weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces at his time of birth. Kitt went through 30 hours of labor, and gave a water birth at their home.
3. Kitt Has Produced Several Films & Music Videos & Had Her Own Physical Fitness Series
Kitt is a writer and actress known for her work on several recent films. According to her IMDb page, Kitt started her career in the entertainment industry as an actress and assistant producer on the 2010 short film “The Pendant.” She worked as a producer on several of Carter’s music videos in 2011, and then received several other opportunities as an actress.
Kitt appeared as a boot camp instructor in 2013 on the ABC soap opera “One Life to Live” and also was the host of a workout regimen called “Kitt Fitt.” In the workout series, Kitt explained several workouts used “to fight the boredom of trying to stay in shape,” a description of the series said.
In addition to those appearances, Kitt also appeared on the Larry King show as well as Entertainment Tonight.
4. Carter & Kitt Were Featured on a VH1 Reality TV Series
Carter and Kitt were the subject of a 2014 VH1 series titled, “I (Heart) Nick Carter.”
The reality series featured Carter and Kitt’s relationship and ran for eight episodes. It told the story of the buildup of their relationship, concluding with their marriage episode on October 29, 2014. The show covered various topics about the couple’s life and took viewers on vacations as they prepped for their wedding.
5. Kitt Had Family Issues Growing up & Her Mother Was a ‘Con Artist’
Kitt revealed to Heavy during an exclusive interview in 2014 that she struggled with obesity when she was younger, and had a rough past with her family. She said that her mother was “in and out of jail,” which caused much stress growing up.
In an episode of their VH1 reality show, Carter and Kitt opened up about their family issues. The couple went to a therapist and talked about their upbringings.
Kitt said that her parents divorced when she was 9-years old, adding that she was close to her father.
“My dad has always been there for me,” Kitt said. “He’s the first man I ever loved.”
Her mother, on the other hand, was a “con artist.” However, her mother’s history inspired Kitt to try and be the best mother she can be, she said.
“I think to be a whole person, a whole woman, to be the best wife I can be and the best mother I can be, I have to resolve these fundamental issues in my life, with one of them being with my mother,” she tearfully said.
