All language subtitles for Fallen.Idols.Nick.and.Aaron.Carter.S01E04.WEB.h264-FREQUENCY_HI.en

[engine revving]

[slow instrumental music
playing]

[Melanie] Things were good
with Aaron and me.

Before we had Prince,

we were working on
the clothing line together.

He was doing music.

[Melanie] When Prince
was born,

Aaron was doing great.

He was making videos.

[Melanie] He would tell me

that he was so tired
as a child.

He said,
"I don't want that
for Prince.

I want him to live
a normal life."

I would cherish when he
would just go on the piano

and play his music.

And he was so real.

He loved to show people
what he could do.

All he dreamed of
was having a family.

And he was happy
since the day
his son was born.

[Prince] Da-da.

[somber instrumental music
playing]

[theme music playing]

During the time that I worked
for Aaron,

Melanie and Aaron
were concerned

for the safety of their son.

When Melanie
was in the hospital
giving birth to Prince,

I was watching
Ganval online

making threats.

So, I may have somebody
on the payroll

at a particular hospital.

So, I'm waiting on getting
potential,

like, umbilical blood

from Melanie's, um, pregnancy.

Aaron was like,
"We need to be extra careful."

This Ganval guy
is this really vile person.

[Jennifer] There was
this particular day

where Aaron
was live streaming,

and he ripped open this box.

Oh, look at what someone
sent me just now.

A can of duster.

You could literally just see,
like the life,

like drain out of him.

Right there.

-That's what I went
to rehab for.
-I hope he relapses.

That would be awesome.

It was beyond the point
of just hate online, it was...

threats to his well-being
and his family.

I saw through social media

what he was going through.

And then he texted me

on December 6, 2021.

[Jennifer] He would say
his brother started
this smear campaign

because Aaron stood up for

alleged sexual assault
victims.

[Aaron] Say hi
to Melissa, baby.

Say hi, Melissa Schuman.

[Jennifer] Lauren Kitt Carter

has definitely
engaged online.

I got a DM, um,

with a threat from Aaron,

saying that he was going
to have my kids taken away.

But, at no time

did I ever see
any indication

of Nick Carter
harassing Aaron.

And I told Aaron that,
but, you know,

every single direction,
people were coming at him.

There's a lot of people here
that are trying to set me up.

People would even tell him,
"Melanie's talking to Ganval."

Which, you know,
would cause paranoia.

[Aaron] Melanie!
Get the hell
out of my house!

Get out of my house!

[Melissa] When we were
in communication,

the mental and emotional
turmoil that I saw...

didn't stop.

[somber music playing]

[Melanie]
Things with our relationship
just didn't get better.

It almost got worse.

The more that
I would say he was, like,

under the influence,

the more he would
fabricate things

and say she's doing this
and she's doing that.

[police siren wailing]

He called the cops
on me.

Then made a fake report
about me.

And then I had
to call on him.

I don't want to talk
about this.

[siren wailing]

They were concerned
about the fighting,

his addiction
and everything.

So, we lost custody
of our son.

All right, well,
this is probably the last time
he'll be in my arms.

Thanks.

I think that's when
he was suffering the most.

And Prince went with my mom.

The court wanted Aaron
to be sober.

His main focus was
supposed to be to get sober

and to get custody back
of Prince.

I was there
to help him through it.

But...

one day, he said,
"It's over,"

and he said,
"Please don't come back."

Melanie and I are over.

[Scaachi] It was hard to tell
exactly what was going on

with Aaron on social media.

♪ Mom told me
Don't you ever trust 'em ♪

♪ Mom told me
Don't you ever trust 'em ♪

[Scaachi] But he
didn't have custody
of his son,

he was estranged
from his family,

and he was not sober.

[Aaron] I feel bad for you,
like really bad.

I like...

Dudes knocking off...

[Scaachi] Melanie called
law enforcement.

[Gwen] We were all
just trying to get him

the help he needed.

But he would inhale
a computer duster,

and the span of that,
making you high,

is very short, a minute,

maybe two, three tops.

And so, by the time
law enforcement had
got to him,

he seemingly was fine.

I was calling his family,
saying, "Hey,
this is serious."

Like, Aaron really
needs help.

-[cell phone ringing]
-His sister, Angel,
reached out to him.

And we all just really
were trying to make him see
the light of his addictions.

But he was in full denial.

"Bro, you've been online
for hours."

And so?

[Ashley] We weren't talking
on a regular basis,

but I know around
that time that...

a lot was going on
with him

and he had been
on No Jumper.

[Jennifer] He alluded that
it was going to be big

and everybody
needs to tune in.

Unfortunately, I tried
to play God

and stand up for

alleged rape victims
of Nick.

Okay?

And to my brother,

I would like to apologize
and say I love you

and I'm sorry.

You know,
I shouldn't have done that.

Do you now think
that those stories
were not true?

I do not. I do not think
they were true at all.

[Jennifer] He went on
that show to publicly
apologize to his brother.

[Melissa] Aaron recanted
his support of me

and the other survivors.

But what bothered me

was seeing the state
that he was in.

[Jennifer] Aaron was extremely
under the influence,

and that was horrific
to watch.

So I'm going to try
to put it in a time lapse...

[stuttering]

What am I trying to say?

[Jennifer] After I saw
that footage,

I said to my husband,

"He'll be dead
within a week."

And I said that because

Aaron was terrorized
for three years.

All he wanted
was for it to stop.

He had nowhere to go.

[siren wailing]

[siren wailing]

[Melanie] When it happened,
I came right away.

There was an ambulance,

and the investigators
were there.

Then all the TV people
were there.

I didn't want to be
on camera

hysterically crying,
freaking out.

It was just
too much for me.

[male reporter] Fiancée,
Melanie Martin,

a social media influencer
and model,

arrived at the home
to talk with investigators.

[Melanie] And then
the public found out.

They wanted to watch drama.

The music world is mourning
the death of singer,
Aaron Carter.

The 34-year-old
was found dead

in his California home
yesterday.

[Scaachi] The Carters' pain
has been breaking news

over and over again.

But his death
was so devastating.

"Aaron Carter
was found unresponsive
in his bathtub.

After inhalation
of compressed gas
and intake of Xanax,

the manner of death
is an accident."

[eerie music playing]

[Melissa] My dad is the one
who told me that...

Aaron died.

I was in shock.

Aaron's support
and what he did for me

was something I still
have a hard time

even really articulating.

[somber music playing]

And he and I definitely
trauma bonded.

It was probably the basis
of our friendship,
relationship...

however you want to call it.

I mean, still, to this day,
I think about him
all the time.

[Ashley] My heart just sunk.

Because I knew...

just how tormented and what
a struggle his life was.

And I'm sad
that he never got,

really got a chance
to really,

get his, you know,
life together.

-[somber music playing]
-[motor revving]

[John] I didn't believe it
at first.

And I immediately called Angel
and asked her if it was true.

And she said
yes and, uh,

my heart sank.

I wish he had been around
much longer.

I wish he had been able
to see his kid grow up.

I wish he had
a lot more time.

Melanie regained custody
of her son with Aaron
in December of 2022.

And now Melanie has to...

protect Aaron's legacy,

as the father of the child
that they have,

who will only know
their parent

through archival footage.

Who's that?

♪ We're two brothers
Me and you ♪

♪ Each with an opposite
Point of view ♪

[Scaachi] Aaron was
on Sesame Street
with his brother,

and it's a brief glimpse
at the version

of Aaron that I imagine
she'd want her son to know.

-Aaron and Nick Carter argue?
-Sure, Elmo.

-I mean, we're brothers,
we argue sometimes.
-They do?

Yeah, brothers argue.

Sisters argue.

-Brothers and sisters argue,
it happens sometimes.
-Really?

[Melanie] It reminds me
of Prince.

The smile I see,
his laughter.

That's why
I had that hope.

Because I saw,
you know,

what our family
could have been.

[Scaachi] After Aaron died,
Nick made a public statement.

They had so much to be mad
at each other about.

But there was
a lot of love.

[crowd cheering]

[man] We lost one of
our family members yesterday.

[crowd clapping]

[Jen] Nick was with
the Backstreet Boys,

honoring Aaron

the day after he passed away,

while they were on
their DNA tour.

And the fans recorded
little bits and pieces of it.

It's very challenging
to watch.

I think Nick,
myself, Angel,

I think we all
feel a little bit
of responsibility,

thinking that we could
have done more.

But Aaron needed
to want to fix these things
with himself.

It can be said that these kids
never stood a chance.

Aaron definitely never
stood a chance.

[Jen] Their life played out
like a soap opera
for everybody.

It's been one thing
after the next.

Jane continues to pit Nick
against Aaron on Facebook...

even after death.

That's how it works
with her.

[dramatic music playing]

[John] It's hard
breaking that cycle.

I don't think their sister,
Bobbie, is going to have
that wake-up call.

She's had her run-ins
with drugs a couple of times.

She overdosed,

and it took nine shots
of Narcan to bring her back.

Everybody in the family
has tried to help her.

But if she's not willing
to help herself,

there's nothing else
that can be done.

[somber instrumental music
playing]

[somber instrumental music
playing]

I hope that we are
on the end

of seeing people
in the family die.

We don't need
anymore death.

It's too much tragedy
to happen to one family.

[Scaachi] I think addiction
is complicated,

and I think childhood trauma
is complicated.

Aaron spoke
very openly about the issues
he was having.

Some of us listened to it.

A lot of us just
made fun of him.

Overwhelmingly,
we just ignored it.

Which is true for a lot
of people in this story.

I mean,
a lot of these women

have been saying things
about Nick for a long time.

And similarly,
we weren't listening.

[Melissa] For years,
people continued to defame me,

and lie about me,
and make all sorts of claims.

But I'm still here.

I'm still speaking up.

I kept hoping
somehow people
will see the truth.

And then finally,

somebody decided
to hold him accountable.

[man] Good morning.

A little mic check.

One, two, three,
four, five, six...

Fifteen?

Even though I'm autistic
and live with cerebral palsy,

I believe that nothing
has affected me more

or had a more lasting impact
on my life

than what Nick Carter did
and said to me.

[sniffles] Sorry.

[Scaachi] This was
the first woman

to file a suit
in the court of law.

And when the news broke,
it hit differently.

[reporter] The plaintiff,
Shannon "Shay" Ruth,

who has autism
and cerebral palsy,

sued Carter
for sexual battery

and intentional
and negligent infliction
of emotional distress.

My name is Shay.

I was born and raised Mormon

in a small town
outside of Olympia.

I was very...

uh...

I guess sheltered
would be the word.

I have mild
spastic cerebral palsy,

and I was diagnosed

with autism when I was 13.

Like the amount
that I can process
at one time

and how long it takes
to process things,

it's different for me.

In 2001,
the Backstreet Boys
were coming to the Tacoma Dome

and one of my only friends,

her name was Eleanor,

had asked if I could go.

I was 17 years old
when I went to the concert.

[somber instrumental
music playing]

After the concert,
Eleanor and I,

we were waiting outside.

And there were
other people around

and they were wanting to,

you know, get an autograph.

Nick came up to me
and he...

basically invited me
to take a tour

of the bus with him.

I don't even really think

I even knew or understood

what was going on.

If that makes sense.

I walked with Nick.

And then we just
got on the bus.

Nick got me
some cranberry juice.

And he was just asking me
different questions,

like, "Do you have
a boyfriend?"

And after a while,

like, even though I'd never
tasted alcohol before,

I was like,
"This tastes funny.

This tastes weird."

And he said something about
how it was special VIP juice.

I remember
feeling dizzy and sick.

So he had me
go in the bathroom.

Nick always had it
so that he was behind me,

blocking the door.

He closed
the bathroom door...

and he asked me
to get on my knees.

And he pulled down
his pants.

And he pulled out
his penis

and he told me...

to put it in my mouth.

And I'm sitting there crying,
and he's screaming at me.

"Stop crying. Stop crying.

Stop crying."

And I didn't understand
in my mind,

how you could be
that person

that was sitting there
talking to me so calmly,

like, not even
ten minutes ago,

to this, like,
screaming at me.

[pensive music playing]

It was so mentally
overwhelming
and confusing for me.

There was a bed
in the back of the bus.

He had me go to the bed,

and pulls down my pants.

And then,
he puts his mouth on me.

I remember saying no,
and every time I would say no,

he would get very upset,

and he would get
more aggressive or forceful,

and pushed me down harder.

[suspenseful music playing]

And I realized
that I was trapped,

and that there was no way
I was gonna get out of there

unless I did
what he wanted me to do.

-[suspenseful music playing]
-[sniffles]

I remember afterwards,

I had told him,

that I was gonna tell people
everything he did.

And he starts
screaming at me.

And he calls me
a retarded bitch.

And...

He grabs my arm.

I honestly felt like my arm
was gonna break in half
with the force that he used.

He just said
that if I told anybody,
that I would go to jail.

He would just say
he didn't know who I was,

and that he had
the power to do that

because he was Nick Carter.

I just...
I was terrified.

And I was just
like, "Okay.

I won't tell. Just let me go.
Just... just let me go."

[eerie music playing]

I was terrified.

And I kept pushing,
and pushing,
and pushing it down.

I didn't even remember
everything until later,

because I just...

was good at

stuffing it down.

[acoustic music playing]

[Dr. Valliere] Sexual assault
isn't something
that a lot of people

want to experience
and memorize.

So, it may be hard to recall,
unless you have triggers.

[bottle clicking]

You like that one?

No. Okay.

I didn't start confronting

things that happened
till I was in my 30s.

This one or this one?

This one? Okay, good pick.

I remembered him
screaming at me,
and the bruises on my arm.

And kneeling
in the bathroom.

And like, little flashbacks
and bits and pieces.

But I... I couldn't quite
put all the pieces together.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Dr. Valliere] I have never
evaluated Shay,

but what triggers
a victim to look back,

and understand what
had had happened to them

can be very,
very complicated.

In some cases, it's a safe
and supportive community

that allows us the courage
to come forward.

[Shay] There were other
survivors of Nick
coming together,

and so I reached out to them.

[dramatic music playing]

[Melissa Schuman]
When I was introduced to Shay,

she was not introduced to me
as a sexual assault survivor.

Shay had a lot of things
to process,

and so I encouraged her
to go into therapy.

It was my psychologist
who really helped me

be able to understand.

[Melissa] Shay's memories,

as she disclosed to me,
trickled in.

[Shay] I didn't remember
everything until 2020,

but I sent a DM in 2019.

At that time,
from what I remembered,

I felt like what Melissa
and Ashley had experienced

was much worse
than what I had experienced.

And I filed
the police report before
I remembered everything.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Dr. Valliere]
Sometimes victims
can only tell

a part of the sexual assault

because that's all
they're capable of

at that specific moment.

[suspenseful music playing]

I believe that people

need to be held accountable
for their choices.

And I came forward
with a lawsuit
in December 2022.

[Mark Boskovich] According
to disabilityjustice.org,

83% of women with disabilities
will be sexually assaulted

during their lifetimes.

And just 3% of those assaults
will be reported.

[Shay] I think about
how many other people

with even just autism
who are nonverbal,

and I felt like
I had to be a voice

for the ones
who don't have one.

I hope
that by coming forward today,

many other women
will find the courage
to also come forward.

After my press conference,

I was sobbing.

-Good. You did good.
-[sobbing]

-That was really hard.
-I know.

[Shay] And it was only like,
a couple hours after,

that somebody came up to me,
and they're like,
"Hey, you're on the news."

Turning now
to developing news,

a lawsuit filed
against singer, Nick Carter
of the Backstreet Boys...

[male reporter] Nick Carter
is denying new allegations

that he raped a woman
with autism and cerebral palsy

when she was a teenager.

[Shay] I didn't know
how big it had gotten.

[Scaachi]
It was breaking news.

And the timing
of Shannon Ruth's lawsuit

could not have been
worse for Nick.

He had just lost Aaron.

He's on tour
with the Backstreet Boys,

and there was an ABC special

that they ended up pulling
because of the lawsuit.

[female reporter]
ABC will no longer air

its Backstreet Boys
holiday special

after sexual assault
allegations against
band member, Nick Carter.

[Scaachi] The media
started to report on that,

and then,
it spins out from there.

When ABC canceled

A Very Backstreet Christmas
special.

I was so upset.

And I tweeted at ABC
and told them they were wrong.

They shouldn't have
preemptively made judgment

without evidence.

Before Shannon Ruth
sued Nick Carter,

there was some,
you know, chatter

about the allegations
against Nick.

But it wasn't like
a big Me Too story.

And it did not impact
his career at all.

But I think once ABC
pulls that special,

it's maybe
clear to the Carter camp,

they had to do something

to tell their version
of the story.

[gripping instrumental music
playing]

[Melissa] To my surprise,

Nick followed Shay's lawsuit
with a counterclaim.

I was very confused
when I saw the headline.

And I got on the phone
with my attorney,
and I'm like,

"Is he suing me?"

[suspenseful music playing]

[Scaachi]
Nick Carter claims that Shay,
in conjunction with Melissa,

and her father, had conspired
to defame him publicly.

Nick is alleging that Melissa
and her father, groomed Shay

to encourage her to make
all these defamatory comments
about Nick.

Nick also alleges
that Melissa and her father

exploited his late brother,
Aaron Carter,

[Jerry Schuman] We're added
as co-defendants, with Shay,

alleging that there was
some master conspiracy.

None of which is true.

[no audio]

[Shay] Nobody manipulated me,
or forced me,

or planned out

any conspiracy
or anything else.

[Jerry] We only have
one reason we are doing
what we are doing,

which is to attain justice.

[Melissa] I want my own
due process.

I didn't think
that would ever be
an option for me.

Because the statute
of limitations closed.

But then,
the statute of limitation

changed
in California Civil Court.

And as of January 2023,

I could finally
file a lawsuit,

and attempt
to hold him accountable.

[pensive music playing]

And so I did.

[intense music playing]

This litigation will go on
in the civil courts
for a long time.

At the same time,
he's touring.

and he gave a brief interview

to Entertainment Tonight
to promote his tour.

There is a legal process
happening right now,

and I can't get
into too many of the details.

But, you know, what I can say
is that I'm really happy

with the way things are going.

[Scaachi] He doesn't give
a lot of details,

but this is the first time

we've heard anything
from him directly

about any of these
allegations.

[Nick] Once it's all done,
you know,

I look forward
to finally talking about it.

Maybe that is his way
of dealing with it.

Silence.

Because it surprises me
that someone
would accuse him of that.

But it doesn't surprise me
that he's an easy target.

For me, it's...
It's all money.

Because I've seen him.

I've seen how he treats
girlfriends, non-girlfriends.

I've seen this man
in front of me.

And someone like me who's...

you know, an SA survivor,

it's a problem for me.

And I've never seen that
with Nick.

The family's been through
so much.

So let the courts
do their job.

Melissa and Shay
both filed motions to have
the counterclaim dismissed.

So Nick and his wife
showed up at a hearing

to decide if the counterclaim
could proceed.

[Melissa] I believe
that his countersuit
is meant to silence me.

If you're telling the truth,

it's not a defamation.

[Scaachi] Nick's legal team
cites dozens
of exhibits and affidavits.

[Nick's lawyer speaking]

It's everything
from Twitter posts,

to a signed affidavit
from his friend Tony,

who was there the night
of the alleged assault.

[Nick's lawyer speaking]

This is like Sexual Assault
Response Master Class.

And ultimately,
the judge allowed Nick

to move forward
with the counterclaim.

[suspenseful music playing]

-Thank you, Your Honor.
-[defense lawyer] Thank you.

[intense music playing]

[calm music playing]

[Melissa] We know Nick's
counterclaim is another way

to further destroy
my credibility.

It's horrific,
what's being said.
I would agree.

But the fact of the matter is,
truth is not on their side.

It is on our side.

And we took this on
from the start.
You and I together.

You definitely stood by me

and screamed
from the rooftops.

And what Nick did to me

has impacted,
not only my own life,

but my father's.

[Jerry] I'm strong enough
to take it.

And I'm not going anywhere.

And I will see this
through the end.

[Melissa] Speaking up
is a very, very scary thing.

And it does come
with a lot of risks.

But what he has done,

not just to me but to others,
needs to stop.

So I hope that people
start to see the pattern.

Like, this wasn't
a one-off thing.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Scaachi] News broke
that a third woman
was suing Nick Carter.

[suspenseful music playing]

[suspenseful music playing]

[Ashley] I used to tell myself
that I forgave him
for what has happened.

But I...

I don't. I do not forgive him.

I'm angry.

And I feel that

Nick needs to be
held responsible.

Back then,
I felt like I had done
my part to report it.

But the support
was not there

in late 2003
for assault victims.

They were called liars.

You have to remember
that was before Me Too

and I don't think
we ever talked about consent.

Women came of age,
I certainly did,

thinking this was part
of what we have to deal with.

It's called Me Too,

because so many women
have this story.

Young women today
know better.

[Ashley] At least we're having
the conversations now.

That's a step
in the right direction.

[Scaachi]
Ashley filed a lawsuit.

And once again,
Nick and his team

are fighting back
against these allegations
in the media.

[male reporter 1]
Carter has denied
all of these allegations,

while his lawyer
and his team deem it

simply ridiculous
and malicious.

[male reporter 2]
Lawyers for Carter
tell 8 News Now

that the police found
the accuser's claim,
quote "meritless."

And that Carter
looks forward to hearing
their claims in court.

[Scaachi] You can see it
in the coverage.

The tone has changed.

They're going
no holds barred.

The court will make
a decision on this case,

but the conversation
will continue.

He's actively making money.

So there are people
who are actively still
making money off of him.

[crowd cheering]

[Melissa] There needs to be
a reckoning
in the music industry.

But it is really scary
to dismantle dysfunction.

These men feel
entitled to women.

Being attracted to them,

to getting whatever they want
when they want.

Men in the music industry
protect that power.

It's been that way
for so long.

To force the music industry
to change

in its entirety,

it would mean
confronting people we love.

[Dave Holmes] Sometimes
you can idolize somebody

to a point
where it's unhealthy for them.

We objectified these people.

And we're all complicit
in this machine

that our attention
fed and fueled

[Kaya Jones] If you are not
in a good centered place
with good people around you,

fame can become
extremely toxic.

Aaron's not here anymore.

With Nick,

it is part of why he is
who he is.

I think we should hear
what Nick has to say.

But we should definitely hear
what these women have to say,

because if you genuinely are
telling the truth,

it's all gonna come out.

[eerie music playing]

[Ashley] As I watch
my kids grow,

you know, these, like,

little humans.

They were just innocent
and...

You know, I looked back
with myself, and I just...

That's when my world
got tainted.

[intense music playing]

If I can

protect my kids,

from ever

getting robbed
of their innocence.

That is the reason
that I'm here.

[hopeful music playing]

[Shay] I know
what a weight

it feels like to carry
that around for so many years.

And I would just hope that

other survivors

can one day be free
of that weight.

[Melissa] No way did I ever
imagine myself being here
five years later,

after speaking out,
still fighting.

If I could write my future,

I just want to be free.

[hopeful music continues]