After Melissa Schuman Accused Nick Carter of Raping Her, She Never Gave Up on Finding Justice

In 2001, the boy band cup definitely runneth over. It was the height of the mostly manufactured musical group craze, and teen girls the world over couldn't get enough of them. From 98 Degrees to N'Sync back to LMNT and O-Town, there was enough synchronized dancing to get you through any slumber party. If you checked any teenage girl's bedroom wall during this time, you were bound to find a group of smiling, frosted tipped boys staring into your young eyes.

Thankfully the genre was also dominated by girl groups who ran after the Spice Girls wannabe walked. Diehard fans of this style of contrived entertainment will have fond memories of Dream, who were cobbled together in the late '90s by a talent scout and then later signed to Bad Boy Records. It was during this time that one member, Melissa Schuman, alleged she was raped by Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys. She chose to reveal this more than 15 years later. Where is she now? Here's what we know.

In May 2024, Investigation Discovery (ID) released a documentary detailing the controversies surrounding both Nick and Aaron Carter. While Aaron's issues are largely related to his struggles with substance abuse and mental health, Nick's are centered on the many allegations of sexual assault brought against him by numerous women. Schuman is just one of them.

In her TikTok bio, Schuman describes herself as a two-time platinum recording artist, a sexual assault survivor and advocate, and SAG-AFTRA actor. Many of her videos are devoted to speaking out about Nick and her own alleged incident, but she also provides support for other survivors. Occasionally, Schuman will also post hilarious videos featuring her husband and son.

In April 2023, Schuman sued Carter after California Governor Gavin Newsom "approved a bill that revived some sexual assault claims that were barred due to the applicable statute of limitations having expired," reported USA Today. In September 2018, California prosecutors dismissed the assault charge against Carter due to the statute of limitations. Schuman told the Associated Press at the time that "more should be done to accommodate retroactive assault claims," per the BBC.

One thing people love to focus on when it comes to sexual assault isn't what the accused is doing but rather, the behavior of the alleged victim. In Schuman's case, she claims Carter raped her in 2003 when she was only 18 years old. Soon after, the two recorded a song together. This seemed odd given what Schuman says Carter did to her. In the ID docuseries, Schuman addresses that situation.

She didn't want to record the duet with Carter, and even went as far as telling her management she had no interest in doing it. Sadly, this was framed as an opportunity for Schuman to launch a solo career and she felt trapped as if this was the only way. It didn't help that she and Carter were working with the same manager, a man by the name of Kenneth Crear, who approached Schuman with the song.

"When I look back on this song now, it feels almost premeditated, where it was presented as if it was going to actually help me, but in reality it feels more like an alibi for him," she said in the documentary. "People don’t understand and are like, ‘Well, you followed him on Twitter. You sent him condolences. You liked a tweet.’ I was truly trying my best to find forgiveness for him and move on with my life."

In court documents obtained by People, Crear says he didn't sign Schuman to his management company. Crear recalls only trying to help the young singer who by his own account was "excited at the opportunity of working with" Carter. Crear said Schuman wasn't anxious at all by the prospect of singing a song with Carter. As a reminder, one shouldn't just an action entirely on another person's reaction to it. Schuman said she was in denial about what happened to her, hence her response.

Schuman never filed a police report because she was terrified this would ruin her career, but insists she did sign on with Crear's company. That's when he suggested she sing with Carter. When asked if she would have to be alone with him, Crear assured Schuman she wouldn't. That's why she was shocked to see him in the recording studio. It did not go well for Schuman who wasn't signed to a record deal. Noticing how cold she was, Carter had one thing to say: "Well clearly we don’t like each other."