A Closer Look At Aaron Carter's Relationship With Nick Carter

The entertainment world was stunned by the unexpected loss of pop star Aaron Carter when news of his death broke on November 5, 2022. Aaron's body was reportedly found in his bathtub at home (via TMZ).

To say Aaron had a complicated relationship with his family members, and especially his older brother Nick Carter, is an understatement. After being propelled to pop stardom with his group the Backstreet Boys, Nick welcomed his younger brother on the road with the group in 1997 (via the Daily Mail). From there, Aaron enjoyed his own successful career, but over the years he wrestled with his mental health and substance abuse. Aaron and Nick experienced intense periods of estrangement, particularly after Nick filed for a protective restraining order against his brother in 2019 (via Us Weekly).

At the time of his passing, Aaron and Nick had reportedly taken steps to repair their fractured relationship (via Hollywood Life). Here is a look at what happened between Nick and Aaron Carter.

Nick Carter and the rest of the Backstreet Boys became a band in April 1993. The group enjoyed fast success, releasing hit singles and winning awards by 1995. It came as no surprise that other members of Nick's family were interested in pursuing the success he and the group enjoyed, and Nick's little brother Aaron joined Jive Records alongside the band in 1997. Aaron recorded his first self-titled album that same year, when he was only 9 years old (via the Daily Mail).

Aaron joined the Backstreet Boys on tour the same year his album came out, a move that helped expose his music to a worldwide audience. He recorded a new version of "Crush on You" by The Jets, which featured his older brother in a spoken word segment. The song was a popular part of his set, especially since Aaron delivered it with gusto (via YouTube). When Aaron re-released his debut album the following year, "Crush On You" was joined by other popular singles such as "I'm Gonna Miss You Forever" (via Billboard).

Nick and Aaron Carter continued to enjoy their careers in the years that followed the release of Aaron's first album. They were joined by their siblings BJ, Leslie, and Angel Carter for a short-lived reality series in 2006 titled "House of Carters." The show only lasted eight episodes, but viewers were given a look into the lives of the Carter siblings — and especially at the tumultuous relationship between the brothers.

In one memorable episode, Nick and Aaron began a verbal fight that escalated to physical. Nick was filmed telling his younger brother, "You're going to turn the f***ing music down and respect me" before Aaron replied, "Don't spit in my face!" Eventually, the pair was pulled apart by their siblings, but a lot of damage was done to their relationship (per Billboard).

The fight would come back to haunt the brothers over 10 years later, when a clip resurfaced online and was shared by Aaron along with an alarming claim alleging physical abuse from his older brother. Aaron wrote, "LEAVE ME ALONE. FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. IM BEGGING YOU. PLEASE. I haven't even seen you guys and nick you bullied me my whole life. And tortured me as a child. And everyone knows it. ITS BEEN PUBLIC. and now you're scared of the truth" (via Twitter).

Nick Carter married his wife Lauren Kitt in April 2014 in Santa Barbara, California. While the wedding was well-attended by many of Nick's family members and friends, there was one major person absent: his brother, Aaron Carter.

The official reason Aaron missed the wedding was down to a schedule conflict coupled with flight delays. As Aaron's representative told E! Online at the time, "Aaron had a contract to appear at the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. before Nick set his wedding date. Even though he was obligated to fulfill his contract, Aaron still wanted to make the wedding." The rep went on to add that a "team of six people" worked tirelessly to hopefully get Aaron to the wedding's reception that night, but his flight was grounded in Pittsburgh due to mechanical problems and Aaron ended up missing the entire night. 

Despite his brother's absence, Nick was jubilant about being married. After the wedding, he tweeted, "Happiest day of my life 4-12-2014 I married my best friend and woman of my dreams" (via Twitter).

In July 2017, Aaron Carter was arrested for driving under the influence and marijuana possession while he was traveling in Georgia. At the time, Aaron was with his girlfriend, Madison Parker, who was also arrested (via Us Weekly). It was unclear how close Aaron and his brother Nick were at the time of his arrest, but Nick made a point of sending out a message of support, writing on Twitter, "To my brother: I love u no matter what & if u feel the need to reach for help, I am here and willing to help you get better." 

Aaron's arrest came a year after he admitted on "Oprah: Where Are They Now" that he began to battle depression following his parents' divorce in 2003. He tried to stage a career comeback in 2009 after appearing on "Dancing With The Stars," but nothing came to fruition; as he told the show, "I started getting really heavy into drinking and was telling people, 'I'm on a real bad path right now. I need help.'"

Aaron spent a month in rehab in 2011, and claimed to have been sober since that stay (via Us Weekly).

In 2018, Aaron Carter revealed that he and Nick Carter weren't speaking at all, though he also noted that he hoped to make up with his brother and that they would always support one another. Aaron told Us Weekly that part of the reason they weren't speaking was that despite Nick's message on Twitter following his DUI arrest in 2017, his older brother never reached out to him personally to offer any kind of support.

Aaron told the outlet that the public nature of his brother's statement is what bothered him. As he put it, "If my own blood truly cared about my well-being, why wouldn't he call me directly and have a conversation instead of making this about him through a very public forum?" Aaron added that he didn't feel he needed anyone's help at the time, and certainly didn't believe he needed his brother's help (via Us Weekly).

Aaron also admitted that he and his brother had not spoken since the DUI arrest because Nick tried to "parent" him and offered a lecture instead of help. 

The following year brought more turmoil to the Carter family, as Nick Carter and his sister Angel Carter filed protective restraining orders against Aaron Carter. The move came after Aaron reportedly threatened to harm Nick's wife and the pair's unborn child. The problems started on September 15, 2018, when authorities arrived at Aaron's home to place him on a 5150 psychiatric hold. Aaron refused to surrender weapons that he had in the home, and later threatened to "kill everybody" on Instagram Live (via Us Weekly).

Nick shared the news that he and Angel had sought protective orders on September 17. He tweeted in part, "After careful consideration, my sister Angel and I regret that we were required to seek a restraining order against our brother Aaron today" and included hashtags about gun control that appeared to indicate his concern surrounding Aaron's refusal to give up his weapons. 

Two months later, the restraining orders were extended for a year following a court appearance that Aaron didn't attend. Aaron did take to Instagram to lambast the court case. He wrote in part, "My sister lied over and over in an effort to take away my 2nd Amendment rights and she did it on behalf of my brother to silence me talking about how he raped and sexually assaulted multiple women" (via Us Weekly).

Aaron Carter was found deceased in his home on November 5, 2022. In his untimely passing, he left behind his son Prince, who was 11 months old at the time. Aaron also left behind a tangled web of personal relationships, some of which had begun to heal and others that were left tragically unrepaired (per Us Weekly).

A representative for Aaron noted that he and his older brother, Nick Carter, had already taken several steps toward fixing their own relationship when Aaron passed away. Aaron's rep told Hollywood Life, "[Aaron] was on the path to making amends with so many people in his life, and he had made amends and made peace with Nick" and added that the late pop star was glad to be on better terms with his brother. As the rep continued, "They were trying to make everything good again."

Nick publicly mourned the loss of his brother on Instagram, where he shared a slideshow of their photos together and acknowledged the rocky road they had traveled. As he put it, "Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded" (via Instagram).

Nick Carter and the rest of the Backstreet Boys were on tour when the news broke of Aaron's death. The group was performing in London, England, when member Kevin Richardson stopped the show to speak seriously about the "highs and lows" they had experienced together, including the loss of the man who was really like a little brother to all of them (via Yahoo! Entertainment).

The rest of the band rallied around Nick, who was openly crying during Kevin's tribute to Aaron. The band then sang their song "No Place" as photos of Nick and Aaron were shared on screens overhead. 

In addition to the band, Aaron's twin sister, Angel Carter, also shared her own photos of herself and her brother on Instagram, and captioned the post, "To my twin ... I loved you beyond measure. You will be missed dearly. My funny, sweet Aaron, I have so many memories of you and I, and I promise to cherish them."