Who Is Melissa Schuman? New Details About The Woman Accusing Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter Of Rape
Schuman has accused Nick Carter of rape.
getty The L.A. Country D.A. is officially considering Melissa Schuman's rape allegations against Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter. Schuman, a former member of the 90's girl band Dream, filed a report in February 2018 claiming Nick Carter raped her in 2002.
Who is Melissa Shuman?
According to her IMBD bio, Melissa Schuman was born in August of 1984 in San Clemente, California. Her career took off in 1998 when Dream, originally called First Warning, was discovered. The band was performing at a private showcase at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and Sean Combs (P. Diddy) was there to see them. Impressed with their performance, he signed them to this label, Bad Boy Records.
Dream’s first hit, ‘He Loves U Not,’ helped them gain nationwide attention. The group eventually became multi-platinum, selling over 500,000 copies of their debut single. Their debut album, ‘It Was All A Dream,’ became certified RIAA Double Platinum. Dream toured the U.S and Canada with NSYNC and was featured in magazines like CosmoGirl, Teen, TeenStyle, and Harper’s Bazzar, according to IMBD.
Shuman’s Rape Allegations Against Nick Carter
Shuman’s first interaction with Nick Carter occurred over the phone while she was filming the ‘This Is Me Remix’ music video with her boss, P. Diddy, and Dream. On her personal blog, Schuman stated that she and Carter’s label set them up because they thought the two would make a good couple. At the time, Shuman was 18 and Carter was 22 years old. "My label reps sat in on the call, anticipating a spark between the two of us. I was already dating someone steadily at the time," Schuman wrote on her blog.
Schuman said that a few years later, she and a friend were invited to Carter’s house for a party. After taking a shot and playing video games, Shuman stated that Carter invited her into another room to listen to some new music he was creating. She claimed that Carter forcefully performed oral sex on her, then demanded she reciprocate the act. Schuman said that Carter eventually raped her, taking her virginity.
“My thought was the only way to get out was to get him to finish what he had started,” she 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,” she wrote on her blog. "He was stronger and much bigger than me, and there was no way I would be able to open that door or have anyone help me," wrote Shuman.
Eventually, she decided to tell her manager about the rape. He told her that Carter had one of the most powerful legal teams around and that she didn’t have the money to fight them. He also told her that accusing Carter could hurt her career.
Schuman explained that she started to lose interest in pursuing her career as a recording artist. In 2002, she decided to leave Dream and focus on her solo album and acting career.
What Did Melissa Schuman Do After Leaving Dream?
Finding success in the acting world, Schuman starred in the movie Silent Scream and made appearances in the films Love Don’t Cost A Thing and The Hollow. In an effort to pursue her solo music career, she signed with Kenneth Crear, a manager who she thought would help her make her mark as a recording artist, as she stated in her blog.
She soon discovered that Carter and Crear were best friends, making it difficult for her to speak up about the rape. Crear set up a showcase for Shuman for a major record label, which required her to record a duet with her abuser, Carter. The song was pre-recorded so they didn’t have to physically work together.
In 2006, Schuman married dancer and choreographer, Brandon Henschel, in San Diego, California. Henschel is known for training celebrities for dance roles including Toby McGuire in Spider Man 3 and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for Mr. and Mrs. Smith. He also is known for choreographing projects for Nike and Reebok. Henschel was also a backup dancer for Britney Spears. Together, they had their first and so far only child, a boy, in 2010.
For the next few years, Schuman tried to rekindle her music career with Dream. She also worked on her solo music career, with an album, Stereotyped, being released to iTunes. Dream did a tour with other Y2K bands in 2016, and also released a single together. However, the band quickly fizzled out and broke up again.
In 2017, Schuman was inspired by the #metoo movement to bring allegations against Nick Carter for rape in 2002. After seeing that Nick Carter was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old fan at a party, she was even more inclined.
"I feel I have an obligation now to come forward with the hope and intention to inspire and encourage other victims to tell their story," Schuman said about her reasoning for deciding to come forward. "I was broken. I was tired. I was traumatized. I told my therapist. I told my family. I told my friends. I have a plethora of people who can attest that I eventually became open vocal about my experience, I've just never had the platform to come out publicly," she wrote in the blog post.
Schuman appeared on the Dr. Oz Show in December to talk about the charges she pressed against Carter. She said that she forgives him and doesn’t want his money, but instead wants to empower other women to stand up for themselves. She has also spoke out about the verbal and emotional abuse from Vincent Herbert, a record producer she dealt with at age 14.
No decisions have been yet in regards to her accusations against Carter, who denies the allegations. “I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally,” Carter said in a statement. “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.”