The complicated life and times of Aaron Carter

Aaron Carter had a very busy weekend. On Saturday, he came out as bisexual. On Sunday, he confirmed the end of his year-long relationship with Madison Parker. He capped it all off with this shirtless selfie. (Photo: Aaron Carter via Twitter)
Aaron Carter had a very busy weekend. On Saturday, he came out as bisexual. On Sunday, he confirmed the end of his year-long relationship with Madison Parker. He capped it all off with this shirtless selfie. (Photo: Aaron Carter via Twitter)

Ever since he was in a love triangle with Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff in the early aughts, Aaron Carter has been caught up in some drama. However, right now it seems he’s peaking in his headline-making ability.

The “Sooner or Later” singer, 29, posted a shirtless selfie before heading off to bed on Sunday. While his abs are mighty chiseled, the photo doesn’t distract from the loads of drama surrounding the younger Carter brother. The most recent is his breakup with his girlfriend of a year, Madison Parker. The news broke on Sunday that they made the “mutual decision” to call it quits. They actually split a week prior, but they had kept mum about it, according to People magazine.

Aaron Carter split with Madison Parker a week before their breakup hit the news. (Photo: Getty Images)
Aaron Carter split with Madison Parker a week before their breakup hit the news. (Photo: Getty Images)

What he wasn’t keeping mum about, however, was his sexuality. On Saturday, a day before the breakup news, he took to social media to share the bigger headline: that he’s bisexual. The object of both Lohan and Duff’s affections way back when bared his soul about his sexuality in an emotional public letter he put on social media in which he revealed that at “around 13-years-old, I started to find boys and girls attractive.”

“There were years that went by that I thought about it, but it wasn’t until I was 17-years-old, after a few relationships with girls, I had an experience with a male that I had an attraction to who I also worked with and grew up with,” he revealed, adding, “To me music has always been my temple. Music will ALWAYS be what transcends us and myself. The studio has always been my safe haven. But the ultimate goal for me is to be satisfied.”

Carter didn’t connect the dots between the breakup and his bisexuality, but the subsequent split news makes it hard for others not to do so. What we do know is that it’s been a rough few months for the pair following their double arrest outside of Atlanta in mid-July.

Their arrest story is pretty convoluted, but Carter explained he was driving a cheap car he recently purchased to avoid paying for a rental car. (He cut down on flying after 9/11. It’s another convoluted story.) The alignment of the car was off, so they went to AutoZone. That’s where police found them after a call from a concerned motorist who claimed Carter was driving erratically. Carter, who had a spat with officers, was arrested on DUI and marijuana charges. In a subsequent interview, Carter, who went to rehab in 2011, said he was not intoxicated at the time of his arrest but did list the drugs he uses. In addition to marijuana for anxiety and other symptoms, “I take Xanax, Propranolol for high blood pressure medication, and I took oxycodones for my mouth.”

Aaron Carter poses for his booking photo after being charged for marijuana possession and suspicion of driving under the influence on July 15, 2017, in Clarkesville, Ga. (Photo: Habersham Co Sheriff Office via Getty Images)
Aaron Carter poses for his booking photo after being charged for marijuana possession and suspicion of driving under the influence on July 15, 2017, in Clarkesville, Ga. (Photo: Habersham Co Sheriff Office via Getty Images)

Parker was also arrested on drug charges as well as obstruction of law enforcement officers.

Aaron’s arrest reopened old wounds with big brother Nick of Backstreet Boys fame. Nick, who is eight years older, tweeted support, but Aaron wasn’t into social media sentiments. He replied in a statement, “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? That’s not cool at all to use me for his PR and kick me while I am down. I love my family despite it through thick and thin.”

Aaron has had loads of family troubles, including drama with his famous brother, Nick. (Photo: Getty Images)
Aaron has had loads of family troubles, including drama with his famous brother, Nick. (Photo: Getty Images)

We’d like to say that Aaron’s terrible year has been limited to those things, but it hasn’t. In June, he was hospitalized after being body-shamed on social media. He shared a photo from the hospital in Syracuse, N.Y., and later explained that his slim figure is due to an eating disorder. He was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia at the age of 19. The stress-related medical condition makes it difficult for him to eat. While he’s 5-foot-8, he only weighs 135 to 140 pounds.

A month before his hospitalization, Aaron’s father, Robert, died at the age of 65. (That’s not the only family member he lost at a young age; sister Leslie died in 2012.)

And in February, Aaron was attacked onstage during a concert in Bradley, Ill., after he allegedly made a racial comment about his opening act. He claimed it was a dispute with someone at the venue and he was sucker-punched.

Amid all this drama, Carter continues to tour. On Monday, he promoted his next gig, which is Thursday in Tampa.

Drama for Aaron — and his family — really isn’t new. He burst onto the scene at age 7, on the coattails of his brother’s boy-band success, and was just 12 when Aaron’s Party (Come Get It) dropped — and quickly made him a sensation. He has had extensive financial problems, including filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2015. He’s had family problems, periods of estrangement not only with his brother but with his mother, Jane, and his late dad. Some of those issues stem from money, with Aaron telling GQ in 2016, “When I turned 18, I got $2 million in trust-fund money, and I got $4 million in taxes my parents didn’t pay when I was 11 and 12 years old. I worked really hard for that money. My whole life. Up until I was 18. Doing thousands and thousands of shows, working and providing for my family.”

All of this reminds us of what Selena Gomez recently told InStyle when she opened up about a recent trip to rehab and talked about how child stardom took a toll on her. She said, “I think it is really dysfunctional to be in this industry at a young age where you’re figuring out who you are. I don’t recommend it.”

We can’t help but think Aaron agrees.


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