- A friend and relative of the Carter family claims matriarch Jane deliberately drove a wedge between her two sons
- Documentary films Fallen idols: Nick and Aaron Carter continues on Tuesday night
- “[The kids were] victims of bad parenting, bad choices, neglect,” says the relative. “The damage was irreversible”
Nick Carter and Aaron Carter’s sibling relationship has been full of ups and downs — and according to family friends, many of the downs were instigated by their mother, Jane.
In the new documentary series Discovery Research Fallen idols: Nick and Aaron CarterA friend and relative of the Carter family claims that Jane Schneck deliberately drove a wedge between her two sons, especially after the death of their sister Leslie from a drug overdose in 2012.
“Jane blamed Nick for Leslie’s death. She told Nick that he should have been there for her. He had money, why didn’t he do something?” cousin John Spaulding, whose father is Jane’s brother, says in the documentary. “I don’t think it was Nick’s responsibility. But I think Aaron took what his mom was telling him to heart and I think it hurt their relationship. I think that was her goal, I think that’s what she was trying to do.”
Schneck declined to comment on the series.
The Carter Family: All About Nick and Aaron Carter’s Parents and Siblings
Bobbie Jean Carter, Leslie Carter, Nick Carter, Angel Carter, Aaron Carter in Pasadena in July 2006.
Chad Buchanan/Getty
A family friend named Jen also appears in the series and recalls the harsh words Jane said to Aaron after learning that Nick would not be attending Leslie’s funeral.
“When Aaron found out Nick wasn’t coming to Leslie’s funeral, Jane first told Aaron, ‘He doesn’t love you. See? He doesn’t love you,’ Jen recalls. “And that is not true. But Aaron became very upset and aggressive… I don’t understand why a parent would go to such lengths to separate two brothers.”
In 2013, Nick Carter, 44, appeared on Dr. Philwhere he said that his family blames him for Leslie’s death, and that he feels guilty about the situation.
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Nick removed his parents Jane and Bob (who divorced in 2003, 14 years before Bob’s death) as his managers when he turned 18 – something Jen suggests caused some “bitterness” with the family matriarchy. In response, Jen says, Jane focused on Aaron, putting extra pressure on the teenager.
“Jane listened to Aaron the whole time. Whenever Aaron didn’t want to do anything, ‘What, do you think Nick is taking a break?’ And I even heard Bob say to Aaron once, ‘You’re never going to be as good as your brother,’” he recalls. “In the end it was a huge chip on Aaron’s shoulder. Nick had no idea.”
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Jane Schneck and Aaron Carter in West Hollywood in October 2019. Presley Ann/Getty
In later years, around the time Aaron died in November 2022, Jen says Jane continued to “match Nick against Aaron on Facebook, even after his death. That’s how it goes with her.”
“[The Carter kids were] victims of bad parenting, bad choices, neglect,” says Spaulding. “The damage was irreversible.”
In 2023, Aaron’s twin sister Angel Carter spoke to PEOPLE about how, months after Aaron’s death, their mother posted photos of Aaron’s death scene on Facebook, insisting her son had received death threats and accusing authorities of dismissing her suspicions for a month days before officials made a decision his death was due to drowning due to drug use and gas inhalation.
“It was a real invasion of privacy and something Aaron would never want the public to see,” said Angel, who at the time had not spoken to her mother since. “Aaron’s death was the worst possible outcome for all of us. My brother deserves to be here.”
Fallen idols: Nick and Aaron Carter premiering over two nights on Monday, May 27 and Tuesday, May 28 from 9-11pm ET/PT on ID and streaming on Max.
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Source: HIS Education