If you grew up in the ’90s, chances are you had a favourite Backstreet Boy, knew all the words to “I Want It That Way,” and probably had a few posters of Nick Carter on your bedroom wall. But how much do you really know about the band behind the hits? From unexpected celebrity connections and backstage drama to family stories and surprising business ventures, here are 20 Backstreet Boys facts you probably didn’t know!
I recently went to see the Backstreet Boys live in Düsseldorf! Want to know what the concert was like? Head over to my blog post, “Backstreet Boys Düsseldorf 2026” for all the details, highlights, and behind-the-scenes moments!
In the following videos you can see a summary of the top 20 facts you may not know and in the blog post below you can read all the details!
@pilarnoriegaa 10 Backstreet Boys Facts You Probably Didn’t Know 1. 💋 Nick dated Paris Hilton! They were together around 2003–2004, and later wrote about their relationship in his autobiography. 2. 🎤 Since 2011 Brian has a voice condition called vocal tension dysphonia that has made singing difficult 3. 💸 Their former manager, Lou Pearlman (who also managed NSYNC), received a 25-year prison sentence for financial fraud, revealing a darker side of the boy-band business. 4. 📺 Nick Carter starred in four major reality TV shows: House of Carters (2006), I Heart Nick Carter (2014), Dancing with the Stars (2015), where he finished second, and The Masked Singer (2020), where he finished third as the Crocodile. 5. ❤️ Kevin Richardson left the group in 2006 to focus on his personal life and returned in 2012, reuniting all five original members. 6. 💃 Kevin met his wife, Kristin, at Disney World! He played Aladdin while she played Belle, long before the Backstreet Boys became global superstars. 7. 🎬 Brian met his wife in a music video! Leighanne appeared in “As Long as You Love Me” in 1997, and they married in 2000. 8. 👨👩👦 All five members are dads! Brian has one son, Nick has three children, AJ has two daughters, and Kevin and Howie each have two sons. 9. 👨👦 Brian and Kevin are cousins! Kevin helped Brian join the group in 1993 by calling him while he was still at school. 10. 🎤 They started out performing in shopping malls and schools! The group formed in Orlando in 1993 and built their popularity in Europe before breaking through in America. #backstreetboys #bsbarmy #millenial #bsbfan ♬ original sound - Pilar Noriega
@pilarnoriegaa 10 Backstreet Boys Facts you probably didn’t know (Part II) 🔥 All details on the blog (link in Bio) 1. Nick and AJ once had a PHYSICAL FIGHT over a comic book! 🔥 Nick kept calling AJ “pizza face,” so AJ threatened to burn Nick’s prized comic book… and accidentally set it on fire! Nick retaliated, while Howie reportedly watched eating popcorn. 😳 2. Ryan Gosling and the Backstreet Boys?! 👀 AJ and Ryan Gosling were childhood neighbours who played basketball together. AJ once invited Ryan to join the band! 👀 3. Sabrina the Teenage Witch kissed Nick Carter?! 💋 Melissa Joan Hart revealed that she and Nick shared a kiss in Australia. She also recalled flirting with NSYNC’s JC Chasez! 4. The Backstreet Boys postponed their tour because AJ needed rehab. 😳 In July 2001, AJ entered treatment for alcohol problems and depression, forcing the band to postpone tour dates during the Black & Blue era. 5. Nick Carter’s family story is heartbreaking. 💔 Nick lost three younger siblings: Leslie in 2012, Aaron in 2022 and Bobbie Jean in 2023. 6. Brian had OPEN-HEART SURGERY at just 23! ❤️🩹 Brian underwent surgery on May 8, 1998. His experience was reflected in the hospital scenes of “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,” released in 2000. 7. AJ and Britney Spears are old friends! 💕 AJ has described Britney as an old friend and neighbour. He has spoken about checking on her when they cross paths. 8. How rich are the Backstreet Boys? 💰👀 Unofficial estimates put Brian at $45 million, Kevin and Howie at $40 million each, Nick at $35 million and AJ at $20 million. 9. Howie is ALSO a real estate developer! 🏡💰 Howie co-founded a property development company with his brother John. You could potentially buy a property developed by their company! 10. Howie met his future wife through a JOB INTERVIEW! 💻❤️ Leigh Boniello interviewed for a webmaster position with the band’s management on December 6, 2000. They married in 2007! #backstreetboys #popnews #bsbarmy #90skid #celebritygossip ♬ original sound - Pilar Noriega
Table of Contents
1. Nick Carter dated Paris Hilton! 💋
Nick Carter and Paris Hilton dated for around seven months before splitting in 2004. Years later, Nick opened up about their relationship in his 2013 autobiography, Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It, describing how their party lifestyle brought out some of his worst habits. A pretty unexpected celebrity couple for the early 2000s!
2. Brian Littrell has faced vocal health challenges 🎤
Brian Littrell has spoken openly about living with vocal tension dysphonia, a condition that affects the muscles involved in producing his voice. He revealed his diagnosis publicly in the Backstreet Boys documentary Show ’Em What You’re Made Of and has discussed the ongoing work involved in managing it. It adds another layer to the challenges of performing night after night as a singer.
3. Their former manager had a shocking story of his own! 💸
Lou Pearlman helped launch both the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, two of the biggest boy bands of the ’90s. But behind the pop success was a massive financial fraud scandal. In 2008, Pearlman was sentenced to 25 years in prison after defrauding investors and financial institutions of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Source: ABC News Australia – Boy Band Mogul Gets 25 Years’ Jail
4. Nick Carter has appeared in several reality TV shows 📺
Nick Carter has had plenty of screen time outside the Backstreet Boys. He starred in House of Carters in 2006, appeared with his wife Lauren in I Heart Nick Carter in 2014, competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2015, and performed as the Crocodile on The Masked Singer in 2020. He finished as runner-up on Dancing with the Stars and came third on The Masked Singer.
5. Kevin Richardson left the group in 2006 ❤️
In 2006, Kevin Richardson announced that he was leaving the Backstreet Boys to pursue other interests and begin a new chapter in his life. The remaining four members continued as a group, but the original five reunited in 2012 when Kevin officially returned. For fans who had grown up with all five voices together, it was a big moment.
Sources: RTÉ – Kevin Richardson Leaves the Backstreet Boys and RTÉ – Richardson Returns to the Backstreet Boys
6. Kevin Richardson met his wife at Disney World 💃
Before worldwide fame, Kevin worked at Walt Disney World in Florida, where he played Aladdin. He met Kristin Willits while they were both working at the theme park, long before the Backstreet Boys became global superstars. Their Disney connection eventually became a real-life love story, and they married in 2000.
Sources: Kentucky Music Hall of Fame – Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson and Ability Magazine – Kevin Richardson Interview
7. Brian met his future wife in a Backstreet Boys music video 🎬
Brian Littrell met Leighanne Wallace while filming the music video for “As Long as You Love Me” in 1997. Leighanne played one of the women featured in the video, and their on-set connection eventually turned into a relationship. The couple married in September 2000 and later welcomed their son, Baylee.
As there are 2 versions of “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” sometimes this causes confusion, but here it’s the summary to make it easy:
- 1995 — European version of “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” with another model (Youtube)
- 1997 — “As Long as You Love Me” with Leighanne
- 1998 — US version of “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” with Leighanne (Youtube)
Source: TheStreet – Backstreet Boys Net Worth and Band Facts
8. All five Backstreet Boys are dads! 👨👩👦
The guys who once had millions of teenage fans screaming their names are now fathers themselves. Brian has one son, Baylee; Nick has three children, Odin, Saoirse and Pearl; AJ has two daughters, Elliott and Lyric; and Kevin and Howie each have two sons. Their family lives have become a very different chapter of the Backstreet Boys story.
9. Brian and Kevin are cousins 👨👦
Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson are first cousins, and their family connection helped bring the band together. In April 1993, Kevin called Brian while he was still at school in Kentucky and invited him to audition for the new group. Brian auditioned over the phone and flew to Orlando the next day. Talk about a family connection that changed everything!
10. They started out performing in shopping malls and schools 🎤
Before selling millions of albums and performing in huge arenas, the Backstreet Boys spent their early days performing at shopping malls, schools, charity events and other local venues in Florida. Their international breakthrough came before their full success in the United States: their debut album became a hit in Europe in 1996, helping build the fan base that would eventually take over America.
Sources: Backstreet Boys Official Website – Band History and GRAMMY.com – How the Backstreet Boys Ignited the ’90s Boy Band Craze
11. Nick and AJ once had a physical fight over a comic book! 💥
This sounds like a scene from a sitcom, but AJ McLean recalled the story at 90s Con in 2025. As a teenager, AJ was going through a bad acne phase, and Nick kept teasing him by calling him “pizza face.” AJ retaliated by threatening to burn Nick’s prized first-issue Alien vs. Predator comic book. The comic accidentally caught fire, and AJ then made things worse by soaking it with water. Nick responded by putting AJ in a headlock and punching him. According to AJ, Howie watched the chaos while eating popcorn!
Source: Yahoo – AJ McLean Recalls Fist Fight with Nick Carter Over a Comic Book
12. Ryan Gosling and the Backstreet Boys?! 👀
Before Ryan Gosling became a Hollywood star, he and AJ McLean knew each other as young neighbours and played basketball together. AJ has told the story of inviting Ryan to join the Backstreet Boys, but the tale was later clarified as exaggerated. Ryan never actually became a member of the band, of course—but the idea of him as a sixth Backstreet Boy is still a fun piece of pop-culture trivia.
13. Sabrina the Teenage Witch kissed Nick Carter?! 💋
Melissa Joan Hart, best known for playing Sabrina in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, revealed that she and Nick Carter shared a kiss in Australia. The two first met when the Backstreet Boys appeared on her TV show in 1998. Hart also recalled “kinda dating” NSYNC’s JC Chasez, making her a surprising link between two of the biggest boy bands of the era!
Source: Youtube
14. The Backstreet Boys postponed their tour because AJ needed treatment 💔
In July 2001, AJ entered a treatment programme for depression and alcohol abuse. The band announced that they would postpone several North American tour dates while he received help. It was a difficult moment during the Black & Blue era, but the other members publicly supported him, and the group later returned to the stage together.
15. Nick Carter’s family story is heartbreaking 🖤
Behind the fame, Nick Carter has experienced devastating family losses. His younger sister Leslie died in 2012, his younger brother Aaron died in 2022, and his sister Bobbie Jean died in 2023. Nick has spoken publicly about the grief his family has endured, making this one of the more difficult chapters in his personal story.
16. Brian had open-heart surgery at just 23! ❤️🩹
Brian Littrell underwent open-heart surgery in May 1998 to address a heart defect he had since birth. The experience was reflected in the hospital storyline of the music video for “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,” released in 1999 in Europe and in 2000 in the United States. The emotional video hits differently when you know that Brian had faced a serious health challenge himself.
Sources: Cosmopolitan – Brian Littrell on His Backstreet Boys Experience and Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely – Video Background
17. AJ McLean and Britney Spears are still neighbours! 🏡
AJ McLean and Britney Spears have known each other since the ’90s pop era, and their connection has continued into adulthood. In a 2026 interview, AJ described Britney as a neighbour and said he gives her a hug and checks on her when they cross paths. He also clarified that they had not spoken recently, so it’s more accurate to describe them as longtime acquaintances and neighbours than as close current friends.
Source: Page Six – AJ McLean Talks About Neighbour Britney Spears
18. How rich are the Backstreet Boys? 💰
Celebrity wealth websites publish some eye-catching estimates for the band members. One 2026 ranking puts Brian Littrell at around $45 million, Kevin Richardson and Howie Dorough at $40 million each, Nick Carter at $35 million and AJ McLean at $20 million. These numbers are not verified financial disclosures, so they should be treated as estimates rather than confirmed fortunes.
19. Howie is also a real-estate developer! 🏠
Howie Dorough has a business career beyond music. He co-founded Dorough Brothers Development & Consulting with his brother John, a company involved in property development and consulting. Their projects have included luxury condominiums, residential properties and commercial developments. One example is The Surf, a luxury condominium project in Cocoa Beach, Florida, which Howie and his brother helped develop.
Sources: Dorough Brothers Development & Consulting – About the Company and ClickOrlando – Howie D Breaks Ground on The Surf
20. Howie met his future wife through a job interview! 💻
Howie Dorough’s love story with Leigh Boniello started with a job interview. Leigh interviewed for a webmaster position with the band’s management, and she was later introduced to the members. Howie recalled that he stayed behind to meet her when others had already left. Their relationship blossomed, and they married on December 8, 2007.
Source: Entertainment Tonight – Howie Dorough and Leigh’s Love Story
Final thoughts
From a comic-book fight and unexpected celebrity kisses to health struggles, family milestones and real-estate ventures, the Backstreet Boys have stories that go far beyond their biggest hits. Whether you grew up collecting posters or discovered the band later, these facts are a reminder that there’s always more to learn about the five guys behind the music.
Which fact surprised you the most? Tell me in the comments—and if you have another Backstreet Boys fact I should know, share it below!
