Women detail sexual misconduct claims against Axl Rose, Nick Carter, other musicians: What to know – Gudstory

After allegedly remaining silent for years, 10 women who were victims of sexual harassment took on the music industry – and revealed their experiences Axl Rose, nick carter And more musicians.

“The secrets we have revealed are horrifying,” the lawyer said. Jeff Anderson said in a press release on Thursday, January 25. “What may be even more frightening is that we know this is only the tip of the iceberg.”

The lawyer hosted a live press event with several women who claimed they were sexually harassed while working in the music industry or as fans.

former dream singer melissa shuman Carter, 43, details how she was allegedly attacked by the Backstreet Boys when she was a teenager Sheila Kennedy Guns N’ Roses frontman Rose, 61, allegedly attacked her in the ’80s.

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Although Hollywood may appear all glitz and glam on the surface, the industry has seen its fair share of scandals over the years. The New York Times and The New Yorker first published investigative pieces in 2017, accusing disgruntled film producer Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual assault and harassment. Soon after, Weinstein was prosecuted […]

“The music industry must thrive on talent, dedication and passion, not coercion, not exploitation, not harassment and certainly not rape,” Schumann, 39, said Thursday. “In sharing my story, my goal is to empower others to break the cycle of silence that has allowed this issue to persist. It is time the music industry is no longer a breeding ground for abuse.”

kari chromewho is part of the Make Music Safe program and is a former songwriter for the Runaways, criticized rodney bingenheimer for being a “famous stalker”, while she asked her employer SiriusXM to sever ties with the rocker.

Scroll down to learn more about the survivors’ alleged attacks — and what they want from the music industry in response:

Women are ‘cheap labour’ in the music industry

Shuman, who previously spoke out about her alleged assault in 2016, reflected on her start in music, saying she was part of the girl group Dream in 1999. Sean “Diddy” Combs‘Bad Boy Records.

“I was in the middle of school at the time, barely out of eighth grade, really. And I believe all my dreams were on the verge of coming true,” she said Thursday, adding that after the group achieved multi-platinum status, she thought her career would take off.

Schumann confessed, “I never considered the deeper motives behind discovering and shaping young talent, like the girls in the Dream and me, other than that we were being used as cheap labour.” He alleged that girls are at the “most appropriate age for grooming”.

When she was about to turn 18, Shuman remembered that “there was this kind of tacit understanding by the people around me that success would come at the expense of exchanging my body.” Shuman alleged that it was often mocked among adults in the industry that “the price of saying yes to inconvenient advances” would help in “career advancement”.

Nick Carter reportedly ‘armed’ fans after assault claims

Shuman told the press on Thursday that “I was sexually assaulted by Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys when I was only 18 years old.” He alleged that the incident completely derailed his music career.

“I believed that it was impossible to keep myself safe from his control and his influence while pursuing music,” she explained. “And so at the young age of 20 I gave up my recording career as a solo artist, I was caught up in asymmetrical power dynamics.”

Schuman claimed that the industry was not only made up of “predators”, but he argued that “those who profit from predators who protect them at all costs” were just as bad. When Shuman came forward with her story, first on her blog in 2017 and then to police the next year, she alleged that Carter had his fans shame her.

“Since then I have become the target of retaliation through well-planned PR,” she claimed. “Read the headlines and social media attacks, my abuser and his boy band are well funded, They have access to extensive resources and they also arm their fans to protect their bandmates and brand from accountability.”

Connected: The ups and downs of Nick Carter’s years: legal troubles and more

As the only boy band member with true longevity, Nick Carter has seen it all. Despite his success with the Backstreet Boys, Carter has experienced turmoil in his personal life. In January 2002, he was arrested in Florida and charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting/resisting a law enforcement officer. […]

Shuman sued Carter for sexual harassment and assault in April 2023. In court documents obtained by us weeklySchumann claimed that Carter raped her when she was 18 and he was 22. She alleged in the filing that Carter performed oral sex on her and then forced her to do the same.

“Melissa Shuman has been promoting this story for several years, but when she first brought it up back in 2017 her allegations were false – and they still are,” Carter’s attorney said. Lian K. wakayamatold We In a statement at the time. “A judge in Nevada recently ruled after reviewing the extensive evidence we provided that Nick Carter had a criminal record for conspiring to harm, defame, and extort Nick, his associates, his friends, and Ms. There are strong grounds for pursuing the case against Shuman. his family.”

Wakayama added: “In light of our progress in Nevada, this type of reaction is simultaneously both predictable and pathetic. But this PR stunt will not shake Nick from his determination to hold Ms. Shuman and her co-conspirators accountable for the immeasurable pain and suffering caused by their extortionate conduct.

Carter and Shuman appeared in court on January 17, during which they asked the judge to dismiss the case. Carter’s petition was denied. He has also filed a counterclaim against Shuman and two others for allegedly harassing him.

Axl Rose is a ‘Monster’

We It was confirmed in November 2023 that Kennedy, 61, filed a lawsuit against Rose, accusing him of sexually assaulting her in 1989. Kennedy alleged that he tried to leave Rose’s hotel room because he wanted to engage in group sex with two other models, with Rose allegedly “throwing him to the floor” and dragging him onto the bed.

“Simply put, this incident never happened. Notably, these speculative claims were filed one day before the New York State filing deadline,” Rose’s attorney, Alan S. gutmantold We In a statement at the time. “Although he does not deny the possibility of the photo being taken by a fan, Mr. Rose has no recollection of ever meeting or speaking to the plaintiffs, and before today he has never heard of these hypothetical allegations. Mr. Rose is confident that this matter will be resolved in his favor.

Kennedy, who was former penthouse The model has not backed down from her claims and continues to allege that the attack has left her traumatized. “I have a voice and I don’t want to be called a victim. “I want other women to hear this about Axl Rose, he is a monster and he needs to be held accountable,” she said Thursday. “And I’m here today to make sure that happens.”

Kennedy said it was “difficult” to talk about the attack but she wanted to get her story out there. “I think it’s really important that we need to make this industry safer for women,” she explained. “There are a lot of victims who feel ashamed, who feel guilty. It feels like when they go to sleep at night, they have nightmares and this needs to be stopped, this monster needs to be stopped: Axl Rose.”

Call for Rodney Bingenheimer to be fired

Chrome (legal name Carrie Mitchell) filed two lawsuits in April 2023, one of which was against the late Runway manager Kim Fowley and the second against former KROQ disc jockey Bingenheimer, 76. Croome claimed that Fowley, who died in 2015, had sexually assaulted her in the 1970s when she was a teenager. Fowley was previously accused of sexual assault by the Runaways’ bassist jackie fox,

Crome alleged that Bingenheimer also sexually assaulted her during that decade after grooming her. Bingenheimer has recently been accused of sexual harassment by five other women. He has not commented publicly on the matter. Bingenheimer currently has a SiriusXM radio show called “Rodney Bingenheimer in the Underground Garage,” which Chrome argued Thursday should be shut down due to the allegations.

“I am here to demand the removal of Rodney Bingenheimer, a known serial predator and pedophile, from Sirius XM,” Croome told reporters. “I want to know how listeners feel about an abuser and pedophile being employed by Sirius XM? How many more victims need to come forward for Sirius to take this seriously? This is a cancer that has affected every aspect of the industry and I am here to call for it to stop and I would just like to say that Sirius XM is a shame. Fire Rodney Bingenheimer.”

us weekly Representatives for Rose, Carter and Bingenheimer have been contacted for comment.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).