AJ McLean Explains What Led To A Fist Fight With Nick Carter

Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean brought the laughs, and the nostalgia, during his appearance at 90s Con on Sunday, March 30, in Hartford, Connecticut.

While reflecting on life on the road with the Backstreet Boys, AJ McLean revealed one time where he got into a scuffle with his bandmate, Nick Carter.

The singer joined members of Wilson Phillips for the “Music of the 90s” panel, moderated by PEOPLE Magazine's Breanne L. Heldman, where the stars shared behind-the-scenes stories from decades of touring and performing.

McLean didn’t hold back when asked by a fan if any band members had ever gotten into a fistfight. His answer? A resounding yes, and the culprit was none other than Nick Carter.

“Nick and I have actually been the only ones ever,” McLean confessed. He went on to explain the moment that led to the infamous teenage scuffle, which took place when he and Carter were around 14 or 15 years old.

“He was a big comic book collector, and I went through a really bad acne phase when I was a teenager. He kept calling me pizza face,” McLean shared. The breaking point came when Carter showed off a prized "Alien vs. Predator #1" comic book, and McLean retaliated in dramatic fashion.

“I was like, ‘Call me pizza face one more time,’ and I held the comic book over the sink at Kevin’s apartment with a lighter,” he said. “I didn’t realize that the flame was at its highest, so it burst into flames… then I turn the water on. So now it’s burnt and it’s soggy, and he came up and put me in a headlock and just started punching the back of my head.”

The chaos didn’t stop there. With Carter living at the time with fellow bandmates Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, and Howie Dorough, the fight quickly turned into something out of a sitcom.

“Brian was in his room on the phone. Kevin came out, in a towel out of the shower. Towel falls off. That’s when Howie runs out, sits down. He’s eating popcorn like it’s a movie. He’s like, ‘This is amazing,’” McLean recalled, laughing.

“I’m like, ‘Damn it! Kevin, put it away. Nick, stop punching me. What’s happening?’ There was so much happening at one time.”

The panel served as a fun trip down memory lane as McLean and his peers honored the decade that launched their careers. But it wasn’t all about the past as McLean also gave fans a glimpse into the group’s future.

The Backstreet Boys are set to return to Las Vegas this summer for a special residency at the Sphere. Titled "Into the Millennium," the show will revisit the band’s iconic 1999 "Millennium" album, running from July 11 through August 17.

“I can guarantee you, Kevin will cry multiple times a night, I know he will,” McLean joked during a recent red carpet interview at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards. “He’s the most emo, especially the song ‘Back to Your Heart,’ which he wrote. [I] guarantee you he bawls his eyes out.”

Calling the residency “an homage to having the best fans in the world,” McLean praised the group’s fanbase, adding, “We truly have the most loyal fans. We’re coming up on 32 years together next month. Holy crap.”

He continued, “No one has gone and kind of redone their biggest album or biggest tour… So, we’re hopefully setting the bar.”

After the announcement, fans immediately flooded social media with excitement.

"Congrats to you and the boys -I'm very proud of you!!! But please: First Cancun, now Vegas.... please don't forget your Fans in Europe - we need and have loved you for 30 years!" one X user begged.

"Hey, really are LARGER THAN LIFE!" another fan wrote as a third expressed, "You'll never know how happy I am today! The tour that started it all! I can't wait to see you guys flying with harnesses and the 360-degree stage!"

The band’s residency is set for July 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27.

90s Con wrapped up on Sunday at the Connecticut Convention Center, offering fans one more chance to celebrate the music, fashion, and unforgettable memories of the decade that gave rise to pop royalty like the Backstreet Boys.