Aaron Carter’s Twin Sister Talks ‘Generational Dysfunction Issue’ In Her Family

The Carter family is no stranger to losses caused by substance abuse, and Angel Carter, twin sister of late singer Aaron Carter, shed new light on what she thinks could be the problem.

The "I Want Candy" hitmaker's sibling didn't mince words while reflecting on her "dysfunctional" family and how fame compounded the problem. The Carters gained significant recognition thanks to Nick Carter's group, the Backstreet Boys.

Angel's emotional reflection on her family's history with addiction occurred during a recent appearance on "CBS Mornings," where she had a heart-to-heart discussion with host Gayle King.

A clip of the interview shared on the program's X page captured King quizzing Angel about the deaths of three of her siblings — Leslie, Aaron, and Bobbi Jean — and what she believed might have caused their substance abuse issues.

In 2012, Leslie died from an overdose at 25, with Aaron following suit in 2022 at 34. He drowned due to the effects of taking alprazolam, a generic form of Xanax, and inhaling difluoroethane.

Meanwhile, Bobbi Jean died at 41 in 2023 from "intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl and methamphetamine." Looking back on their childhood, Angel noted she and her siblings were from a "dysfunctional" home, saying:

"There's certainly a generational dysfunction issue here that comes along with it, but as far as growing up, there was a time where we were a really close family. There was a lot of love. But there was a lot of chaos going on at the same time."

According to Angel, the Carter heads did little to give their kids stability, as they could never see eye to eye. "My parents were just fighting all the time. Just dysfunction in the home. No boundaries. No stability. No one to talk to," she lamented.

The situation at home was so bad that Angel claimed it felt like "if I had an issue going on, I really couldn't have my parents to lean on to." Unfortunately, things worsened for the Carter children when her older brother, Nick, found fame with the Backstreet Boys.

The attention on them doubled when Aaron's career also took off with his hit song, "I Want Candy." Reflecting on how fame compounded the dysfunction in her family, Angel said:

"I think it changed everything, honestly. Nick has been in Backstreet Boys since I was four or five years old. So, a really long time. We were a family that had no money."

"We were from upstate New York. My parents were poor. And they had never seen anything like this before," she confessed, adding: "Once the money started coming in, it just changed the dynamic because money became the moving force."

As for her twin's struggles with substance abuse, Angel revealed that she and her family tried their best to set Aaron on the straight and narrow before his tragic death.

She stressed that she hoped he would recover from his addiction for years; however, those dreams were crushed in his final days. Now, she can only hope to break her family's "generational dysfunction issue" with her child.

Angel noted she would give her kid the one thing Aaron never truly had — a childhood full of innocence. In her words: "Aaron did not have his innocence. He was working like an adult from a very young age. And he just wanted to be home."

Last December, The Blast reported that Angel had marked her brother's posthumous birthday with a powerful message about mental health.

She addressed the negative impacts of her brother's traumatic childhood on Instagram, sharing throwback images of him as a child.

"Remember this boy on his birthday today. He was an energetic, vivacious, happy, and loving child who deserved to be living life to the fullest," Angel began her caption, adding:

"We grew up under unique circumstances that were surrounded by dysfunction and constant trauma. Sadly, it was a cycle that was repeated amongst generations."

She stressed that "1 in 5 children" was living with a mental illness and that this was a crisis that needed to be addressed. Unfortunately, the stigma around it made it difficult for children to get the help they needed.

Weeks after celebrating her brother's posthumous birthday, Angel was slammed with the death of her older sister, Bobbie Jean. The Blast reported that she honored her late sibling's memory in a heartbreaking post.

"To my older sister Bobbie. You had a great sense of humor and a lively spirit. Growing up, I was your baby, and you were my best friend," she captioned the montage of Bobbie Jean's younger years before diving into the pain and challenges that plagued their upbringing.

According to Angel, life wasn't fair to her older sister as they weren't shielded from "trauma, pain, and suffering."

She stressed that this destructive cycle needed to end, imploring fans to "cultivate a society where seeking mental health support is met with understanding and encouragement."