Aaron Carter’s Memoir Delayed After Outcry From Hilary Duff and His Management
Aaron Carter’s posthumous memoir has been delayed after backlash from Hilary Duff and the late singer’s management team. Here’s what we know about why the book, which was scheduled for release shortly after Carter’s death, has been pushed back.
Hilary Duff spoke out against Ballast Books for publishing Aaron Carter’s memoir after his death
Aaron Carter died on Saturday, Nov. 5. TMZ reported that the 34-year-old former child star’s body was found in the bathtub at his home in Lancaster, California. The rapper and singer is survived by his 12-month-old son, Prince, whom he shared with his ex-fiancée Melanie Martin.
After his death, a tell-all memoir titled Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life was scheduled for release on Nov. 15. It was written by Andy Symonds, who spent three years interviewing Carter, and will be published by Ballast Books.
Hilary Duff, who dated Carter when they were teens (and had an infamous love triangle with Lindsay Lohan), slammed the publishing company for taking advantage of the singer’s death. “It’s really sad that within a week of Aaron’s death, there’s a publisher that seems to be recklessly pushing a book out to capitalize on this tragedy without taking appropriate time or care to fact check the validity of his work,” she said in a statement obtained by E! News.
The Lizzie McGuire star continued, “To water down Aaron’s life story to what seems to be unverified click-bait for profit is disgusting. In no way do I condone shedding any light on what is so obviously an uninformed, heartless, money grab.”
Aaron Carter’s team also did not authorize the memoir
Hilary Duff wasn’t the only one who criticized Ballast Books for attempting to publish Aaron Carter’s memoir. The singer’s management team also slammed the publishing company.
They thanked Duff for speaking out against the book, which they called “unauthorized,” and also scorned the release of Carter’s music shortly after his death.
“In the few short days following our dear friend’s passing we have been trying to grieve and process while simultaneously having to deal with obscenely disrespectful and unauthorized releases including an album, a single and now it seems a book,” the management team’s statement said (per Billboard). “This is a time for mourning and reflection not heartless money grabs and attention seeking. We would ask the parties responsible to remove the aforementioned content and that no further content be released without approval from his family, friends, and associates.”
The book has been postponed indefinitely
Ballast Books has decided “out of respect for the Carter family” to indefinitely postpone the publication of Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life (per The LA Times).
Carter’s manager, Taylor Helgeson, gave a statement to CNN about the book’s delay. “We are very pleased to hear that memoir has been postponed and would like to thank Andy Symonds [publisher of Ballast Books] for doing so,” the statement read. “Thank you for respecting our wishes and the wishes of the family.”
Carter’s final album, Blacklisted, was released by producers just two days after the singer’s death. It was originally scheduled for release on Dec. 7, which would have been Carter’s 35th birthday. “We will be working to have this album removed from all streaming platforms,” Helgeson told EW.
