AJ McLean Met Wife Rochelle When She Was a Waitress — She ‘Flaked’ on Their First Date

Not every first date is great — even for one member of the Backstreet Boys, AJ McLean. This artist met his wife while she was working at a restaurant, and she, unfortunately, flaked on their first date (for a good reason). 

AJ McLean is a member of the boy band the Backstreet Boys

They want it that way. Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson, McLean appears on chart-topping tracks like “As Long As You Love Me,” “I Want It That Way,” and “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.”

Aside from their music career, most boy band members have gotten married and had children. That includes McLean. The singer is currently in a relationship with Rochelle Deanna Karidis.

AJ McLean’s wife was working at a restaurant in Los Angeles when they first met

The Backstreet Boy is currently married to Rochelle Deanna Karidis. The couple has been together for over a decade, with McLean sharing the story of how they meet during his appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast.

McLean said at the time, his wife worked as a bartender and waitress at Saddle Ranch Chop House in West Hollywood. The location is an Old West-themed steak house, complete with a mechanical bull, as noted by the Backstreet Boy.

“What I think’s hilarious, though, is now it’s become a TikToker Haven,” McLean noted. “So, all these millennials think that it’s like the new cool spot. You guys are so behind, like 20 years behind.”

Continuing the story, McLean said that he asked out his wife on a Sunday morning in 2009. She claimed she didn’t know he was a Backstreet Boy, even revealing that she was an NSYNC fan.

“We had a connection,” the artist said. “I asked her out, and then she asked her manager who I was and our first day was supposed to be dinner in a movie. And I worked late in the studio the night before. So I was like, why don’t you just come over to the house? And we’ll watch a movie, and we’ll order in.” 

‘And she panicked and… she flaked and then she quit [her job,]” McLean said. “She was gone for a year…  she came back a year later. I asked her out again, and March 22nd, 2009, was our first date.”

The couple went to dinner and saw the horror movie The Last House on the Left. Although the restaurant was loud and the movie had a long, graphic scene, the two stayed together and have been together ever since. 

Does AJ McLean have a child?

Aside from his work with the Backstreet Boys, McLean is a father of two daughters — Ava Jaymes and Lyric Dean. Music by the Backstreet Boys is available on most major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.