Backstreet Boys fans will be glad to know the iconic boy band is back with a new special edition album. On Friday, the group released Millennium 2.0, a remastered version of their 1999 Grammy-nominated record Millennium.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of that best-selling album’s release, Millennium 2.0 features original hits like “I Want It That Way” and “The One,” as well as 13 bonus tracks. This includes their new single “Hey,” which was released in February.
Accompanying the anniversary album is the Backstreet Boys’ Into the Millennium residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, which includes 21 concert dates in July and August.
AJ McLean, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, and Kevin Richardson rose to prominence as the Backstreet Boys in the 1990s, but their star power faded considerably by the late aughts. Yet, the group has never broken up and has enjoyed some notable comebacks.
Following a brief hiatus, the Backstreet Boys made their first comeback with the release of their fifth studio record Never Gone in 2005. They later regrouped in 2012 when Kevin Richardson rejoined the band after leaving in 2006. The Backstreet Boys experienced another resurgence in 2019 after releasing their No. 1 album DNA and embarking on a years-long world tour.
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Still, the boy band is no longer quite as popular as they were in their heyday. Here’s what each of the five members have been up to since their golden days.
AJ McLean
The original Backstreet Boy, AJ McLean was the first member to officially join the group in the early 1990s. Now 47, McLean also pursued a solo career and briefly performed under the moniker Johnny No Name in 2000. It was around this time that he began experiencing substance abuse issues.
McLean first checked into rehab in 2001 and subsequently returned on a number of occasions. He later abandoned his stage name and began playing shows by himself in 2008. McLean released his first solo album, Have It All, in 2010.
In addition to music, he appeared in several TV shows over the years, including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Days of Our Lives, and Static Shock, as well as the 2016 movie This Is the End. In 2020, McLean competed as a celebrity on Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with professional dancer Cheryl Burke and placed seventh in the competition.
In 2011, McLean married makeup artist Rochelle DeAnna McLean, with whom he shares two daughters, Elliott and Lyric. After 12 years of marriage, however, the pair announced their split in January 2024.
Nick Carter
The youngest member of the band, 45-year-old Nick Carter also pursued a career outside of the Backstreet Boys and has released several solo albums. His debut album, 2002’s Now or Never, made into the Billboard 200’s Top 25. Since then, Carter has produced three more records. His latest work, Love Life Tragedy, came out in May 2025.
Branching out into acting, Carter briefly appeared in the TV series American Dreams and 90210 before directing and starring in the 2007 action movie Dead 7. He also starred in the reality shows House of Carters—featuring his famous younger brother, Aaron Carter, and their three sisters—in 2006 and I Heart Nick Carter in 2014.
Carter has been married to actor Lauren Kitt since 2014. The couple have three children together: a son named Odin and two daughters, Saoirse and Pearl. His family life has also been marked by tragedy. His sister Leslie died in 2012 followed by Aaron in 2022 and another sister Bobbie Jean in 2023.
Elsewhere, Carter has been embroiled in a number legal issues over the years. In 2005, he was arrested and charged with a DUI amid his struggle with addiction, which he later opened up about in his 2013 memoir Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It. Carter has also been accused of sexual assault by four women, stemming from alleged incidents dating back to the early 2000s. The most recent lawsuit was filed in April 2025.
Howie Dorough
Like his other bandmates, 51-year-old Howie Dorough went out on his own, releasing the solo album Back to Me in 2011 and briefly joining Britney Spears on her Femme Fatale Tour that year. Four years later, he released the children’s album Which One Am I?
Making a number of TV and movie appearances over the years, Dorough leant his voice to Arthur and Dora the Explorer before starring in Nick Carter’s film, Dead 7. In reality television, he also received a psychic reading on Long Island Medium: There in Spirit in 2021 and competed against 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey on the game show Name That Tune in 2024.
In addition to show business, Dorough founded the real estate company Dorough Brothers Development & Consulting with his brother John. He also launched a nonprofit called the Dorough Lupus Foundation in honor of his sister Caroline, who died from the disease in 1998.
Dorough has been to married his wife, Leigh Boniello, since 2007. They have two sons, James and Holden.
Brian Littrell
Along with his Backstreet Boys membership, Brian Littrell became a Christian pop singer. In 2005, he released the record Welcome Home, which made its way onto the Billboard 200. Littrell later followed up with two Christmas albums: Brian Littrell’s Family Christmas (2010) and Christmas with the Littrells (2011). His wife, Leighanne Littrell, and son, Baylee, are featured on both EPs.
He and Leighanne first met on the set of the 1997 music video “As Long as You Love Me.” They collaborated again for the 2000 romantic comedy Olive Juice, which starred Leighanne and featured Brian in a small part. The couple married that same year.
Most recently, the 50-year-old appeared as himself in an episode of Dynasty in 2021.
Kevin Richardson
Kevin Richardson, who is Brian Littrell’s cousin, left the Backstreet Boys in 2006 to focus on starting a family with his wife, Kristin Richardson, who he married in 2000. The couple has two sons, Mason and Maxwell.
In 2003, he opened a music school in Kentucky called The Music Workshop with his friend Keith McGuffey. That same year, he made his Broadway debut in the musical Chicago. Richardson also appeared in the 2011 drama The Casserole Club, for which he won an Independent Vision Award for Best Actor.
After 6 years away from the group, he rejoined the Backstreet Boys in 2012 and began working on a solo project, which has yet to be released. Today, Richardson is 53 years old.
Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
