AJ McLean reveals Backstreet Boys attended therapy together: ‘This is our first marriage’

Everybody gather ’round!

 

Backstreet Boys will do anything to keep them from playing games (with each other’s hearts) — including therapy.

AJ McLean revealed what it takes to keep the relationship between his fellow BSB members — Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson — healthy.

“We’ve been around the world and back again. We’ve had highs, lows, ups, downs, good times, bad times,” McLean, 46, told The Post of the band’s over three-decade-long career.

McLean stops by the New York Post/Page Six studio for an interview on March 5. Brian Zak/NY Post
“But really, truly, like, this is our first marriage. The five of us. And if it wasn’t for the love and passion for what we do, the most amazing fans in the world, and just good communication skills — you know, I mean, hell, we’ve been to therapy together as a group. You do whatever you can to maintain.”

“No great relationship comes without work,” he added. “It just doesn’t.”

BSB was formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1993 and has since produced dozens of hits, including “I Want it That Way,” “Everybody” and “Larger Than Life.” They’ve also sold more than 130 million albums worldwide.

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(From left) Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson of Backstreet Boys perform onstage during iHeartRadio 93.3 Jingle Ball 2022. Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Unlike other boybands, BSB never officially broke up. They took a two-year hiatus after the release of a greatest hits album, “The Hits – Chapter One” in 2001, and Richardson briefly left in 2006 to start a family.

“We’ve always said that we want to be like the Rolling Stones of pop or like the Eagles of pop and just have that longevity and to keep doing it,” he told The Post.

“I feel like we’re in the best place we’ve ever been now because we really have the control. Finally, we can really dictate our schedule. We’re all family men. We have kids. We have lives outside of the group,” he explained. “Kevin’s the football coach now for his boys. Life goes on outside of the group, so we need to have that healthy balance.” (Richardson announced the end of his 12-year marriage to estranged wife Rochelle in January.)

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(From left) Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean and Nick Carter pose for an April 1997 portrait in Miami. Getty Images

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McLean, 46, showed off his new neon pink hair. Brian Zak/NY Post
Part of that balance includes spending time together outside of music, which introduced the creation of a BSB group chat titled “Golf Buddies” — although one member isn’t included.

“Kevin’s not a golfer,” McLean said. “He’s more, hippie, earthy. If the four of us are on tour golfing he’s taking his bus and going to the campgrounds with his kids or he’s going to football games.”

Even though he’s a “Golf Buddy,” McLean said the group also has another text chain with their management — that he sometimes avoids.

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AJ McLean poses for a photoshoot in New York City in 1998. WireImage

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Backstreet Boys attend the 1998 American Music Awards. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
“Sometimes the group chats get a little overwhelming. It’s too much going on. So I’ll just opt out, and then I’ll just call my manager later and be like, ‘Okay, what did I miss? What do I need to know and what do I not need to know?’”

McLean has embarked on other opportunities separate from BSB, too. Up next, he and *NSYNC member Joey Fatone are embarking on “A Legendary Night” tour starting in Temecula, California, on March 15.