Meet the Real-Life Loves of the Backstreet Boys

When not touring the world, some of the pop idols are devoted husbands and fathers

Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Nick Carter, and Brian Littrell of Backstreet Boys attend iHeartRadio 93.3 FLZ’s Jingle Ball 2022 Presented by Capital One at Amalie Arena on December 16, 2022 in Tampa, Florida.

The Backstreet Boys in 2022. Photo:John Parra/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

The Backstreet Boys have been making hearts skip a beat for decades. But while fans have been pining after Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough and Nick Carter since they burst onto the music scene in the ’90s, all five of the pop idols have been married for years.

The women who are their fire, their one desire, have seen the Backstreet Boys through good times and bad, whether it’s Richardson and wife Kristin’s on-again, off-again courtship, McLean’s struggle with addiction or the troubling allegations leveled against Carter. (The youngest member of the group is currently being sued by multiple women for sexual assault, but has denied the accusations and is fighting them in court. His life and that of his late brother Aaron will be explored in the upcoming documentary Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter, which airs on Monday, May 27, and Tuesday, May 28, at 9 p.m. ET on ID.)

Here’s everything you need to know about the real-life loves of the Backstreet Boys.

01 of 05

Kevin Richardson

Mason Richardson, Kristin Kay Willits, Maxwell Richardson and Kevin Richardson attend the Super Bowl LVIII Pregame at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kristin Kay Willits and Kevin Richardson with their sons in 2024.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation

While Kevin Richardson and wife Kristin have been married for nearly 25 years, their path to wedded bliss included a few detours. The couple met prior to the formation of the Backstreet Boys, while both were performing as characters at Walt Disney World in Orlando in 1992. “She walked into the cafeteria, and it was like someone turned a light on,” Kevin told PEOPLE in 1999.

But their burgeoning careers — Kristin, an actor and dancer, has performed with the Radio City Rockettes and toured with Cher — frequently kept them apart. They broke up and reunited more than once before Kevin popped the question in December 1999. The couple married the following summer.

Kevin and Kristin have spoken openly about their fertility issues. After welcoming their oldest son Mason in 2007, the couple struggled to have a second child. But in 2013, their youngest, Maxwell, finally arrived, and Kristin detailed their journey toward expanding their family in the 2015 documentary Pushing Motherhood.

Both Kevin and Kristin frequently share candid family photos on Instagram, including a pic with their kids at the 2024 Super Bowl and an adorable set of photo booth shots while waiting for a delayed flight.