Backstreet Boys Kevin Richardson tweeted about losing a friend to QAnon, leading fans to believe there’s tension between him and his bandmate Brian Littrell who shared with his followers that he’d created a Parler account.
Richardson sparked concern with fans after sharing a Cosmopolitan article titled, I Lost a Best Friend to QAnon.
In the caption Richardson wrote: ‘Interesting read.’
The article detailed a first-hand account of losing a friendship due to the conspiracy theory-driven beliefs of a QAnon member.
His tweet came days after Littrell shared that he’d created a Parler account after President Donald Trump was banned from Twitter.
Kevin Richardson sparked concern after tweeting an ‘interesting read’ about losing a friend to QAnon shortly after Backstreet Boys bandmate Brian Littrell shared his new Parler account with his followers
Richardson shared an article from Cosmopolitan which detailed a first-hand account of losing a friendship due to the conspiracy theory-driven beliefs of a QAnon member
Littrell’s tweet about creating an account on the controversial site which has now been closed, was sent the same night that Trump was banned from Twitter ‘due to the risk of further incitement of violence’
Richardson, 49, who appeared to be responding to Littrell’s tweet, followed up by sharing another article titled, The Unlikely Connection Between Wellness Influencers and the Pro-Trump rioters.
In the caption of that tweet he wrote: ‘Another interesting read.’
QAnon, the discredited, right-wing group has built steam through the months as far-right supporters of Trump who dig deep into baseless theories about politics and the government.
Most recently, the group along with other white supremacists and terrorists stormed the Capitol while Congress was in session to confirm electoral votes acknowledging Joe Biden’s win in November’s presidential election.
Richardson spent the day and the following day retweeting reports about the riot and statements denouncing the violence.
The Capitol riot led to the deaths of five people and the second impeachment of the 45th president.
While there’s no clear evidence that Littrell has fallen further into far-right conspiracies, his tweet about creating an account on Parler, which has now been closed, was sent the same night that Trump was banned from Twitter ‘due to the risk of further incitement of violence’.
Parler is favored by many Trump supporters and claimed to have more than 12 million users.
Fans caught on to Kevin’s tweet and asked: ‘I don’t think your cousin either cares or realizes the impact this has had. People are Angry. It could affect the future of this fandom and the behavior of people at your concerts’
Another tweet noted the severity of the issue: ‘Ok but on a serious note, it has been heartbreaking to see people we love and respect spiral into living in a land of make believe’
Parler on Thursday urged a US judge to order Amazon to restore the company’s account, saying Amazon had no evidence the social media platform was used to incite last week’s storming of the Capitol.
At a hearing in Seattle federal court, Parler’s lawyer David Groesbeck said the company would suffer irreparable harm if forced to close and that keeping it alive served the public interest. He also downplayed Parler’s role in the riots in Washington.
Fans caught on to Richardson’s tweet and asked: ‘I don’t think your cousin either cares or realizes the impact this has had. People are Angry. It could affect the future of this fandom and the behavior of people at your concerts. He has now publicly opened the door for division in a fandom that’s always been united.’
Another tweet noted the severity of the issue: ‘Ok but on a serious note, it has been heartbreaking to see people we love and respect spiral into living in a land of make believe. A dangerous land, at that. I hope one day they all come to a higher consciousness, but I worry it’s already too late.’
Family rift: Not only are they bandmates, they are also cousins as Littrell’s father and Richardson’s mother are siblings, and Kevin reportedly called on Brian to try out for the Backstreet Boys during a casting call in 1993; seen in 2019
As Long As You Love Me: The Backstreet Boys have sold more than 100 million records worldwide with dozens of No. 1 hits under their belts and legions of fans, making them the most successful boy band of all time; seen in 2019
Not only are Richardson and Littrell bandmates, they are also cousins as Littrell’s father and Richardson’s mother are siblings.
Richardson reportedly called on Littrell to try out for the Backstreet Boys during a casting call in 1993.
Brian has reportedly been a Trump supporter for years and even voiced his support for the band to perform at Donald’s inauguration in 2017.
Littrell admitted that the Inaugural Committee approached the band about a possible performance, but things just didn’t work out.
‘Hollywood needs to chill out, all right? You’re talking about the commander-in-chief, right? We’re talking about respect,’ he told TMZ at the time.
The Backstreet Boys have sold more than 100 million records worldwide with dozens of No. 1 hits under their belts and legions of fans, making them the most successful boy band of all time.
