‘Backstreet Boys’: Kevin Richardson Seemingly Shades Bandmate Brian Littrell With QAnon Tweet

The Backstreet Boys singer Kevin Richardson appeared to reference bandmate Brian Littrell’s decision to join the conservative social media platform, Parler. Richardson shared a pair of tweets about the baseless conspiracy theory QAnon, including a Cosmopolitan story about losing a friend to it. In a second tweet, Richardson included a link to a Cosmpolitan story about wellness influencers’ connection to the pro-Trump rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Back on Jan. 8, Littrell tweeted that he was joining Parler, a controversial social media platform more conservative Twitter users flocked to after Twitter banned President Donald Trump. “BTLittrell come find me… hahah like where’s Waldo. Join me on Parler Social Media,” Littrell wrote. Parler itself has been shut down after it was banned from Apple, Amazon, and Google’s app stores.

On Wednesday, Richardson tweeted, “Interesting read,” followed by a link to a Cosmopolitan article written by an author whose friend became a QAnon follower. Author Emily J. Sullivan wrote about a friendship of 15 years ending completely after the friend yelled conspiracy theories during a socially distant meeting for cocktails. “Another interesting read,” Richardson wrote in a second tweet. The Cosmopolitan article he listed this time was Clio Chang’s reporting on the surprising connection between wellness influencers on Instagram and the conspiracy theories that fueled many of President Donald Trump’s supporters during the riot at the Capitol.

Littrell and Richardson were close friends at one point, with Richardson being the one who reportedly encouraged Littrell to try out for the boy band, reports The Daily Mail. However, their relationship has become strained as Littrel continued to support Trump. Littrell even told TMZ he tried to get the Backstreet Boys to perform at Trump’s inauguration, but it did not work out. Littrell has not made further public comments on Trump, but during that 2017 interview with TMZ, he made it clear he was surprised no one from Hollywood participated in Trump’s inauguration.

“Hollywood needs to chill out. You’re talking about [the] commander-in-chief. We’re talking about respect,” Littrell said at the time. “This is one love. This is America. We’re the greatest nation on the planet, so just love each other, man, not use it as a divide.”

QAnon is a discredited far-right conspiracy theory that claims a group of Satan-worshipping cannibals and pedophiles who run a child-sex trafficking ring are working against Trump, who will stop them. During the Capitol riot, which was an attempt to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory, some rioters wore outfits with QAnon-supporting imagery. One rioter, Jacob Angeli, became known as “QAnon Shaman.” He faces charges of civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, disorderly conduct in a restricted building, and demonstrating in a Capitol building for his role in the riot.