I will never forget my very first concert, which was the St. Louis, Missouri stop of Aaron Carter’s “Aaron’s Party” Tour at the Fox Theatre in 2001. At the time, when I was about eight years old, the teen pop sensation was, honestly, all I ever talked about and his music, basically, served as the soundtrack to my childhood for years. Thus, you can probably imagine my reaction when I learned that Carter had suddenly passed away on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at the age of just 34.
The sad news prompted me to revisit a different area of his career outside of his music. For those who do not know, the chart-topping artist and younger brother of Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter was also an actor and had even filmed a pilot for a sitcom called Group shortly before his death. We pay tribute to his overlooked acting talents by highlighting some of the most notable Aaron Carter movies and TV shows, along with a tip for where to find them on streaming or as a digital rental right now.
Lizzie McGuire - Season 1, Episode 7 (2001)
With help from her best friends (Lalaine and Adam Lamberg), an average girl (Hilary Duff) struggles to navigate her early teen years -- despite her usually supportive parents (Hallie Todd and Robert Carradine) and annoying younger brother (Jake Thomas) often getting in the way -- as an animated counterpart provides witty commentary on her adventures.
Why it is worth watching if you like Aaron Carter: For one of his very first acting roles, Aaron Carter made an appearance as himself on the first season of the hit Disney Channel original series Lizzie McGuire, in which he and the title character share a kiss underneath the mistletoe and dance in a holiday-themed “I Want Candy” music video together. Aaron Carter dated Hilary Duff, who paid tribute to the star on Instagram following his death.
Stream Lizzie McGuire on Disney+.
Buy Lizzie McGuire - Season 1, Episode 7 on Amazon.
Liberty’s Kids - Season 1, Episodes 24 And 36 (2002-2003)
The most significant historical events that took place during the American Revolutionary War are retold from the perspective of three young people — an ambitious British lady (Reo Jones), a patriotic American teenager (Chris Lundquist, and an orphaned French boy (Kathleen Barr) — who are hired by Benjamin Franklin (Walter Cronkite) as reporters for his newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette.
Why it is worth watching if you like Aaron Carter: For one of his very first voice acting roles, Aaron Carter starred in two episodes of the educational animated series, Liberty’s Kids, as real-life member of the Continental Army and Connecticut Militia Joseph Plumb Martin, but his voice could also be heard in every episode as also he raps on the show’s theme song, “Through My Own Eyes.”
Stream Liberty’s Kids on Hoopla.
7th Heaven - Season 9, Episodes 3-4 (2004)
The trying times of a minister (Stephen Collins) and his wife (Catherine Hicks) as they raise seven children in a small California town.
Why it is worth watching if you like Aaron Carter: For his first and only recurring role on a live action TV series, Aaron Carter starred in two episodes of the ninth season of creator Brenda Hampton and executive producer Aaron Spelling’s hit family drama 7th Heaven as Harry — a young man who takes a liking to Mackenzie Rosman’s character, Ruthie Camden, until things start to grow complicated between them.
Stream 7th Heaven on Hulu.
Stream 7th Heaven on Paramount+.
Buy 7th Heaven - Season 9, Episodes 3-4 on Amazon.
Fat Albert (2004)
A larger-than-life cartoon character (Kenan Thompson) and his friends are magically transported into live-action, modern-day Philadelphia, where they help a lonely girl (Kyla Pratt) make friends.
Why it is worth watching if you like Aaron Carter: For his first role in a feature film, Aaron Carter made a brief appearance as “Teen” in Fat Albert — director Joel Zwick’s family comedy that does more than just adapt the hit animated children’s TV program from the 1970s and 1980s, but brings the iconic characters to life and pokes fun and classic cartoon tropes.
Rent (or buy) Fat Albert on Amazon.
Supercross (2005)
A competitive motocross athlete (future Shameless cast member Steve Howey) and his more daring younger brother (future Cloverfield cast member Mike Vogel) must learn to put their differences aside and their rivalry on pause to help each other compete in a high-stakes championship in Las Vegas.
Why it is worth watching if you like Aaron Carter: One of Aaron Carter’s passions outside of singing and acting was motorbike riding, which he got to live out on the big screen as a young competitor named Owen Cole in Supercross — an extreme sports drama that also stars Channing Tatum, Sophia Bush, and Robert Patrick as Owen’s father, Earl.
Rent (or buy) Supercross on Amazon.
Angie Tribeca - Season 2, Episode 7 (2016)
A hard-nosed detective (Rashida Jones), her (sometimes romantic) partner (Hayes MacArthur), and others are tasked with solving strange crimes and enduring childishly absurd sight gags in Los Angeles.
Why it is worth watching if you like Aaron Carter: In the second season of the hilarious cop show spoof Angie Tribeca — from creator Steve and Nancy Carell — Aaron Carter made a guest appearance, alongside fellow pop stars Chris Kirkpatrick of N*SYNC fame and Joe Jonas, in an episode called “Boys II Dead,” in which a boy band member’s death is investigated.
Stream Angie Tribeca on Hulu.
Stream Angie Tribeca on Amazon Prime.
Aaron Carter also lent his voice to an episode of the popular animated Nickelodeon show Rocket Power, made an appearance that poked fun at himself in writer, director, and star Jeff Garlin’s 2006 rom-com I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, and played a character very similar to himself as the lead of Popstar — not to be confused with the Lonely Island movie, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, from 2016. Unfortunately, the 2005 family comedy is currently not available to stream or digitally rent anywhere, but at least we can say have the titles above and the pop star’s music to remember Carter by.
