AJ McLean Details First Time Using Cocaine Before Backstreet Boys’ Video Shoot
April 14, 2026 
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AJ McLean
Larger Than Life Night Took A Turn He Regrets
Spills About First Time Using Cocaine
Published
Investigation Discovery
Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean once had a 2 AM call time — and made a midnight decision that stuck with him for years.
The singer is reflecting on his career in the new docuseries “Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Event,” revealing his first time trying drugs went down in 2000 … just hours before a late-night video shoot.
At the peak of BSB fame, AJ says the night started low-key — dinner with the guys, then a nap — but things took a turn when he woke up groggy ahead of that brutal overnight shoot. A friend offered him something to “wake up” — and pulled out a bag to seal the deal.
Watch the clip … at first, AJ says he wasn’t having it — firing off a string of “no, no, no’s” — but the offer didn’t disappear. It lingered … sitting there within reach. Eventually, he gave in.
“I very easily could have done the video shoot without being on drugs,” McLean said. “I think in that moment, I just caved and decided what’s the worst that could happen.”
“Worst things happened.” Yeah … hindsight hits a lot harder.
The revelation is one of many candid moments in the ‘Bad Boy’ docuseries, which digs into the pressure-packed reality behind boy band fame — where insane schedules and nonstop demands made bad decisions a little too easy.
The two-part finale of the series airs tonight on ID and is available to stream on HBO Max.
