Who can blame Nick Carter for being emotional this week?
On Thursday's episode of ABC's Boy Band, 16-year-old contestant Jaden Gray discussed his tumultuous relationship with his father, who has been in and out of jail throughout his "whole" childhood in Compton. Bursting into tears, Jaden recalled, "He would call me and he would tell me, like, 'Just keep your head up.' To know that he went from not even caring to teaching me every day—while being in this situation, to keep my head up and keep going—is the best thing, because I thought that would never happen. But to see it happen is the most amazing thing."
Jaden sang alongside Mikey Jimenez, 17, Brady Tutton, 15, and Dorian Tyler, 15, and their cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" spoke to Nick in particular. "I understand exactly what you're going through when it comes to having a hard upbringing in a family," the Backstreet Boys singer told Jaden. "No matter what happens, or what they say or do, you still love them."
Fighting back tears, Nick asked, "If there was one thing you could say your father on a night like this, what would it be?" Jaden replied, "Dad, I love you and I thank you for being the father that you've been. You're the best ever." Nick praised Jaden's performance, saying, "It was beautiful."
In fact, Nick told the teen, "It was everything this world needs."
Host Rita Ora echoed that sentiment, saying, "You should be so proud of yourself."
Nick, of course, has been at the center of a very public feud with his younger brother, Aaron Carter, following the "Sooner or Later" singer's DUI arrest in Habersham County, Ga., less than a week ago. Nick swiftly offered his support via Twitter, which was only met with hostility. "If my own blood (Nick) truly cared about my well-being, why wouldn't he call me directly and have a conversation instead of making this about him through a very public forum?" Aaron asked on Twitter Sunday. "That's not cool at all for him to use me for his PR and kick me while I am down." In a statement released Monday, Aaron's rep told E! News, "This is a family matter and he wants to keep that part of it private. Right now, he's just trying to get by day to day." Later in the week, Aaron went on to do a TV interview where he aired his family's dirty laundry.