Nick Carter seen for the first time since being accused of raping a disabled ... trends now

Nick Carter beamed as he stepped out on the day he was accused of raping a disabled woman on a tour bus in 2001. 

The singer, 42, has denied the claims and was joined by his band Backstreet Boys as they chatted with fans outside the Empire State Building in New York City on Thursday. 

Despite news that the band's holiday special has been axed in the wake of the new lawsuit, the group seemed in high spirits.  

Carter, casually clad in jeans and trainers, waved at onlookers before posing for photographs with bandmates Aj Mclean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson.

The outing came after their Christmas special, which was set to air on ABC on December 14, has been abandoned.

The holiday-themed special was going to see the band members performing hits from their 10th album, A Very Backstreet Christmas.

Celebrities set to appear on the special were Seth Rogen, Meghan Trainor, Nikki Glaser, Rob Riggle, Ron Funches and Atsuko Okatsuka. 

The news came after Carter was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl on a tour bus during the band's 2001 tour. 

The disabled woman who alleges Carter raped her, sobbed during a press conference on Thursday, announcing her lawsuit against the star, who has since denied the allegations.

In her lawsuit, Shannon 'Shay' Ruth, now 39, who has autism and cerebral palsy, claims the Backstreet Boys singer invited her onto his tour bus when she was 17 following the band's concert in Tacoma, Washington in February 2001 after spotting her waiting in the autograph line.

Ruth claims the star pulled down his trousers and exposed himself to her in a bathroom - before allegedly forcing her to perform oral sex on him and then raping her.

She detailed the 'pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm' brought on by the alleged incident and claimed Carter 'threatened and tried to silence her' in the immediate aftermath.

Ruth's attorney Mark J. Boskovich said three other women - named only as Jane Doe - are named in a joint lawsuit alongside Ruth.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Ruth alleges she was invited onto the tour bus, Carter asked if she wanted a drink - after requesting apple juice, she claims Carter offered her cranberry and gave her a 'red colored' drunk which he called 'VIP juice'.

Ruth claims the drink tasted 'off' as she drank it and says she believes it was a mix of cranberry juice and alcohol.

It was claimed by Ruth that Carter took her to the bus' bathroom and ordered her to perform oral sex on him. Ruth alleges that she was crying throughout but Carter 'kept instructing her.'

Ruth further claims Carter then took her to a bed on the bus and and continued his alleged sexual assault.

She claims afterwards that she told Carter she would tell people about the alleged assault - but that he reportedly threatened to turn people against her, allegedly calling her a "r******* little b***h that no one would believe.'

She said: 'The last 21 years have been filled with pain, confusion, frustration, shame and self-harm that are a direct result of Nick Carter raping me.

'Even though I’m autistic and live with cerebral palsy, I believe that nothing has affected me more or had a more lasting impact on my life than what Nick Carter did and said to me.

She alleged: 'After he raped me, I remember him calling me a r******* little b***h and grabbing me and leaving bruises on my arm.