Hilary Duff has been speaking out after it was announced that Ballast Books will release Aaron Carter’s unfinished memoir less than a month after his death. Aaron’s team has also condemned the book and backed up Hilary’s statements.
“It’s really sad that within a week of Aaron’s death that there’s a publisher that seems to be recklessly pushing a book out to capitalize on this tragedy without taking the appropriate time or care to fact-check the validity of his work,” Duff said.
The singer, who also dated Carter, continued “To water down Aaron’s life story to what seems to be unverified click-bait for profit is disgusting. In no way do I condone shedding any light on what is so obviously an uninformed, heartless, money grab.”
News of Carter’s book being released was first announced Wednesday in a press release. The book, titled Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life, was written by Andy Symonds after he spent three years interviewing Aaron, who died at age 34 on Nov. 5. Now, it is set to be released on Nov. 15.
Following Duff’s criticism, Symonds said in a statement, “That story, while tragically cut short, was filled with good and bad. His life was far from pretty, and understandably certain people in the public eye don’t want some of the stories Aaron tells in his book to come to light. That doesn’t make them any less true or newsworthy. Aaron had a right — as we all do — to tell his story. As a journalist, I am honored that he chose me to help him do that. In addition to being cathartic for him, Aaron hoped this book would help others struggling with addiction and mental illness. I hope and believe it will do that.”
Of course, everything Symonds says should be taken with a grain of salt without Carter here to voice his own desires. Either way, the release is in poor taste and the timing is downright disgusting.
