Arts & Entertainment
Aaron Carter takes HIV test in emotional ‘The Doctors’ interview
the singer also revealed his addiction to pills, cosmetic surgery
(Screenshot via YouTube.)
Aaron Carter learned he is HIV negative during an emotional, two-part interview on “The Doctors,” which aired this week.
Carter, who came out as bisexual in August, shared that he feared he could be HIV positive because of his low weight. The 29-year-old singer learned he weighs just 115 pounds at six feet tall.
He also admitted that he hasn’t always been safe sexually.
“I felt like I was putting people at risk with my body,” Carter told gastroenterologist Dr. Jorge Rodriguez and “Doctors” host Travis Stork. “And that was scary and what else scared me is that I didn’t have the courage to go face the music.”
The test revealed Carter tested negative for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.
A drug test was also given to Carter, who has been accused of using cocaine and meth. Carter tested negative for those drugs but tested positive for marijuana, Benzodiazepines (Xanax) and opiates (hydrocodone).
“What scares me about that drug panel,” Dr. Stork tells Carter, “is your sister (Leslie Carter) perished from an overdose and you’ve got a mixture of benzodiazepines with opiates, which is how many people accidentally can die. These medications — and I’m speaking now purely from the doctor’s perspective — can be very, very scary.”
Carter also opened up about his addiction to cosmetic surgery.
“I get fillers. Restylane, Voluma, Rejuviderm. I get all three, and I’m going to continue doing it,” Carter says.
In another segment, Carter got emotional discussing the trauma he’s experienced with his family, including the death of his sister and father and his estranged relationship with his brother, Nick Carter.
“My lowest point was right after my sister died. My brother Nick sending me pictures of Whitney Houston in a coffin, saying RIP. Thanks for listening, because you never did,” Carter says. “I lost my career, my parents divorced, I lost my dad, I lost my sister, I lost my brother Nick, I lost Angel [his twin sister]. How do I keep going? I don’t know.”
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
Let love and compassion guide our response to Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis
D.C. Black Pride 2025: Events, parties, and empowerment
Cuban lawmakers to consider simplifying process for trans people to change IDs
Frank Kameny’s legacy lives on
