Kriti Mehrotra
With Paramount+’s ‘The Carters: Hurts to Love You’ shining a light upon the story of the celebrity Carter family through the eyes of their youngest, we get a documentary series unlike any other. After all, it incorporates not only first-time interviews with some of their closest family friends but also never-before-seen home movies to really underscore their dysfunction. Amongst them is Lori Noelker Knight, the woman who was by Aaron Carter’s side from the time he first stepped into the entertainment industry until the very end.
Lori Knight Came Across the Carters by Pure Chance
A proud native of Kenton County, Kentucky, Lori Noelker Knight was reportedly just a young girl when she first developed an interest in and began dreaming of having a career in the entertainment industry as an actor. Therefore, after she had graduated from Beechwood High School and attended two years of university in her home state, she decided to relocate to Los Angeles, California, for good. She was determined to pursue her dreams and make a name for herself in front of the cameras, only for her entire perspective to change within a few short months.
While Lori did initially want to pursue acting, she soon realized she could do a much better job behind the scenes owing to his flexibility as well as stability, driving her to evolve into a performing coach instructor. She held this position at a local institution in the heart of the city, so when Jane Carter approached them for lessons for her youngest son, Aaron Carter, they suggested their newest recruit. That’s because she was young and energetic at the time, so they gave her this opportunity to prove her mettle since Aaron had already landed a brand deal and had to be trained accordingly.
Lori and Aaron connected almost instantaneously, with her developing a soft spot for him upon noticing how hard he worked every step of the way. So, when it was time for him to go on tour, his parents actually asked her if she could accompany him for a couple of weeks to make sure he was able to settle down without any significant worries. Little did either of them know, though, that once these few weeks came to an end, she was offered the position of Tour Manager. She had no experience in this field or any idea about what it would entail, but she couldn’t pass up this incredible opportunity to expand her wings. Thus began her reputable career and her connection with the Carters.
Lori Knight Remembers All the Ups and Downs She Faced With the Carters
Lori’s first impression of Aaron was how kind and hardworking he was, yet as time passed, she got to know his family, visited their estate, and even came across his siblings, and she knew something was amiss. She could see they were doing incredibly well for themselves, considering his rise to fame and his elder brother, Nick Carter, being a member of the Backstreet Boys. However, she also noticed some significant gaps, like how their massive, beautiful estate wasn’t entirely well maintained and how the parents often left their children all alone just to allegedly find their next hit.
In fact, as per Lori’s own accounts, she once got a call from Aaron Carter’s twin sister and the youngest of the brood, Angel Carter, saying she had been left by her parents with no money. She was merely a tween at the time, so she was crying because not only did she have no idea what was going on, but she was also hungry and hadn’t shampooed her hair in days because she simply didn’t have the money to do so. As per Lori’s accounts in the show, she believes the parents neglected Angel, along with sisters Leslie and Bobbie Jean, because they weren’t in the show business.
As years passed and Aaron went down a different path, Lori stayed in touch with him while also continuing to expand her standing in the industry. However, her efforts spanned beyond him in every sense – she kept an open line of communication with the other Carter children, too, and she established a business of her own to ensure she could always give them and anyone else a safe space in one way or another. Whether it be talent management, tour development, or personal issues in the limelight, she dealt with subjects related to everything. That’s how she knew that even though Aaron was kind, his addiction dragged him to the dark side towards the end, but he never meant to hurt anyone.
Lori Knight Continues to Thrive in Entertainment as a Manager and Producer
It was in April 2004 when Lori kickstarted her own enterprise by the name of Knight Light Entertainment, and she continues to serve there as a Talent Manager and Executive Producer to this day. She actually handles all aspects of the industry, film, television, brand, as well as music, enabling her to have significant connections all throughout. In fact, just some of her clients include Rachel Swindler, Sam Wiser, Kendall Schmidt, Rita Angel Taylor, Samara Ballow, Logan Grove, and several others. However, arguably, his most prominent client to this day is Aaron’s brother, Nick Carter. She has a close personal relationship with all her clients, which is just part of why she is so successful today – she knows their ambitions, needs, and strengths first-hand.
We should also mention that Lori’s connection with the Carter kids has only improved over the years, owing to the way she has always stood by them. Unfortunately, out of the 5 full brothers and sisters, only Nick and Angel are alive and together as of writing, as the other all sadly died from drug overdoses over the years. It thus comes as no surprise that she is extra glad when all their dreams come true or when they cross a new milestone, which is something she shares online, too. She is not someone who prefers to lead her life in the limelight, but whenever the Carters are involved, she doesn’t mind making her affection towards them known.
The Los Angeles resident has also experienced a lot of grief with the Carters, so it’s also no surprise she is currently associated with the Kids Mental Health Foundation, through which she hopes to bring about change in the future. Lori also doesn’t shy away from expressing her opinions on various socio-economic and political matters on her social media platforms, which is quite commendable in and of itself. Furthermore, it’s imperative to note that she is a proud family woman – she seemingly has kids and grandkids of her own, with whom she loves celebrating holidays like Easter and Christmas without a worry in the world. She sadly lost her father recently, so she understandably appears to be doubling down her focus on her loved ones these days.
Read More: Ginger Carter: What Happened to Aaron Carter’s Stepmom?
