Fans of the Backstreet Boys have identified what they believe to be a rift within the group after Kevin Richardson appeared to throw a thinly veiled jab at his cousin and fellow band member Brian Littrell.
Earlier this month, Littrell announced he would be moving to Parler - a social media site favoured by the alt-right for its lack of censorship - on the same night President Donald Trump was banned from Twitter for fear he would incite more violence after the deadly riots at the US Capitol.
The move prompted a wave of outrage from upset fans, but the band stayed quiet, until now. Richardson tweeted a Cosmpotilan article entitled 'I Lost A Best Friend to QAnon' along with the caption "Interesting read…" in what social media users and news outlets alike believe to be a message about Littrell.
Richardson called another Cosmopolitan article headlined 'The Unlikely Connection Between Wellness Influencers and the Pro-Trump rioters' "another interesting read".
In response, one fan told Richardson "I don't think your cousin either cares or realises the impact this has had," referring to Littrell.
"People are angry. It could affect the future of this fandom and the behaviour of people at your concerts."
"It has been heartbreaking to see people we love and respect spiral into living in a land of make-believe," wrote another.
Littrell has long been vocal about his support "respect" for Trump, telling TMZ in 2017 he would have performed at the president's inauguration if he could have.
"He's going to do so many great things for this nation," he said at the time. "I have faith in his character and his balls, let's put it that way!"
