Hi ALEX –
Jan. 22, 2026 – AJ McLean said his sobriety was already secure, he realized he needed to explore the emotional roots of his addictive behaviours and, in doing so, separate his true self from his pop star persona. He explained: “My sobriety was on lock, but I wanted to dig a little deeper and find out what was at the root of my addiction.
The singer, whose full birth name is Alex James McLean, said the process taught him the importance of boundaries — something he admitted he had rarely practised before.
He added: “And so going on this little self-realisation moment, I learned boundaries, something I never really utilised in my life. AJ is a character in a band and doesn’t define who I am. Alex got stifled for the last 40 years. The two entities, which are one, can coexist.”
As part of that shift, AJ said he addressed the issue directly with those around him, including his bandmates in Backstreet Boys and his family.
He said: “I immediately set up boundaries with my bandmates first, and my family, and said, ‘Hey, like, when I’m not in work mode with you boys, call me Alex.’”
While the adjustment took time, he described the change as life-affirming.
