Current:Home > NewsGarth Brooks Speaks Out on Rape Allegation From His and Trisha Yearwood's Makeup Artist -Achieve Wealth Network
Garth Brooks Speaks Out on Rape Allegation From His and Trisha Yearwood's Makeup Artist
View
Date:2025-04-17 22:25:38
Content warning: This story discusses graphic violence and sexual abuse.
Garth Brooks is breaking his silence.
After his former makeup artist and hairstylist accused him of sexual assault and battery in a new lawsuit, the "Friends in Low Places" singer shared a message denying the allegations and accusing the woman of extortion.
"For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars," he said in a statement to E! News Oct. 3. "It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face."
He continued, "Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of—ugly acts no human should ever do to another."
"I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward," he added. "It breaks my heart these wonderful things are in question now. I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be."
In the lawsuit, obtained by E! News Oct. 3, Brooks' former employee—referred to as "Jane Roe" in the complaint—alleged that the country singer—who has been married to wife Trisha Yearwood since 2005—hired her knowing she was going through financial hardships and subsequently took advantage of her needing her job by sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions in 2019.
On one occasion, Roe said Brooks invited her on a work trip to Los Angeles, where he was set to perform a Grammys tribute, and allegedly raped her in a hotel room that he booked for the two of them to share without her consent.
"Ms. Roe immediately had a sick feeling in her stomach," the filing read, "knowing she was trapped in the room alone with Brooks, with no one to help and far away from Nashville."
In addition to accusing Brooks—who shares daughters Taylor, 32, August, 30, and Allie, 28, with ex Sandra Mahl—of sexual assault, Roe alleged that the Grammy winner exposed his genitals to her repeatedly, shared his sexual fantasies with her, such as his desire to have a threesome with her and his wife, and sent her sexually explicit text messages.
And while Brooks' message marks the first time he publicly addressed the claims, it wasn’t his only response to Roe's lawsuit. In a follow-up complaint, the "The Dance" singer denied all her allegations and filed a motion to move forward with the legal case under his anonymous plaintiff name "John Doe" to protect his reputation.
“We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character," Brooks said in the statement to E! News. "We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides."
According to documents obtained by CNN, the filing stated that Jane Roe "is well aware of the substantial, irreparable damage such false allegations would do to Plaintiff’s well-earned reputation as a decent and caring person, along with the unavoidable damage to his family and the irreparable damage to his career and livelihood that would result if she made good on her threat to ‘publicly file’ her fabricated lawsuit.”
In response, Roe's attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker insisted that their client would continue to seek justice.
“We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks," the lawyers said in a statement to NBC News. "The complaint filed today demonstrates that sexual predators exist not only in corporate America, Hollywood and in the rap and rock and roll industries but also in the world of country music.”
(E! News and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
For free, confidential help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit rainn.org.veryGood! (9)
Related
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Putin revokes Russia's ratification of nuclear test ban treaty
- Moldovans cast ballots in local elections amid claims of Russian meddling
- 7 common issues people face when speaking in public
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Why was daylight saving time started? Here's what you need to know.
- Kourtney Kardashian Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Travis Barker
- Maine mass shooter was alive for most of massive 2-day search, autopsy suggests
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Boy killed in Cincinnati shooting that wounded 5 others, some juveniles, police say
Ranking
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Tom Sandoval Reveals the Real Reason He Doesn't Have His Infamous Lightning Bolt Necklace
- Bleach can cause your hair to break off. Here's how to lighten your hair without it.
- These Celebrity Bromances Will Brighten Your Weekend
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Moroccan archaeologists unearth new ruins at Chellah, a tourism-friendly ancient port near Rabat
- 2023 NYC Marathon: Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola breaks record in men's pro race
- What is daylight saving time saving, really? Hint: it may not actually be time or money
Recommendation
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
This winning coach is worth the wait for USWNT, even if it puts Paris Olympics at risk
7 common issues people face when speaking in public
Ukrainian war veterans with amputated limbs find freedom in the practice of jiu-jitsu
2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
Just Say Yes to Jason Kelce and Kylie Kelce's Love Story
Federal judge's ruling puts billions at stake for NCAA
How Notre Dame blew it against Clemson, lost chance at New Year's Six bowl game