Garth Brooks began a recent livestream by briefly acknowledging the sexual assault allegations made by his former hairstylist.
“A lot’s happened in the last two weeks. Let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we?” Brooks, 62, said during his Monday, October 7, “Inside Studio G” fan chat on TalkShopLive. “This thing is on, it’s gonna happen, and people are telling me it could be up to two years. OK? So, my suggestion is, well, take a deep breath, we all just kind of settle in and let’s hold hands and take the trip together, because it is something that you cannot talk about. That’s all we can say about it.”
Noting that some viewers might have been tuning in to hear him talk about the drama, he added, “For those who joined us tonight to hear about that, I bid you a wonderful rest of your night, ’cause that’s the last we can say about it.”
He then went on to chat about his Habitat for Humanity work and his Las Vegas residency.
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Brooks made headlines last week after his former hairstylist and makeup artist, referred to as “Jane Roe,” accused him of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit filed on Thursday, October 3. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, the woman accused Brooks of allegedly raping her during a work trip two years after she began working for him in 2019.
In her lawsuit, Roe accused Brooks of sending her sexually explicit messages, exposing his genitals and buttocks in front of her, discussing sexual fantasies with her and forcing her hands on his genitals after walking out of the shower naked during a 2019 incident. Additionally, Roe alleged that Brooks made “repeated remarks” about wanting to have a threesome with her and his wife, Trisha Yearwood.
Before Roe filed her case, Brooks anonymously filed a complaint of his own against her in an attempt to prevent her from repeating her allegations and to deny her claims. His legal docs claim that after he once lent money to Roe, she increased her demands and asked for a salary and medical benefits. Upon denying her request, Roe allegedly threatened him with her sexual misconduct claims and demanded “millions of dollars” from him in letters included in the complaint filing.
“Defendant’s allegations are not true,” Brooks’ filing reads. “Defendant is well aware, however, 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.”
Roe’s attorneys, meanwhile, called Brooks’ complaint “nothing other than an act of desperation and attempted intimidation” in a statement shared with Us.
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Brooks broke his silence on the scandal in an October 3 statement to Us, saying, “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. It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face.”
He continued: “I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
A source exclusively told Us that Brooks’ inner circle has found the allegations against him to be “very shocking,” adding, “Everyone around him including Trisha and his daughters believe him to be telling the truth. Many around him think this is out of character and something he would never do. Everyone around him is shocked.” (Brooks shares three adult children with his ex-wife, Sandy Mahl.)
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The insider added: “All Garth cares about is his family and his fans. He is a family man and is very down to earth.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
