During a live-stream with fans on October 7, country singer Garth Brooks addressed the lawsuit filed against him by a former hair and makeup stylist alleging sexual assault, calling the subject “the elephant in the room” and saying the situation would be playing out in court for the foreseeable future.
“This thing is on, it’s gonna happen,” he said. “People are telling me it could be up to two years. So, my suggestion is, well, take a deep breath … and let’s hold hands and take the trip together, because it is something that you cannot talk about … For those who joined us tonight to hear about that,” he added, “I bid you a wonderful rest of your night.”
Brooks’ legal issues quietly began back in mid-September, when the country music superstar filed an anonymous lawsuit alleging he was being extorted by his unnamed former makeup artist, who he says was threatening to publicly file false sexual misconduct claims against him unless he paid her millions of dollars. On October 3, “Jane Roe” filed a suit accusing Brooks, 62, of sexual assault and battery. On October 8, Brooks — who denied the allegations to Us in a statement — hit back with legal filings in which he named the former employee and sued her for compensatory and punitive damages.
The accusations against Brooks have sent shock waves through the country music world. The Grammy winner has long had a reputation for being one of the nicest guys in the business — and a dedicated family man to his wife of nearly 19 years, fellow superstar Trisha Yearwood, and his three adult daughters with his ex-wife. “He’s trying to push forward and stay positive,” a source shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “All Garth cares about is his family and his fans.”
Yearwood has made it clear she’s standing by her man. On October 8, she shared a photo on Instagram of her singing with Brooks on stage at his still-ongoing Vegas residency with the caption, “Love One Another.” Says a second source: “Trisha completely believes Garth and has complete faith that the allegations are false. She is supporting him 100 percent.”
Disturbing Accusations
In court documents obtained by Us, Brooks’ accuser claims the country star began sexually harassing her in 2019. (The woman says she was hired by Yearwood in 1999 and started working for Brooks in 2017.) She describes one occasion in which she claims she was at Brooks’ home to do his hair and makeup when he exited the shower and forced her to touch him.
She also states that in May of that year, they traveled to Los Angeles together, where she alleges Brooks raped her in his hotel room before an event. The lawsuit goes on to claim that Brooks was aware Jane Roe was struggling financially and used that to his advantage; she says he openly talked about his sexual fantasies in front of her, purposefully exposed himself to her, sent her explicit text messages and bragged about having sex with “multiple women in every corner of a hotel room.” She says he made inappropriate comments in front of her and Yearwood and made “repeated remarks” about “having a threesome” with the two women. The accuser says she was exposed to Brooks’ unwanted advances for roughly two years.
Garth Brooks Breaks Silence on Sexual Assault and Battery Allegations
Fighting Back
Brooks called the suit extortion in his October 3 statement to Us, noting, “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. Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money,” he added. “In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of — ugly acts no human should ever do to another.”
On October 8, Brooks amended his original court filing and named his accuser. He says he’s the “victim of a shakedown” and is requesting a trial by jury “to obtain relief from ongoing attempted extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress through outrageous conduct.”
His accuser’s lawyers promptly blasted him for naming Jane Roe, saying in a statement: “Garth Brooks just revealed his true self. Out of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape victim. With no legal justification, Brooks outed her because he thinks the laws don’t apply to him.” The following day, her legal team (the same firm that represented Cassie Ventura in her November 2023 sexual abuse case against her ex Sean “Diddy” Combs. Ventura and Combs subsequently reached a settlement and he has denied the allegations.) filed sanctions against Brooks for disclosing the accuser’s identity and an emergency motion to seal his amended complaint or redact their client’s name.
By His Side
Yearwood is doing her best to stay strong. For over two decades, she and Brooks have been hailed as country’s golden couple, and together, the music giants are worth an estimated $400 million. “It’s all really upsetting to Trisha,” says the first source. “They are a very tight-knit family, so this has been devastating to them.” On September 11, three days before Brooks filed his initial lawsuit against Jane Roe, Yearwood sold her Nashville home for more than a million dollars under its asking price — a move that sparked speculation she was anticipating the legal drama to come, but an insider clarifies it was not related. Adds the source: “She and the girls hope the truth will prevail in court.”
Garth Brooks Addresses ‘Elephant in the Room’ During Fan Livestream
Brooks was already dad to his three girls when he and Yearwood — who had been longtime friends — got together in 2002. His first marriage to his high school sweetheart struggled with cheating allegations (which Brooks confirmed in 1993), but didn’t end until 2000. “I sucked at being a husband,” he said in 2023. “I was horrible at it [and] I was horrible at being a dad. I had to get my s— together.”
Yearwood is currently on the road with her husband for his Las Vegas residency. Adds the first source, “Everyone around Garth, including Trisha and his daughters, believe him to be telling the truth.”
Backing Him Up
They aren’t the only ones in his corner. One of Brooks’ brothers tells Us exclusively he has no doubts the star is innocent. “I believe my brother. I stand with my brother. These allegations do not describe the man I have known all my life. I would need Garth to stand in front of me, look me in the eye and tell me it was true. And then I would say, ‘Why are you lying to me?’ That’s how sure I am of who he is.”
The Nashville community is also rallying around him. “Many people think this is out of character and something [Garth] would never do,” says the first source. Adds a third source: “Garth is so down-to-earth and makes everybody around him feel like he’s their best friend. He remembers everybody’s name and is the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. They feel like if Garth is capable of something like this, then anybody is.”
Garth Brooks’ Kids, Trisha Yearwood, ‘Believe Him’ Amid Allegations
According to the second source, people who are familiar with the accuser claim that no one “knew anything about” the incidents she describes. “This is the first time anyone has come forward like this with such allegations,” explains the source. “That’s why it [seems] even more [shocking].”
For Brooks, the show must go on. On October 5, he posted a photo of the crowd at Sin City’s Caesars Palace with a caption reading, “If there was ever a night that I really needed this, TONIGHT was that night!”
For more on Brooks and Yearwood, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
With reporting by Sarah Jones, Andrea Simpson & Amanda Williams
