Garth Brooks is opening up on the sexual assault allegations against him. The 62-year-old was named in a lawsuit filed Thursday, in which a former female employee alleged that he raped her in 2019. Denying the accusation, the country singer said that the claims made by the woman, referred to as Jane Roe, were an attempt to “extort” him.
Garth Brooks breaks silence on rape lawsuit
The Much Too Young crooner broke his silence on the allegations made against him, 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,” according to People.
“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. We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides,” he continued.
“I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward. 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,” Brooks added.
What are the allegations against Garth Brooks?
Roe alleged that she began working as Brooks’ wife Trisha Yearwood’s hair and makeup artist in 2017. In her lawsuit, she also claimed that the Friends in Low Places singer regularly sent her sexually explicit text messages, exposed his genitals in front of her, and made “repeated remarks” about “having a threesome” with her and his wife.
“We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks,” said Roe’s attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker (HB Advocates PLLC) in a statement, per People. “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,” the statement added.
