Throughout a live-stream with followers on October 7, nation singer Garth Brooks addressed the lawsuit filed in opposition to him by a former hair and make-up stylist alleging sexual assault, calling the topic “the elephant within the room” and saying the state of affairs can be taking part in out in courtroom for the foreseeable future.
“This factor is on, it’s gonna occur,” he mentioned. “Individuals are telling me it might be as much as two years. So, my suggestion is, effectively, take a deep breath … and let’s maintain fingers and take the journey collectively, as a result of it’s one thing that you simply can not discuss … For individuals who joined us tonight to listen to about that,” he added, “I bid you a beautiful remainder of your evening.”
Brooks’ authorized points quietly started again in mid-September, when the nation music famous person filed an nameless lawsuit alleging he was being extorted by his unnamed former make-up artist, who he says was threatening to publicly file false sexual misconduct claims in opposition to him until he paid her tens of millions of {dollars}. On October 3, “Jane Roe” filed a go well with accusing Brooks, 62, of sexual assault and battery. On October 8, Brooks — who denied the allegations to Us in an announcement — hit again with authorized filings through which he named the previous worker and sued her for compensatory and punitive damages.
The accusations in opposition to Brooks have despatched shock waves by means of the nation music world. The Grammy winner has lengthy had a status for being one of many nicest guys within the enterprise — and a devoted household man to his spouse of almost 19 years, fellow famous person Trisha Yearwood, and his three grownup daughters along with his ex-wife. “He’s attempting to push ahead and keep constructive,” a supply shares within the newest concern of Us Weekly. “All Garth cares about is his household and his followers.”
Yearwood has made it clear she’s standing by her man. On October 8, she shared a photograph on Instagram of her singing with Brooks on stage at his still-ongoing Vegas residency with the caption, “Love One One other.” Says a second supply: “Trisha fully believes Garth and has full religion that the allegations are false. She is supporting him 100%.”
Disturbing Accusations
In courtroom paperwork obtained by Us, Brooks’ accuser claims the nation star started sexually harassing her in 2019. (The girl says she was employed by Yearwood in 1999 and began working for Brooks in 2017.) She describes one event through which she claims she was at Brooks’ house to do his hair and make-up when he exited the bathe and compelled her to the touch him.
She additionally states that in Might of that 12 months, they traveled to Los Angeles collectively, the place she alleges Brooks raped her in his lodge room earlier than an occasion. The lawsuit goes on to assert that Brooks was conscious Jane Roe was struggling financially and used that to his benefit; she says he brazenly talked about his sexual fantasies in entrance of her, purposefully uncovered himself to her, despatched her express textual content messages and bragged about having intercourse with “a number of girls in each nook of a lodge room.” She says he made inappropriate feedback in entrance of her and Yearwood and made “repeated remarks” about “having a threesome” with the 2 girls. The accuser says she was uncovered to Brooks’ undesirable advances for roughly two years.
Combating Again
Brooks referred to as the go well with extortion in his October 3 assertion to Us, noting, “I’ve been hassled to no finish with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future can be if I didn’t write a verify for a lot of tens of millions of {dollars}. It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face. Hush cash, regardless of how a lot or how little, remains to be hush cash,” he added. “In my thoughts, meaning I’m admitting to conduct I’m incapable of — ugly acts no human ought to ever do to a different.”
On October 8, Brooks amended his authentic courtroom submitting and named his accuser. He says he’s the “sufferer of a shakedown” and is requesting a trial by jury “to acquire reduction from ongoing tried extortion, defamation, false gentle invasion of privateness, and intentional infliction of emotional misery by means of outrageous conduct.”
His accuser’s legal professionals promptly blasted him for naming Jane Roe, saying in an announcement: “Garth Brooks simply revealed his true self. Out of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape sufferer. With no authorized justification, Brooks outed her as a result of he thinks the legal guidelines don’t apply to him.” The next day, her authorized group (the identical agency that represented Cassie Ventura in her November 2023 sexual abuse case in opposition to her ex Sean “Diddy” Combs. Ventura and Combs subsequently reached a settlement and he has denied the allegations.) filed sanctions in opposition to Brooks for disclosing the accuser’s identification and an emergency movement to seal his amended criticism or redact their shopper’s title.
By His Aspect
Yearwood is doing her finest to remain robust. For over 20 years, she and Brooks have been hailed as nation’s golden couple, and collectively, the music giants are value an estimated $400 million. “It’s all actually upsetting to Trisha,” says the primary supply. “They’re a really tight-knit household, so this has been devastating to them.” On September 11, three days earlier than Brooks filed his preliminary lawsuit in opposition to Jane Roe, Yearwood bought her Nashville house for greater than one million {dollars} below its asking value — a transfer that sparked hypothesis she was anticipating the authorized drama to come back, however an insider clarifies it was not associated. Provides the supply: “She and the women hope the reality will prevail in courtroom.”
Jason Kempin/Getty Photos Garth Brooks started a current livestream by briefly acknowledging the sexual assault allegations made by his former hairstylist. “Lots’s occurred within the final two weeks. Let’s handle the elephant within the room, lets?” Brooks, 62, mentioned throughout his Monday, October 7, “Inside Studio G” fan chat on TalkShopLive. “This factor […]
Brooks was already dad to his three ladies when he and Yearwood — who had been longtime associates — bought collectively in 2002. His first marriage to his highschool sweetheart struggled with dishonest allegations (which Brooks confirmed in 1993), however didn’t finish till 2000. “I sucked at being a husband,” he mentioned in 2023. “I used to be horrible at it [and] I used to be horrible at being a dad. I needed to get my s— collectively.”
Yearwood is at present on the street together with her husband for his Las Vegas residency. Provides the primary supply, “Everybody round Garth, together with Trisha and his daughters, imagine him to be telling the reality.”
Backing Him Up
They aren’t the one ones in his nook. One in every of Brooks’ brothers tells Us completely he has no doubts the star is harmless. “I imagine my brother. I stand with my brother. These allegations don’t describe the person I’ve recognized all my life. I would want Garth to face in entrance of me, look me within the eye and inform me it was true. After which I might say, ‘Why are you mendacity to me?’ That’s how certain I’m of who he’s.”
The Nashville group can also be rallying round him. “Many individuals assume that is out of character and one thing [Garth] would by no means do,” says the primary supply. Provides a 3rd supply: “Garth is so down-to-earth and makes everyone round him really feel like he’s their finest pal. He remembers everyone’s title and is the sort of man who would provide the shirt off his again. They really feel like if Garth is able to one thing like this, then anyone is.”
Garth Brooks‘ spouse, Trisha Yearwood, and his three daughters are sticking by his aspect after the singer has been accused of sexual assault and battery, a supply completely tells Us Weekly. In keeping with the supply, who lately labored with the singer, “Garth is thought to be a really variety and good man, so these allegations […]
In keeping with the second supply, people who find themselves conversant in the accuser declare that nobody “knew something about” the incidents she describes. “That is the primary time anybody has come ahead like this with such allegations,” explains the supply. “That’s why it [seems] much more [shocking].”
For Brooks, the present should go on. On October 5, he posted a photograph of the group at Sin Metropolis’s Caesars Palace with a caption studying, “If there was ever an evening that I actually wanted this, TONIGHT was that evening!”
For extra on Brooks and Yearwood, watch the unique video above and decide up the most recent concern of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
With reporting by Sarah Jones, Andrea Simpson & Amanda Williams
