Garth Brooks denies rape allegations and claims accuser wanted ‘hush money’

15 hours ago

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Garth Brooks - Figure 1 — Photo The Independent

Garth Brooks has addressed allegations of sexual assault and physical violence following a lawsuit filed by a former makeup artist and hairstylist against the musician.

Brooks, 62, a prominent figure in country music, has refuted the accusations against him.

A woman known only as "Jane Roe" has filed a lawsuit against him. She claims that she started doing hair and makeup for his wife, Trisha Yearwood, back in 1999. According to her, she began working directly for Brooks in 2017.

The lawsuit, submitted to a California state court on Thursday, October 3, accuses Brooks of sexually assaulting the woman in a hotel room while they were on a business trip. CNN was the first to cover the story.

During the past two months, I’ve faced relentless pressure filled with threats, falsehoods, and sob stories about what my future could look like if I didn’t hand over a check for several million dollars,” Brooks' team shared with Deadline. “It’s felt like someone was pointing a loaded gun at me.”

"Regardless of the amount, hush money is still hush money," he added. "To me, it signifies that I'm acknowledging actions I'm not capable of—despicable things no one should ever do to another person."

Brooks also mentioned a lawsuit he initiated to try to stop the details of the accusations against him from being disclosed.

"We took legal action against this individual almost a month ago to address issues of blackmail and damage to our reputation," he stated.

"We submitted it anonymously for the benefit of families involved." He continued, "I want to perform tonight. I aim to keep doing good things in the future. It really pains me that these amazing efforts are being questioned now. I have faith in the system, I’m not afraid of the truth, and I’m not the person they’ve tried to portray me as."

An unidentified woman stated that in May 2019, she flew to Los Angeles with Brooks on his private plane. Usually, they would have company, but this time it was just the two of them on board.

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"When Ms. Roe arrived at the hotel in Los Angeles, she was shocked to discover that Brooks had reserved a one-bedroom suite, leaving her without her own private room," the complaint stated.

She claims that Brooks raped her, and on other occasions, he sexually assaulted her and frequently suggested having a threesome with his wife. She described the experience as “painful and traumatic.”

Besides the rape accusation, she claims that Brooks also showed her his private parts, talked about his sexual fantasies, and sent her messages that were sexually graphic.

Rape Crisis provides assistance for individuals impacted by rape and sexual assault. If you need to reach out for help, you can contact them at 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. You can also explore their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. For those in the United States, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673).