Garth Brooks shared picture holding hands with wife days before rape claims
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Country music icon Garth Brooks posted a picture of himself holding hands with his wife just a few days before facing allegations of sexual assault.
Brooks, 62, shared a photo on Instagram this week to honor the efforts he and Trisha Yearwood, 60, have put into Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit focused on housing. The couple organized an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the Carter Work Project, an annual initiative aimed at building homes, which is named after former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter.
"We come to do our part, but in the end, we gain so much more," Brooks shared in an Instagram post. "Excited to start the construction for the @habitatforhumanity Carter Work project 2024."
Brooks subsequently shared another message celebrating Carter's 100th birthday.
"Happy 100th Birthday, Mr. President Carter! Your remarkable legacy of generosity is unmatched. Your contributions have made a significant difference around the globe, and your kindness continues to touch lives, including ours."
Brooks and Yearwood have been together as a married couple since 2005. They got engaged earlier that same year when he popped the question during a live performance.
Brooks tied the knot with his first spouse, songwriter Sandy Mahl, in 1986. They welcomed three daughters together before their divorce proceedings began in 2000. Yearwood had two previous marriages before she married Brooks.
On Thursday, October 3, Brooks was implicated in a lawsuit that alleges he committed rape in 2019. He has refuted these allegations.
A woman known only as "Jane Roe" has filed a lawsuit against him. She claims she was initially brought on to do hair and makeup for Yearwood back in 1999 and started working directly with Brooks in 2017.
The lawsuit, submitted in California, claims that Brooks assaulted the woman in a hotel room while they were on a business trip. CNN was the first to cover the story.
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She recounted that in May 2019, she flew to Los Angeles with Brooks on his private jet. According to her, Brooks assaulted her, and in later instances, he physically touched her inappropriately and frequently made comments about wanting to have a threesome with his wife.
The lawsuit described Brooks' assault on Ms. Roe as deeply painful and traumatic. It highlighted that he showed no concern for her well-being and prioritized his own sexual pleasure, completely disregarding the physical, mental, and emotional pain he inflicted on her. During this horrific experience, Brooks went as far as to hold her small frame upside down before assaulting her.
Along with the rape accusation, Brooks is also facing claims in the lawsuit for allegedly exposing himself to the woman multiple times, discussing sexual fantasies with her, and sending her explicit text messages of a sexual nature.
The lawsuit requested an undisclosed sum of money.
The country artist mentioned that he has faced relentless harassment filled with threats, falsehoods, and heartbreaking stories due to this lawsuit.
"Hush money, regardless of the amount, is still hush money. To me, this signifies that I'm acknowledging actions I can't even imagine committing—despicable things that no one should ever do to another person," he stated in a message to CNN. "About a month ago, we took legal action against this individual to stand up against extortion and character assassination. We chose to file anonymously to protect the families involved on both sides."
Brooks had earlier rejected the allegations made against him and attempted to stop his accuser from speaking out by filing a complaint under a pseudonym, “John Doe.”
In the complaint, he stated that the woman had sent him a "private" demand letter accusing him of sexual misconduct after he turned down her proposal for a paid job and health benefits.
"The claims made by the defendant are false," states Brooks' earlier lawsuit. "The defendant knows that these misleading accusations could cause significant and lasting harm to the plaintiff’s hard-earned reputation as a kind and compassionate individual. Additionally, it could severely impact his family as well as cause irreparable damage to his career and means of living if she follows through on her threat to 'publicly file' her made-up lawsuit."
The Independent has reached out to Yearwood for a response.
