Garth Brooks Responds to Rape, Sexual Assault Accusation in New Statement
Garth Brooks has issued a statement after being accused of rape and sexual assault by a hair and makeup artist in a lawsuit filed Thursday (Oct. 3).
On Thursday evening, Brooks responded to the allegations by a woman identified only as "Jane Rowe," saying she is accusing him of "ugly acts" for money.
Related: Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Accusations Fact Sheet
Garth Brooks' Statement on Rape and Sexual Assault Allegations
Brooks' full statement, obtained by People, reads:
"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."
“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," Brooks states.
"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."
“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," the star concludes.
What Is Garth Brooks Accused Of?
Two alleged incidents are described in Jane Roe's lawsuit, which was obtained by CNN and described in graphic detail by TMZ.
The first — per chronology shared by TMZ — is alleged to have happened in early 2019. "Roe," who is not named by her real name, says she was at Brooks' home when he walked out of the shower nude, grabbed her hands and forced them onto his genitals. She says he also used language that was sexual in nature.
A second incident is said to have happened in May of 2019, when Brooks was booked to perform a Grammy tribute to Sam Moore in Los Angeles. She claims she and the star were the only two people to fly in a private plane to California — not a common occurrence, she notes — and once there, she was surprised to find Brooks had booked a hotel suite with just one bedroom. In the suite, Roe says Brooks stood in the bedroom door, overpowered her and raped her.
CNN adds that Roe claims Brooks would physically grope her and tell her sexual fantasies in the time she worked for him. She was a longtime makeup artist for Brooks' wife, Trisha Yearwood, starting in 1999, before beginning to work for Brooks as early as 2017. She stopped working for him in 2021.
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