Country singer Garth Brooks is speaking out for the first time since denying allegations of rape made by his former makeup artist last week.
The musician spoke candidly during his livestreamed weekly chat with fans, Inside Studio G, expressing his expectations going forward regarding legal proceedings.
“Lot’s happened in the last two weeks. Let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we?” Brooks began.
GARTH BROOKS ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN LATEST CONTROVERSY TO PLAGUE COUNTRY MUSIC SUPERSTAR
Garth Brooks addressed “the elephant in the room” during his latest episode of Inside Studio G. (TalkShopLive)
“This thing is on. It’s gonna happen, and people are telling me it could be up to two years, OK?” Brooks said of fighting the accusations. “So my suggestion is, we all take a deep breath, we all just kind of settle in, and let’s hold hands and take a trip together.”
“Because it is something that you cannot talk about… that’s all we can say about it.”
“This thing is on. It’s gonna happen, and people are telling me it could be up to two years.”
“So for those who joined us tonight to hear about that, I bid you a wonderful rest of your night, cause that’s the last we can say about it. And for those people who want to stick around, holy cow people, Habitat [for Humanity]? I saw a different side of my bride [Trisha Yearwood] at Habitat. She was the power tool queen, and I gotta tell you guys, this might have been one of the greatest Vegas weekends too,” he added.
Brooks has a residency at Caeser’s Palace in Las Vegas. His next show is scheduled for Thursday.
Garth Brooks and his wife Trisha Yearwood were married in 2005. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
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Last week, Fox News Digital obtained court documents in which Brooks’ accuser, identified as “Jane Roe” in the lawsuit, claimed that the singer sexually assaulted her in 2019 during a work trip.
Roe has requested damages for both assault and battery, including sexual battery.
Garth Brooks’ accuser alleges she was raped in a hotel room in 2019. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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Brooks’ filed his own complaint against “Roe” for extortion and defamation, among other things, a month prior to her filing. In the document obtained by Fox News Digital, filed under “John Doe,” Brooks denied the woman’s claims.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Brooks said for the past two months he had 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,” he stated.
Garth Brooks in Nashville, Aug. 21, 2024. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM)
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“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. 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.”
Garth Brooks described this process as “having a loaded gun waved” in his face. (Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
“I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
Wigdor LLP, the firm representing Roe, released a statement following the filing.
“We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks. 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. We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions and his efforts to silence our client through the filing of a preemptive complaint in Mississippi was nothing other than an act of desperation and attempted intimidation. We encourage others who may have been victimized to contact us as no survivor should suffer in silence.”