Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Allegations Must Be Taken Seriously
This story has been updated with a statement from Garth Brooks (see below).
Like anyone accused of criminal activity, Garth Brooks deserves to be considered innocent until proven guilty. But no different than any time someone comes forward to make allegations of rape and sexual assault against someone else, those allegations deserve to be taken very seriously.
On Thursday afternoon (10-3), it was revealed that a “Jane Roe” had filed a lawsuit in California state court accusing Garth Brooks of multiple incidents of rape, sexual assault, exposing himself, and other explicit behavior of a sexual nature. Jane Roe was a hair and makeup artist who Garth Brooks employed. The alleged activity occurred in 2019. The individual began working for Brooks in 2017 after previously working for Garth’s wife Trisha Yearwood beginning in 1999.
Among the numerous allegations, Jane Roe recalls an incident where Garth Brooks raped her in a hotel room in Los Angeles while in town taping a Grammy tribute performance. The alleged victim also recounts and incident where she was at the home of Garth Brooks, and he walked out of the shower naked and pressed her hands onto his genitals while making sexually explicit remarks. The lawsuit also claims that Brooks made inappropriate sexual remarks, changed his clothes in front of the alleged victim, as well as sent her explicit text messages. At one point Garth allegedly said he wanted to have a threesome with the Jane Roe and Trisha Yearwood.
Also as part of the lawsuit filing, it was revealed that Garth Brooks previously took out a lawsuit against Jane Roe in Mississippi under the name John Doe attempting to silence the alleged victim before she came out publicly with her allegations or filed suit. The California court filing includes comments from Brooks’ attorneys about the initial allegations.
“Defendant’s allegations are not true,” Brooks’ previous lawsuit states. “Defendant is well aware, however, of the substantial, irreparable damage such false allegations would do to Plaintiff’s well-earned reputation as a decent and caring person, along with the unavoidable damage to his family and the irreparable damage to his career and livelihood that would result if she made good on her threat to ‘publicly file’ her fabricated lawsuit.”
Attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker representing Jane Roe said in a statement to CNN, “We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions. 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.”
But this is not the first allegations against a country artist. Jimmie Allen was accused by multiple women of rape and sexual assault before admitting to multiple extramarital affairs. He has since settled one of the two lawsuits against him. Though not exclusively country artists, both Nelly and Diplo have been accused by at least three women each of sexual assault and other behavior, yet continue to be booked at major country festivals, including California’s Stagecoach Festival.
None of these men have ever been found guilty of criminal conduct, and nowhere in the Garth Brooks lawsuit filing is there any mention of police being contacted or any criminal investigations. As a civil lawsuit, the burden of proof on the plaintiff is lowered. Sometimes lawyers recommend a civil course of action in sexual assault cases due to the higher likelihood of success.
Irrespective of the circumstances, it’s hard to stress the significance of these allegations being levied against Garth Brooks. Not only is he the most successful artist in the history of country music, he’s one of the most successful artists in the history of all popular music. His reputation as a proper family man and a congenial person has been part of that success for decades.
At some point you can expect to hear from Garth Brooks publicly. But as a Country Music Hall of Famer, one of the most awarded country performers in the genre’s history, and the man with more album sales than anyone else in North America, the revelations and resolution of this matter will be nothing short of monumental for the country music genre, it’s industry, and it’s community that at times has struggled to offer an equitable and safe environment for women.
UPDATE: Thursday evening (10-3), Garth Brooks responded to the allegations through his publicist, saying “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 continues, “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.”
More information when it becomes available.
October 3, 2024 @ 5:29 pm
All Garth’s defense has to do, is say “Show us the texts”, “Show us the hotel receipts” “Show us hotel’s hallway footage of us walking into the same room” also, “Why did Doe say she cont to travel with Garth despite several allege assaults” “Describe Garth’s genitals” Etc Etc Etc.
Seems to be a easy one to prove or disapprove.
October 3, 2024 @ 10:54 pm
Exactly. Jane Roe needs to show proof thereof.
October 4, 2024 @ 9:14 am
I am sure all of this will be called upon in process.
I am not really a Garth Brooks fan, though I have fun listening to Friends In Low Places because his version was better to me. It’s a good story to me.
Trisha is highly lauded and regarded, but when she released the same song as LeAnn Rimes at the same time basically, I knew I wasn’t really a fan. She can belt it out, but I am not a fan of her vocals overall. Rimes literally smashed that song.
Anyway, the coming weeks and months will reveal all. If he is innocent, I hope he gets justice. But if he is guilty, I hope his victims get the deserved justice and he gets what he deserves – punishment for this behavior toward women.
October 9, 2024 @ 11:04 am
Trisha Yearwood didn’t know LeAnn Rimes cut the song first. That was all done by movie and music studio execs.
October 5, 2024 @ 2:23 pm
Why do al the accussers wait years before reporting? sumpins not right
October 3, 2024 @ 5:30 pm
Chris Gaines’ whereabouts during these incidents needs to be scrutinized.
October 3, 2024 @ 5:42 pm
One apple, the saying goes, spoils the rest. In the era of the “me too “ movement, sexual predators like Kelly and Bill Cosby should be reprimanded accordingly regardless of most record sales in the music industry—-Garth Brooks should not be an exception nor his second wife Trisha.
October 3, 2024 @ 5:46 pm
Jane ROE? I hate this world
October 3, 2024 @ 6:38 pm
Why? It’s the equivalent of John Doe. It’s a standard legal term used for female legal party who wishes to be anonymous.
October 3, 2024 @ 8:26 pm
Well, there is the question about why this grown, of-age adult’s wish to anonymous should be granted, when the person whom she’s suing is not accorded that right.
October 3, 2024 @ 9:33 pm
Just spitballing here, but It’s probably something to do with the way women who accuse men of sexual assault are treated. Spoiler alert – it usually doesn’t go very well for the accuser, which is why most stay silent.
October 3, 2024 @ 10:16 pm
You have one competent adult suing another competent adult. She and the court don’t give a rip about how it affects the defendant. But you think the plaintiff is entitled to sharpshoot anonymously.
You do understand–or maybe you don’t–that Ms. “Roe” has not gone to the police and pressed criminal charges against Mr. Brooks. She’s asking for money. Lots of it.
October 3, 2024 @ 10:20 pm
“She and the court don’t give a rip about how it affects the defendant.”
This is not true. There is significant risk to the Plaintiff if they are found to be lying in a way that damages the credibility of Garth Brooks, who is someone very much in the public eye who could be affected by these allegations and show damages. Think about the Johnny Depp defamation case. That all stemmed from false allegations against him. His accuser ended up paying a huge price.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:04 am
If someone is going to accuse a person of sexual assault, they need to put their name behind the accusation.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:57 am
The comments in this sub-thread, and others, provide evidence as to why whistle-blowers of all types, whether they are about sexual assault, corporate malfeasance, or government misdeeds, need anonymity.
Democracy dies in darkness. We need light and we need to safeguard those who show that light from those who prefer to work in the dark.
As to Garth, I detest almost everything about him and if he is guilty I hope he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But, if this is someone who is simply out to make some money, I hope they are as well and also made to apologize to Garth in front of 100,000 people at a Garth show.
October 3, 2024 @ 5:53 pm
Yea im not a garth fan but im not trusting this lady. Not saying she is lying but lots of stuff dont add up. I get brooks is a big star and going to the cops wouldnt be easy. I mean i believe the texts probably exist but all they would likely prove is garth is a bad husband and boss, i doubt he admitted he raped her on them. We will see how it plays out.
October 3, 2024 @ 5:57 pm
Can’t remember the last time I saw a Garth headline that didn’t immediately make me throw up in my mouth…
October 3, 2024 @ 6:01 pm
WHERE ARE THE BODIES, GARTH?!
THE FAMILIES NEED TO FIND PEACE!
October 3, 2024 @ 7:55 pm
It’s not funny. It was never funny. Under these circumstances, it’s horribly inappropriate.
October 3, 2024 @ 6:11 pm
Tom Segura really gave this man a villian origin story
October 3, 2024 @ 6:13 pm
The details provided by the plaintiff of the nature of the rape seem physically difficult to have happened. Maybe so, but color me skeptical of this allegation. We shall see.
October 3, 2024 @ 6:42 pm
He made a statement.
https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1408174/garth-brooks-speaks-out-on-rape-allegation-in-lawsuit
October 3, 2024 @ 6:46 pm
Horrible if true. Horrible if untrue.
October 3, 2024 @ 8:16 pm
WIth these heavily publicized sexual assualt allegations against celebs it’s almost 50/50 as to whether or not it’s a complete fabrication.
October 3, 2024 @ 6:48 pm
I don’t mean to sound obtuse, but how exactly could this be proven?
October 3, 2024 @ 8:20 pm
Because of how it can’t be disproven. I really hate civil allegations. It really seems to just bypass our normal judicial system. Modern white women want the power to simply make a rape accusation and end a man’s livelihood just from making the accusation – like a southern belle accusing some dark-skinned boy in 1890.
October 3, 2024 @ 11:00 pm
I accidentally upvoted you.
Modern White Woman who let a Modern White Man get away with it. He said/she said, was one of those reasons.
I wish I could turn back the clock and report.
October 3, 2024 @ 11:28 pm
” Modern white women want the power to simply make a rape accusation and end a man’s livelihood just from making the accusation.”
That seems like a huge, bold stereotype. You said yourself that in these cases it’s 50/50 whether they’re true or not. Believe it or not, some women get raped.
October 4, 2024 @ 1:53 am
Yes not all, but I don’t think it’s that bold of a stereotype. It’s understood that in a domestic dispute the police always believe the woman. Women’s only counter to the physical disparities between men and women is for the courts to automatically take their side. I’m not saying most women want to make false rape accusations but I firmly believe that most want the power to have the courts and public opinion on their side over a man’s.
October 4, 2024 @ 6:48 am
My concern here is going from “believe all women,” which was clearly presumptuous, to now “believe no women,” which is just as presumptuous. As is always the case, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. And I do think that society has become more speculative of allegations like this compared to a few years ago. You see this in your comments, and throughout this comments section.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:11 am
Trigger,
The blowback was the inevitable backlash from the believe all women sentiment which made a mockery of rational thinking and common sense. Believing someone only because of their gender used the same backward thinking the movement was created to defeat.
October 5, 2024 @ 2:42 pm
Believe women if there is evidence.
October 4, 2024 @ 2:27 am
I will add one more point. There has been this growing push in feminist circles of them saying that if a man misrepresents anything about himself that led to a sexual encounter that otherwise wouldn’t have happened, then the act was non-consentual. I’ve seen this content pop up in my feed on Instagram. I do not watch red pill or MRA content but I am aware of the push to retroactively withdraw consent. There are some famous rape cases where the woman had regret or was caught cheating and claimed rape. Most guys know that the same woman you have in the bedroom is not the same woman outside of it.
I’m just concerned by how the word rape has morphed from the colloquial meaning of a forceable, unwanted penatrative sexual encounter, to now a whole host of other things – and the objective truth seems to matter less if it involved judging women’s actions in any way.
Looking at the raw data of this so far I believe that Garth raped that woman about as much as he killed the people Tom Segura alleges.
October 3, 2024 @ 7:19 pm
Garth has made a statement, I hope he recorded this person.
October 3, 2024 @ 7:50 pm
Another news article about this story has the woman saying “he flexed his muscles.” So we know she’s lying. Garth doesn’t have any muscles.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:59 am
HaHaHaHsaasassaaa
October 3, 2024 @ 7:50 pm
This is one of those situations where I genuinely hope the allegations are untrue. While I’m not a fan of his music, he always seemed like a decent enough egg, and it’d suck to learn he’s just another deviant weirdo and/or a criminal.
October 3, 2024 @ 7:52 pm
Jesus. This is just so out there. Some of the story sounds like the Ryan Seacrest accusations from few years ago. We will see.
October 3, 2024 @ 7:56 pm
Yes, it should be taken seriously. But also, if there was ever a “innocent until proven guilty,” this is it. The behavior she describes of repeated aggressive and predatory behavior, a rather graphic rape incident (held upside down while raped in the fullest sense of the term), and so forth, is something that would have some sort of evidence trail (the text messages most obviously). And one would think this sort of person would have other women with similar accounts of aggressive behavior, expressing sexual fantasies, etc. And this is alleged to have happened in 2019. Police report? It’s five years later. Why now? She’s admitted to financial difficulties, despite apparently being high profile enough to do cosmetics for some of the most famous entertainers in the world, so it’s not far fetched to think she may want the pay-out of the lawsuit. Of course, all of this is speculation on my part, but such is the case until facts materialize.
October 3, 2024 @ 8:12 pm
I’m no mormon but I’m having trouble envisioning the logistics of holding someone upside down and….yeah.
October 4, 2024 @ 9:02 am
HAHaHahhhaaasaaa
October 3, 2024 @ 8:00 pm
Garth responding to allegations of him exposing himself: “I’m much too young to feel this damn cold”
October 4, 2024 @ 9:08 am
NO: YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!
# SHAME ON YOU!.
October 3, 2024 @ 8:08 pm
I’m really not a fan of criminal allegations being made 5+ years AFTER the supposed crimes. I fully believe that since she is bringing up these charges that her text history with Garth should be brought up in court. There is no reason to automatically assume this woman is some Christian saint who didn’t willfully engage in sexual banter and activity with Garth. I’m not saying that Garth is 100% innocent but the fact remains that these allegations lead to financial payoffs through settlements for the “victims.” We have been well within the smartphone era for more than a decade now – pony up the evidence. I really hate how sexual allegation charges can reappear years later and even if the supposed victim is lying and is found to be lying, the accused is still drained of money and time and having their name sullied. Again I’m not trying to completely assume Garth’s innocence here but something stinks.
October 3, 2024 @ 8:20 pm
Hey, you’re free to take the allegations “very seriously.” And I’m free not to take them seriously, at all.
Garth Brooks is 60-some years old, he’s been in the public eye for 35 years, and there’ve never been any known allegations of sexual abuse of violence against him during all that time.
The guy has made hundreds of millions of dollars. If he wants to have sex with a woman in a hotel room, or somewhere else, he does not need to force anyone. There are plenty of younger, attractive women who would consensually do it with him, if he gives them a spot on his tour or hooks them up with a connected record producer–or just gives them gifts.
My guess is that everything this woman is saying is true–except for the parts about Garth assaulting her or forcing himself on her. They probably had an affair or some trysts or whatever one wants to call it. Now she wants money.
If the suit goes forward, Garth will probably have to admit to the affair.
It’s bad for Garth because of his celebrity marriage to Trisha Yearwood. They’ve issued statements in fairly recently that they’re working on a duets album. The duet project could well be torpedoed by this. And so could their marriage. That’s their problem.
This anonymous accuser is apprently of age, and there are no criminal charges, and apparently she did not attempt to bring any. So, I’m not interested. I really do not like to curse in my postings or other writings, but for for further emphasis: I don’t give a flying frack.
So there.
October 3, 2024 @ 10:28 pm
I agree with you. I don’t take these allegations seriously at all. No one should.
October 3, 2024 @ 11:30 pm
My guess is Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are taking them seriously. And they probably should until they’re adjudicated.
October 4, 2024 @ 1:16 am
Hey, you’re free to take the allegations “very seriously.” And I’m free not to take them seriously, at all.
Garth Brooks is 60-some years old, he’s been in the public eye for 35 years, and there’ve never been any known allegations of sexual abuse of violence against him during all that time.
The guy has made hundreds of millions of dollars. If he wants to have sex with a woman in a hotel room, or somewhere else, he does not need to force anyone.
Might wanna read up on Vince McMahon with the excuses you are making as to why he’s innocent
October 4, 2024 @ 6:45 am
“Garth Brooks is 60-some years old, he’s been in the public eye for 35 years, and there’ve never been any known allegations of sexual abuse of violence against him during all that time.”
That sure hasn’t stopped a ton of rich old people before. Bill Cosby? Harvey Weinstein anyone?
I think we can all agree that Garth Brooks doesn’t fit the general profile for this behavior, and as the article started off, he should be considered innocent until proven guilty. But there are a lot of folks drawing some pretty wild stereotypes that overlook reality. I think we all need to be patient and wait for this process to play out. The burden of proof remains on the Plaintiff.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:38 am
You’re out of you depth when it comes to law.
Garth “should be considered innocent until proven guilty.”
Gee, thanks. Isn’t that swell of you?
That’s what you’re supposed to say about people who are charged with crimes. Or maybe under investigation for crimes. Garth is not charged with anything, and based on the statements from the woman’s attorneys, she has not attempted to press charges.
All we have here is a woman suing him for money.
He’s dealing with it. Seems like he’ll have to admit that he had an affair and it will be embarrassing for Garth and hurt his image and maybe wreck his marriage. Hardly a first in Hollywood or Nashville or Oklahoma City.
October 4, 2024 @ 9:27 am
I explained the difference between civil and criminal prosecutions in these matters in the article. I am not a lawyer, but that doesn’t mean I’m out of my depth. “Innocent until proven guilty” is a common colloquialism, not just a legal standard.
October 4, 2024 @ 9:21 am
No, Trigger. I remember this sexual allegation in the early parts of the 90’s; but the media squashed the story perhaps because Garth Brooks was soaring in the music industry—-particularly Rock ‘n Roll and not Country Music certainly!
October 4, 2024 @ 12:07 pm
Trevor Bauer would disagree. Won his case but still pitching in Mexico.
October 11, 2024 @ 9:50 am
He is considered legally innocent and must be found guilty in a court of law before he can be legally punished. That’s true. But the press and general public has no obligation to give someone who’s been credibly accused the same white glove treatment as long as they stay on the right side of libel and slander laws.
Also funny (not really) how so many people are perfectly happy to spend decades making OJ jokes, but whenever a woman claims she’s been sexually assaulted, suddenly we have to wait for the conclusion of the trial to determine anything, and even then he was probably set up, and even if he wasn’t, it probably wasn’t that bad, and even if it was that bad, she probably asked for it… and on and on and on
October 4, 2024 @ 6:33 am
what is your age cut off for when allegations should be taken seriously?
bill cosby – allegations emerge 2014 – age 77
harvey weinstin – allegations emerge 2017 – age 55
jimmy savile – allegations emerge 2012 – age 85 (one year dead)
October 3, 2024 @ 10:01 pm
The accuser has been working as a make up artist for Trisha since 1999, she has had money problems, I would say this civil suit will be dropped in a week.
October 3, 2024 @ 11:14 pm
I have a hard time believing this. It sounds more like a quick-cash-fairy-tale than words of truth, spoken a victim of a crime. But i digest.
October 4, 2024 @ 5:37 am
I don’t think any kind of lawsuit is “quick cash.” Which obviously has nothing to do with it being true or false, but hiring a lawyer and going after as big a name as Garth Brooks isn’t a quick one and done deal.
October 4, 2024 @ 11:32 am
@ Mira
From the information that’s already out, it appears that this began as an attempt at a one-and-done quick-cash deal.
The woman’s attorney contacted Garth and demanded a substantial sum of money on the threat that if he does not pay, she would go public with her accusation of sexual assault. Assuming that Garth and this woman had a sexual affair (which seems to have happened), it’s not unreasonable to believe that Garth might pay a million or two out of his “petty cash” to make this go away and protect his reputation.
But Garth didn’t “play ball.” Instead, he sued HER, trying to get a restaining order, but that was denied and the case went public. Now that it’s out, the damage to Garth’s reputation has already been done and he has no incentive to pay off the accuser. If anything, that would be seen by the public as an admission of guilt.
October 6, 2024 @ 12:40 am
Of course he sued her. She tried to blackmail him into paying hush money, which is an incredibly dumb thing to do when all your evidence is just “personal experience” and hearsay. Garth have a very solid reputation that he has build up over the years. She is just another kiss-and-tell grifter trying to cash in by pandering to the all-women-speak-truth crowd.
October 4, 2024 @ 12:27 am
So what happens if these allegations prove to be untrue? Will Jane Roe be prosecuted and face serious jail time?
October 4, 2024 @ 5:35 am
She’d probably at least face a counter lawsuit for defamation, as often happens in big name celebrity trials.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:06 am
No. Which is why false allegations should net the same jail time.
October 4, 2024 @ 12:48 am
I’m just surprised Garth actually needs a hair stylist.
October 4, 2024 @ 5:30 am
He looks like an AI image.
October 4, 2024 @ 6:02 am
It’s just the look he has with the creep vibes he’s always given off. However, I don’t believe these accusations at this time.
October 4, 2024 @ 6:26 am
I’m just surprised the hair stylist wasn’t a dude.
October 4, 2024 @ 5:34 am
Obviously innocent until proven guilty stands here, but I’ve known too many people who seemed decent and turned out to be awful to assume “This can’t possibly be true because they seem so nice!” Especially for a celebrity who I don’t actually know personally. Hopefully the truth will prevail, whatever that is.
October 4, 2024 @ 5:58 am
I’ve always figured something really bad will come out about GB at some point but this accusation seems to be very contrived. Brooks is a scary smart dude. If he is into something bad, he’s too smart to get caught up in something like this.
October 4, 2024 @ 5:59 am
What happened to the 6th Amendment?
October 4, 2024 @ 6:51 am
Garth Brooks isn’t incarcerated at the moment. He wasn’t even arrested and asked to post bond. He hasn’t had to shell out any money up to this point, except to lawyers. I think it’s important that we all presume innocence until insurmountable evidence or a jury of his peers say otherwise.
October 4, 2024 @ 6:56 am
I can’t stand Garth Brooks. I hate his music. I hate his persona. He’s a contrived load of marketing horse manure. That being said, he has the right to face his accuser. No more of this anonymous bullshit. Unless the person is a minor, they should be named.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:03 am
Fair point. The anonymity does give the accuser an advantage in the short-term, though I’m sure plenty of people have already tiangulated her identity with all the info we have, and her anonymity will be short-lived. By the letter of the law though, I’m sure Garth Brooks knows who she is. The alias is to shield her from public backlash, which I can understand just from the reactions of this comments section.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:09 am
It’s similar to when the media puts out a completely false lie of a story, then waits a month or two and retracts it. The only thing most people remember is the initial lie. They don’t recall the quiet retraction. Even if this accusation proves to be false and Garth is exonerated, you’ll have people years from now saying: “Remember when Garth raped that girl?”
October 4, 2024 @ 8:07 am
So the accuser is allowed to be shielded from public backlash but not Garth.
So much for claims of equality.
October 4, 2024 @ 9:37 am
So, “Jane Roe” worked firstly for Ms. Yearwood then worked as a “make up artist “ for Garth Brooks after Ms. Yearwood married Mr. Brooks and NOBODY can figure out who the victim is?——GET SERIOUS!.
October 7, 2024 @ 11:22 am
Seems to me that the various comment sections took the place of the bar/pub/tavern from back then when we still met each other face to face.
Lots of booze and disillusions loosened many a tongue. Often too loose.
But, back then, it could also cost you a few teeths, broken bones and black eyes.
In the comment sections there is no such threat, so people spew whatever shit that pops up in their mind. Old and young, male and female, left and right, beggar and king. No difference at all.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:09 am
RD,
This is 2024 America. Amendments are dusty things. They don’t belong in our modern and cutting-edge society. Pesky rights aren’t needed.
Now watch your TV and eat your processed food.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:16 am
this comment is very funny considering you’re gonna vote for a tv personality that eats exclusively mcdonalds hamberders and doesn’t care for, or know, most of the amendments.
October 4, 2024 @ 9:25 am
We’re not getting into Presidential politics here. You do this all the time Gentile.
October 4, 2024 @ 9:32 am
i am simply pointing out the hypocrisy of the above user’s political comment and their known stances. i am rarely the one making the first political comment and deep down i think you know that.
October 4, 2024 @ 9:33 am
Yes, and then you and CountryKnight go back and forth on things that have nothing to do with the topic at hand, and it gums up the entire comments section. This is already a contentious enough subject. Let’s please stay on topic.
October 4, 2024 @ 2:33 pm
Why do you always wait to respond until after an idiotic conservative statement is challenged? You let certain people ride the line but then always step in when they’re called out. I think it’s below you to not allow push back against comments that you probably even know are wrong. If you allow one side to say whatever they want, you ought to allow the responses. Cracking down only after certain people are challenged is ridiculous, when it’s almost always the same people riding the line to begin with.
October 4, 2024 @ 3:08 pm
I don’t always wait to respond, and you have no idea who’s comments here have been deleted because you can’t see deleted comments. We’ve been over this over and over again. Someone brought up the 6th Amendment, which is relevant to this discussion, and then The Gentile tried to shift the conversation to Presidential politics, which is not.
Any more comments from anyone on this thread get deleted.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:06 am
It’s the “must be taken seriously” mentality that makes these years later, now hard to prove (either way) allegations so weaponized and lucrative.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:11 am
So over stuff like this. Nobody goes to the cops,yet they’ll take a couple of millions, 5,10,20 years later.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:15 am
I am of two minds when it comes to these sexual assault allegations against the Garthemeister.
This could very well be a scam, an extortion, as he has claimed. The man has accumulated more wealth than he could possibly spend if her lived to be a thousand years old; and like so many in the music industry who got to be industries unto themselves (as Garth obviously did), going all the way back to Sinatra and Elvis, they can get to be targets of scammers at some point in their careers. It’s one of the oldest stories in show business.
If, on the other hand, whether in a civil court or a criminal court, it is determined that even so much as one of the charges the accuser has leveled against Garth is true, then I think the man has a very big problem on his hands, one that even his Friends In Low Places will have a very tough time extricating him from. And the damage that may result from it may not only wreck his career, but be quite severe to country music itself, both in terms of the industry and maybe even as an art form.
But all of that is yet to be determined, and Accusation is not Proof. Watch this space.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:55 am
Reading the accusations and some of the details. I’m sorry, in no way, shape or form can I imagine or even comprehend a then-57-year-old Garth Brooks having the herculean strength to have pulled off a couple of the moves that lady described. Some of that stuff just sounds outrageous. Honestly, it seems as plausible as a bunch of white dudes in MAGA hats attacking a popular TV celebrity with a noose in downtown Chicago.
Did they have an affair? They could have. Garth has admitted being a cheater before in his career.
Is this a scorned, jilted lady looking for a payout? Could be.
Is this someone desperate and making the whole thing up? Could be.
Could Garth be a closet piece of crap and this is just the tip of the iceberg? Could be. We don’t know. But, as for now, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt because some of the details seem quite odd to me. Let’s see the text messages. Let’s see the proof. As someone noted earlier, there will be cameras and such especially at the type of hotels he would stay at.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:57 am
Keep in mind that anything we say about this story can only be speculative at this point. The opinions we express reflect only our guesses, instincts, and preferences.
In the meantime, though I have paid no more attention to Garth Brooks’s music than I have to Taylor Swift’s (while bearing ill will toward neither), I fervently hope that none of this true. The world is depraved enough as it is.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:11 am
I’ll take things that didn’t happen for 500 Alex. And this is coming from a guy who doesn’t particular care for Garth Brooks
October 4, 2024 @ 8:22 am
I am not a Garth Brooks fan. I think he is phony. But the minute I heard this I thought he is not guilty. Why? The length of time between the incidents and the suit. The fact that if he was really guilty of rape she would have charged him with it right away- you can’t scream rape and not make it a criminal matter if you are serious. But most of all, Brooks has never come across like that. I don’t know him but I think if he was guilty she would not have been the only one. And I know he can cheat- he cheated on his first wife- with his now wife. But aside from that I can’t see him forcing himself on this woman. I think she is just trying to make a buck. Yelling rape now is like the # Me Too calling card. I saw Garth Brooks dancing with Devil in the woods.
October 4, 2024 @ 9:03 am
He is just about the last person I expected such allegations about. I find them hard to believe and it seems surprising if true, she did not go to the police. Sadly, if untrue, Garth suffers, which is unfair. There would be no point in seeing her for defamation as she is broke. The fact she is reported as not having much money might well suggest the real motivation.
October 4, 2024 @ 10:55 am
One would hope these allegations against Brooks are unfounded,but in today’s climate with so many predators in all walks,but seemingly teeming in sports and entertainment (looking at YOU,Diddy,among other musicians !!!!!!),these accusations must be taken seriously and Brooks must be held accountable if he’s tried and convicted.
October 4, 2024 @ 10:59 am
Not gonna lie: this one hurts. I’m a huge Garth fan, so I HOPE this isn’t true. But yes, it absolutely must be taken seriously.
I’d like to see the demand letter he states he received.
October 4, 2024 @ 11:12 am
Now call me crazy, but if someone held me upside down and raped me, I probably wouldn’t keep working for them. This smells like an Anita Hill type deal to me
October 4, 2024 @ 5:46 pm
Aaron, not sure what you mean by “an Anita Hill type deal.” If you’re suggesting Hill lied, I disagree. She was credible and didn’t get a fair hearing — other witnesses ready to testify to the same sort of behavior on Thomas’s part weren’t allowed to appear. Thomas’ response at the time was bullshit and his subsequent behavior on and off the court has been ethically questionable, to say the least.
October 4, 2024 @ 1:36 pm
I wish all rich, famous men would follow the example of the evangelist preacher Billy Graham when he was young, handsome, and charismatic. His policy was to never be alone behind closed doors with any woman other than his wife. If a female parishioner came to call, his office door was left open while his secretary lurked nearby. This “Me Too” stuff has gotten completely out of hand!
October 4, 2024 @ 6:41 pm
Hunter Pence mentioned that policy and was ridiculed by groups.
October 6, 2024 @ 5:23 am
Wrong Pence. It was Michael Tenpence … oops, I mean Michael Pence who mentioned that policy.
October 4, 2024 @ 2:37 pm
This comment section is embarrassing. I think you and I are in agreement that the left is so shit at branding. “Believe all women” is so obviously a stupid slogan, just like “abolish the police” (I will say, “black lives matter” is not on the same level, but people are too stupid to understand what it actually means). If the left said “take alleged victims seriously” (doesn’t sound as good), maybe some of this backlash would not exist. Although I don’t think that excuses much of the response here.
Most people didn’t think Bill Cosby fit the type to do what he did, so it’s certainly possible that Garth did these things. Obviously it’s important that the legal process play out.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:31 pm
I don’t think branding is the problem with the left. It’s owning up to having been wrong in the past like most everyone else when things change.
I see it most clearly with abortion…people who would have never said that abortion was a women’s health issue, would have thought it extreme…until after Dobbs. How convenient (as the SNL church lady would say).
Ideas about consent, sexual harassment, workplace abuse have shifted, just own your part in it.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:33 pm
Folks, this article is not about abortion or other contentious political topics. Let’s please try to stay on topic.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:41 pm
Good grief Trig, go monitor your MAGA nut jobs and let me make a harmless analogy in peace.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:54 pm
Dude, I’m just trying to keep a lid on this thing. I’m asking everyone to stay on topic.
October 4, 2024 @ 2:47 pm
never liked him
October 4, 2024 @ 6:39 pm
The Roe case was named Roe because there was already a case in the legal system called Doe. Roe isn’t a thing beyond one landmark Supreme Court decision.
Just wanted to be the jerk who pointed that out.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:36 pm
I’ve learned a little more about this case from a detailed account on CNN.com.
The accuser worked for Garth after first working for Trisha as a hair and make-up artist.
In that capacity, she had to spend time in private with Garth. And she offers details of Garth coming out of the shower and exposing himself when she was on the job. Talk about a hostile work environment?
Looking at it that way, Garth cannot simply say that the sex–if any was consensual–Garth (or any other boss) is not allowed to hit on an employee the way you can hit on someone you meet in a bar or someone whom you meet through work or socially whom you do not have authority over.
Sex is not consensual when it’s under pressure and he has the power to fire her and maybe get her blackballed from similar work in the industry. And she has a right to pursue an employment discrimination case civilly, without pressing criminal charges.
I still don’t know if this woman is telling the truth. Could be that she first was willing and even eager to have a relationship with him, but then when it didn’t work out like she hoped, she came up with this scheme. Or it could be that her story is largely true.
But I think that any top employment/discrimination lawyer would jump at the chance to take this woman’s case and I’d bet anything that Garth is regretting that he did not settle this case privately when he had the opportunity to.
Like Fonzie, I find it hard to say I was wrzwrrrong, but I’ll say now that I do not disagree with Trig that the case looks serious.
October 5, 2024 @ 10:17 am
Don’t know how seriously we can take it.
1. People commit crimes.
2. People lie about crimes having been committed and who committed them.
Those two facts are on their own irreconcilable. The only way to reconcile them is with evidence. If there is no strong evidence then we are left with deciding who we choose to believe. Taking a side one way or another is just an opinion. No matter how loudly, forcefully and repeatedly you do so, it is still an opinion made in the absence of any real reason to claim to know what happened. As for “all charges of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment etc.” should be taken seriously … no, false charges should not be taken seriously. In the absence of having a basis for knowing whether the charges are true or not, we should not treat them as true.
Plus, the people who commonly claim this don’t believe it. Cases in point: pop singers and rappers Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Lizzo and Megan The Stallion were all sued for sexual harassment and former NBA star Dwight Howard was sued for sexual assault. Granted, the Carey and Spears cases happened before #metoo. But the Howard, Megan The Stallion and Lizzo accusations were mere months ago and still not taken seriously. The Lizzo stuff got a bit of traction, but only because they were so blatantly incongruent with the image that Lizzo has built her career on, and were still quickly swept under the rug.
Now Howard forcefully stated that the encounter was consensual. But Howard’s accuser was male. So a major male sports star’s coming out as bisexual became the issue. The media and activist types didn’t want a rare male LGBT sports star to endure a sexual assault scandal so the whole thing was dropped, even though Howard’s accuser had text messages – which Howard filed a legal motion to have sealed – and other evidence. Similar with Megan The Stallion: the allegations outed the rapper as bisexual, which she is (more or less) trying to keep secret. So the media abandoned their “always believe accusers” attitude, instead prioritized Stallion’s denials and then completely dropped the story.
So no, I am not going to take the allegations against Brooks any more seriously than the allegations against Carey, Spears, Howard, Lizzo and Megan The Stallion were unless I am shown evidence why I should. Others may feel differently but we will just have to agree to disagree.
October 5, 2024 @ 12:12 pm
Innocent before being proven guilty.
That said, this comment section is wild. No proof, it didn’t happen. Cash grab. Why wait. Not buying her story, Garth could get anyone.
For me, I already started one reason I didn’t report was no one would believe. What proof? My beat up body and story? No rape kits back then.
RAINN, a site/foundation for survivors of rape say it is around the 5 year mark people start seeking help. That’s when I reached out.
Please remember all, that there are real people who have been raped. This was tough to write, but there needed to be a glimpse that rape does happen.
Not saying Garth is guilty.
October 5, 2024 @ 1:01 pm
Since Trigger decided to remove the “reply” from his above comment about Johnny Depp, I’ll say it here.
Johnny Depp’s accuser was a celebrity. Please, show me another example, or 2 or 3 of the hundreds and hundreds made, where a non-celebrity makes a proven false accusation against a celebrity and has any sort of accountability for their false accusation.
Daryl Katz? Matt Araiza? Please, do tell what accountability their accusers had.
October 5, 2024 @ 1:32 pm
First, I did not removed any “reply” buttons. The comment replies nest up to five times, and then stop. This is so that the comments section doesn’t get garbled and starts causing horizontal scrolling on the website. If you want to continue to reply beneath a comment, find the next highest “reply” button and click it.
Second, people keep selectively pulling various cases to bolster their personal opinion about a case where discovery hasn’t even happened, and none of us have the evidence of. Garth Brooks already sued the accuser in Mississippi preemptively, and will likely countersue her again in the coming days. Of course there are consequences here for the accuser and her lawyers if this case does not pay out, and she’s found to be lying.
You want an example of a celebrity countersuit? Swift vs. Muller, 2017. A DJ sued Taylor Swift, saying that he was fired after she made false accusations about her being groped by him at a meet and greet. Taylor Swift countersued and won, though only seeking $1 in damages, but to prove a point about how false accusations can hurt, and how women are regularly subject to inappropriate behavior by men in the country music workplace.
I remember when Jimmie Allen was first accused and the comments looked very similar. Then a second woman came forward who had gone to the police. Then a third woman came forward who had a baby with Jimmie outside of his marriage. Jimmie Allen countersued his accusers. The first case was settled and undisclosed. The second is still pending.
No doubt, a celebrity has more to lose than an no name accuser, but that’s the way life works. That doesn’t mean that all sexual assault accusations are bunk. Women get raped. And men use their positions of power to take advantage of women, and to keep them silent. We all know this to be true, and the examples of this are endless. Not saying this is the case with Garth. But good lord, how about we take a beat before choosing sides in a situation none of us has any in-depth insight into.
October 5, 2024 @ 2:18 pm
“But good lord, how about we take a beat before choosing sides in a situation none of us has any in-depth insight into.”
I could say the EXACT same thing about you and your comments (and, to be all inclusive, your writing in regards to this tabloid article). I bet Sturgill Simpson took a shit today? Want to write an article about that? Your article and your comments are leaning very, very heavily one way here.
And selective cases? How about you pick one where the victim isn’t a woman? I’m waiting. Im also waiting for your position on the two cases I stated.
October 5, 2024 @ 2:34 pm
I don’t understand what people expect the media to do with this story. If the biggest artist in the history of country music is accused of sexual assault, the media is going to cover it. I guess I’m supposed to say that this bitch is clearly lying and Garth Brooks is the real victim here when we are at the very ground level of this story, we haven’t seen the evidence yet, and it boils down at this point to a “he said, she said.”
To me, saying “Garth Brooks should be considered innocent until proven guilty, but these charges should be taken seriously” is the only prudent and responsible way to approach the matter. I don’t have a dog in this race. I’m simply waiting for more information to come out. If you want to accuse me of anything, accuse me of being a fence-sitting panzy.
“I bet Sturgill Simpson took a shit today? Want to write an article about that?”
What are you talking about? Sturgill is playing a show 12 miles down the road from me at ACL Fest this weekend, and I’m not even going. For the record, it’s because I don’t support that bullshit corporate event, but if I was obsessed with him, I would have been front and center. He just announced a benefit concert in North Carolina. Didn’t mention that either. He covered Prince in concert. Every major periodical ran a story about I didn’t because that’s not country music.
October 5, 2024 @ 2:49 pm
You know, Kyle, the problem with the internet is that comments and opinions get misconstrued in written word. This is why I hate having conversations such as this online. They are much better had in person.
October 5, 2024 @ 2:50 pm
I 100% agree.
October 5, 2024 @ 2:57 pm
Me-too and ‘believe all women’ defies Blackstone’s ratio, which is the idea in criminal law that “It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.”
Under modern feminism and Me-too it’s completely acceptable that innocent men be condemned and the women who make false allegations not be punished so that any woman will feel able to bring forth allegations when she has been wronged.
This is why there is opposition to sexual assualt allegations that have serious holes in the story.
October 6, 2024 @ 10:35 am
No sir, I beg to differ. It’s not completely acceptable that innocent men be condemned under the guise of “Morden Feminism” and “The Me-Too” movement. There are no absolutes in allegations like the Garth Brooks versus the makeup artist. Feminism and the Me-Too movements should not be excuses to victimize “innocent men” men either. I have to point that out for innocent famous celebrities especially like you who has thousands of fans, friends, and followers who look up to you. # No body is immune from the wrath of a vengeful media.
October 6, 2024 @ 10:35 pm
^^ Thinks she’s having a conversation with George Strait.
October 8, 2024 @ 8:44 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I’m just a fan who couldn’t think of a username that I wanted to use.
October 5, 2024 @ 3:14 pm
I know they’re a loving,charmed couple,but should Brooks be convicted of these present allegations,would Miss Yearwood stay with him as do some wives when their husband is revealed to be a prevert ?(Looking at YOU,Dr. Cosby,Billy Boy’s wife !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
October 5, 2024 @ 10:57 pm
This comment doesn’t pertain to this article in particular, but to something I keep reading in the comments that repeats the most astounding fallacy regarding the judicial system in the United States: the notion that in this country a person is considered innocent until proven guilty. Not only is this not true, but it’s completely opposite of the truth, and everyone knows it and so many don’t realize it and I never see anybody challenge it.
The fact is that someone charged with a serious crime in this country is actually presumed guilty until proven otherwise. If you doubt this then just go check the roster of inmates at your county jail, and note the percentage of people who are in jail awaiting trial. These are inmates who have been accused of and charged with a crime, but have not yet been convicted of that crime. In other words, they have yet to be proven guilty, just accused and charged. If they are supposed to be considered innocent until proven guilty, why are they in jail?
Every county jail in every county in this country currently houses inmates whom the state has jailed because they believe them to be guilty, not because they have been found to be guilty. They might be able to get out until the case goes to court if they have a little money or a lot of money or they might not be able to get out at all before trial – it all depends on the seriousness of the charges. Or how the presiding judge feels that day.
I understand the pre trial process, and obviously understand why some defendants are jailed after being charged. What I don’t understand is how courts continue to perpetuate a complete lie right out in the open, and the public soaks it in and believes it and repeats it.
Nobody in this country is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
October 6, 2024 @ 3:33 pm
I don’t believe it for a second. Not even worth an article by you!! It’s a goddamn money grab and blackmail effort. You should not have wasted your time with this.
October 6, 2024 @ 3:57 pm
If the biggest artist in the history of country music was accused of sexual assault and i did not cover it, that would be the sign of bias. It is an obligation, it is compulsory for anyone covering country music to report on this story. And the reason you haven’t seen a single outlet of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of outlets who have reported on this story saying things like this is clearly a “money grab” or “blackmail effort,” is because there is no evidence of that at this time. Perhaps it is. But to report or even assert that would be the seat of irresponsibility and completely unethical.
There are a lot of folks letting their emotions get the best of them over this matter. We all need to be patient and allow it to play out.
October 6, 2024 @ 6:09 pm
I already said I was wrzwrrrong in how I framed my initial comments.
Apropos what you’re saying here, the accuser is a woman who was on the job and apparently was a veteran at this sort of work. I’d guess that’s a fairly small world and she risks being ostracized or blackballed by publicly accusing one of the biggest stars in the business. If her story were completely made up, I think Garth would issue a categorical denial that he ever propositioned the woman or engaged in activity of a sexual nature with her. The fact that he has not is telling.
The way these cases work is that if the go forward, each party has to sit for a deposition where they’re questioned by the opposing attorney about everything about the case, and they have to answer (even if it’s to say “I don’t recall” over and over). The depositions are often videotaped and a transcript is made.
I don’t believe that Garth Brooks will ever give a deposition and submit to questioning in this case. Before that happens, we’ll hear that the parties have mutually agreed to a settlement, all terms are confidential, and neither party will comment further.
October 6, 2024 @ 5:59 pm
Trigger, don’t flatter yourself. You do not qualify to write nor cover any story about the biggest artist in the history of country music aka George Harvey Strait St. based on your commentaries about Country Music. How can fans of King George Strait be sure you are not the venomous media culprit trumping up vicious lies about a very mild and sensitive man?. Remember the consequences of vicious lies on celebrities, careers, reputation, and financial ruin before you do something that you will regret for the rest of your life.
October 7, 2024 @ 11:01 am
You’re right on the money,Trigger !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 9, 2024 @ 3:02 am
The more I think about this situation, the more it appears at least to me, that this is a money grab/shakedown from an affair and nothing more at the worst. I think GB is a giant douche and I’ve thought that about him for decades and still do. Cheating on his wife wouldn’t surprise me at all. Well, actually it is a little surprising but for other reasons.
This scandal is just the result of the equation of two bad actors and the sum of their behavior.
October 9, 2024 @ 1:57 pm
If this is proven to be true how should the Country Music Community handle this? Should his Hall of Fame membership be revoked? They talk of the bad stuff David Allan Coe has done that is keeping him from going in. Would this be reason the kick him out?
October 9, 2024 @ 5:00 pm
I’m going to have a more in-depth article on all of this coming soon.
October 25, 2024 @ 10:19 pm
Garth being a Democrat you should know we must believe all women, just like we believed E Jean Carrol who said rape is sexy. Congratulations Garth it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. It’s called KARMA !
October 30, 2024 @ 2:02 pm
I say the best outrageous thing you can do under the self-righteous circumstances, is wait until it rains, then go outside LOOK UP at the sky and SCREAM.
Kinda like when Clarence Thomas stopped the World Wide Abortion Crusade. (and you know what that caused, correct, even more live screaming babies, and even more women now screaming about how they can no longer murder them, as this is very important to women, much the same as Garth is important to you).
Better still, why not simply contact Bart, register your accusations and your proposed punishment and offer to decide the outcome of your authority by means of a duel by cowpies at twenty paces. Or better stil, use Garth Brooks music on CDs. same thing
October 27, 2024 @ 7:38 am
I know of a guy, a wannabe drummer who nobody would hire, whose flea-bitten mind is so far gone he thinks garbage stories like this “should be taken seriously.”
Put another way, just another wacked out citizen of Austin Texas needing another mental orgasm derived through GARBAGE IN – GARBAGE OUT tabloid journalism.
Go for it chief. And get a patent on those chickenbone drumsticks, too.
October 27, 2024 @ 8:24 am
Jeez dude. Rage and stalk people much?
October 30, 2024 @ 1:44 pm
Forsooth dude, triggered often yourself? (that is, inbetween impotent attempts made at blackening the character of others under pretext of ‘journalism’).