Jimmie Allen’s Apology is Tone-Deaf and Underhanded

It is an unfortunate development in the modern dialogue that when individuals make mistakes and issue apologies, they’re too commonly thrown back in the face of the issuer, or exploited as weakness by a polarized society more focused on winning arguments as opposed to breeding understanding through life’s inherent conflicts. We’re all human. We all err. And though the seriousness of those errors is also worth taking into account, it’s often how we deal with those errors where the measure of a man should be taken.
But Jimmie Allen’s ill-advised, lacking, and underhanded “apology” deserves great scrutiny here. On May 11th, a civil lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court of Tennessee against Jimmie Allen accusing the 37-year-old of a prolonged period of rape and sexual assault of his day-to-day manager who is currently being referred to as Jane Doe.
Though some immediately become skeptical whenever such charges are brought since the #MeToo movement resulted in some false claims and careers ruined unnecessarily, the specificity and severity of the accusations against Jimmie Allen should make us all at least take pause.
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But in Jimmie Allen’s case, there are mounds of corroborating evidence, from text messages, to tour itineraries, to the fact that at one point the alleged victim ended up in an emergency room with vaginal trauma documented, and that the victim alleges that Jimmie Allen photographed and videotaped her to use as blackmail so she wouldn’t speak publicly about the abuse. It was all documented in a detailed article in Variety.
Even if only partially true, no apology will make the grievous accusations against Jimmie Allen go away. And since Jimmie Allen refutes the allegations—though admits the two had a consensual relationship while he was married—it’s understandable why he’s not apologizing for them directly in this moment. But what an apology could do is convey a level of seriousness about the claims in order for Allen to signal that he understands just how grave such claims should be taken.
But that’s not what Jimmie Allen is doing. Conversely, he’s trying to use an apology to his estranged wife who split from him amid the revelations as a sort of diversionary tactic to make it seem like the divorce and infidelity is what the public is most upset about here, while also strangely couching himself as the victim of the industry for stoking his appetites, as opposed to the potential victim being a young girl who went to work for Allen straight out of college, allegedly lost her virginity to him when he drugged and raped her in a hotel room, while Jimmie Allen was shielded from consequences from the power he wielded over her.
Jimmie Allen’s “apology” issued on May 18th reads,
I want to publicly apologize to my wife Alexis for humiliating her with my affair. I’m embarrassed that my choices have brought shame on her. That’s something that she did not deserve at all. I also want to apologize to my children for being a poor example of a man and a father. I’m working on becoming a better person that my kids can be proud of. My goal is to be better than the generation before me.
This business takes so much from you. It’s full of temptations that can cripple you and ruin everything you built. I’m ashamed that I wasn’t strong enough to withstand them. I will no longer be a victim of my weakness. I challenge everyone to seek help when they need it. Do not be afraid of your weakness, surround yourself with people that WILL help you. Be Blessed.
The irony of Jimmie Allen acting like he is a “victim” of anything—self-imposed or otherwise—and that it’s the business of country music that is to blame when it made him one of the many male country stars that has multiple #1 songs despite no real organic appeal in his music, is very rich. And the line about “surround yourself with people that WILL help you,” which implies his his day-to-day manager is the person that allowed him to fall for his temptations, is especially tone-deaf in this situation.
Again, we do not know that Jimmie Allen is guilty at this moment. But this attempt at deflection from the real concern back to the separation from his wife is not something that should fly with anyone. And the fact that so many outlets posted this statement verbatim with little or not scrutiny is somewhat troubling as well.
Shortly before the formal apology, Jimmie Allen also posted on his Instagram story, “We gonna be alright. This too shall pass,” as if these charges are something that will come and go, kind of like the controversy surrounding Morgan Wallen and the ‘N’ word. But it may be years before we know the truth in this matter. And if Jane Doe ends up to be found as the one that’s lying in this instance, the inevitable counter-suit (which at this point, hasn’t materialized) will be as grievous for her as the allegations against Jimmie Allen are now.
Jimmie Allen has been suspended from his label, dropped by his booking agent, manager, and publicist, and has been removed from all major appearances in the wake of the allegations. But none of this is due to the fact that he was unfaithful to his wife. It has to do with the seriousness of the accusations against him from a woman who alleges Jimmie Allen used his position of power to take advantage of her sexually over a prolonged period.
At the least, Jimmie Allen should be apologizing to his wife that he even put himself in a position where such allegations could be raised and be consider legitimate, while communicating how all such allegations should be taken seriously, and adjudicated fairly for the potential exoneration of innocent parties, not attempting to place blame on a “business” that has enriched him beyond measure—and like so many other men in country music similar to Jimmie Allen—foisted him to the front of the line ahead of arguably more deserving individuals.
May 19, 2023 @ 11:46 am
Sorry, but the thugs have arrived in Nashcrap.
May 19, 2023 @ 2:34 pm
If you think this style of treating women is new to Nashville, then welcome to Nashville cuz you must be new
May 21, 2023 @ 11:43 am
We know what you meant by this comment and you’re disgusting.
June 8, 2023 @ 7:59 am
I think he.s a cheater to think that he.s wife found out and then she.s pregnant I think he stinks and I hate he.s music and he has made big mistakes for country music
May 19, 2023 @ 12:14 pm
Honesty will always set you free no matter how hard it is.
May 19, 2023 @ 12:53 pm
……”by a polarized society more focused on winning arguments as opposed to breeding understanding through life’s inherent conflicts.”……
Talk about tone deaf.
May 19, 2023 @ 1:00 pm
Where is Maren Morris’s opinion on this story?
May 19, 2023 @ 7:59 pm
Maren Morris’ opinion on anything is worth what we’re paying her for it – zero.
May 21, 2023 @ 11:19 am
It’s called sarcasm Todd. Stew was being sarcastic.
May 21, 2023 @ 5:05 pm
I know that. I’ve enjoyed this blog for years and I’m aware of how Maren is regarded here. The problem is, Maren actually thinks she’s important. She’s a charlatan and she’s a six who thinks she’s a twelve.
May 19, 2023 @ 1:08 pm
“whenever such charges are brought”
“as if these charges are something that will come and go,”
“will be as grievous for her as the charges against Jimmie Allen are now.”
“has been removed from all major appearances in the wake of the charges”
“he even put himself in a position where such charges could be raised and be considerlegitimate, while communicating how all such charges should be taken seriously,”
I don’t want to defend Jimmy Allen. He strikes me as not a good guy. I’ve never bought anything he’s selling and I never will.
But there are no charges. He has not been charged with anything.
He’s being sued by someone who’s aksing for money. All that’s required to file a lawsuit is a couple of hundred dollars.
Heck, Trump was sued for sexual assault, found liable by a civil jury, and it did not even cause a pause in his campaign.
I’m not going to make like Jimmy Allen is guilty of a “crime” that the accuser will not even report to the police.
May 19, 2023 @ 1:21 pm
Nobody said Jimmie Allen was charged with a crime. The article clearly states that it was a civil action the plaintiff brought. That said, you can “charge” someone with doing something, meaning make a claim or an allegation. Also, we do not know that Jimmie Allen hasn’t been charged with a crime at this point. Unfortunately because a lot of the worst offenses all happened on the road and different municipalities and jurisdictions, and sex crimes are often shielded from the public due to privacy concerns, we honestly do not know what the criminal outlook of this situation is at this point, only that there are no known criminal charges at this time.
All that said, I’ve changed “charges” to “allegations,” just to avoid any dumb arguments over it.
May 24, 2023 @ 5:32 am
If there were criminal charges filed, we would know it- they’d be everywhere. Also, if he was taking her across state lines and ‘raping’ her, that will involve the federal authorities. That is also why he would be stupid to issue any apology other than the denial he made. It could and would be used against him in a court of law.
May 24, 2023 @ 7:23 am
Just because there are not charges doesn’t mean things aren’t being investigated. I actively spent hours trying to determine why Jimmie Allen hadn’t been charged with a crime, or if there were any active investigations. The determination I came to is that I could not claim there weren’t any active investigations. That doesn’t mean that there is either. But the simple fact is that we don’t know.
I don’t have any issue with the denial. But the apology to his wife who we already knew he was separated from for a month felt like a redirection, and a bad one. The public was not asking for a public apology from Jimmie to his wife.
May 19, 2023 @ 2:35 pm
True, rape don’t seem to be a problem for male country fans, no biggie right?
May 19, 2023 @ 3:03 pm
Trigger is being very sly to not include well thought out opinions that run contrary to his trashing of Jimmie Allen.
He is really “driving the narrative.”
If he puts contrasting opinions in, he will then have to accuse the commenter of being the reason his site is “bleeding” readers.
May 19, 2023 @ 7:18 pm
Bullshit, Di. Perhaps if you didn’t participate in calling the alleged victim of this story a “whore” along with victim shaming conspiracy theories about how she’s the real aggressor, some of your comments might get through. Add attacking Vince Gill and Amy Grant for no apparent reason on top and it’s the exact kind of deranged comments I have told you again and again are not welcome here.
May 20, 2023 @ 11:54 am
Trigger, I say this with affection.
You are such an asshole, sometimes.
Using the word deranged to characterize my comments is ridiculous.
You can do better than that, even when you are frustrated to the max.
May 21, 2023 @ 11:26 am
We haven’t seen his comments but what if Di is right? Don’t forget the Duke Lacrosse team that got roasted and lost their entire season and scholarships and then the accuser admitted to lying after all the damage was done. Maybe this accuser is as Di says in his unseen comments. Who knows?
May 20, 2023 @ 2:40 am
Not to be pedantic, but the civil filing fee in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee is $402, not a “couple of hundred dollars.” But more importantly, a lawyer who knowingly files a case he/she has reason to believe is false or not supported by fact can be sanctioned by the Court, including suspension or loss of their law license. I doubt there are any lawyers out there willing to risk their careers over Jimmie Allen.
And yeah, the plaintiff is asking for money. So? That’s how the civil court system works. You have to demonstrate damages, and damages are quantified monetarily. The lack of any criminal charges (as yet) makes little difference. We’ve no idea what criminal investigation (if any) is currently underway. Studies have shown six of every 10 sexual assault victims never report the assault; many fear they won’t be believed. Reading the comments here, it isn’t hard to see why they feel that way.
Research places the incidence of false allegations against men in such cases as anywhere between 2% and 10%. We put up with — and accept — imprecision in the criminal justice system all the time. Research puts the number of wrongful convictions (people convicted of crimes when they are in fact innocent) at 4-6%, and I don’t see folks here jumping up and down to complain about *that.* Hell, the number of wrongfully convicted (actually innocent) people on DEATH ROW at 4%, according to the best research available. We’re going to get excited because some 2% of men accused of sexual misconduct by the #metoo folks didn’t actually do it? At least they’re not facing an execution date.
The *law* affords Allen a presumption of innocence. We don’t have to, but we should wait until all the facts come out, which we’re not doing.
May 20, 2023 @ 11:35 am
What research proves that?
How do they verify those numbers?
May 20, 2023 @ 1:13 pm
Read to your heart’s content:
https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2012-03/Publications_NSVRC_Overview_False-Reporting.pdf
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-criminol-011518-024739
https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/justice-system-reform/wrongful-convictions
https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/justice-system-reform/wrongful-convictions
May 24, 2023 @ 5:51 am
Respectfully, you might want to read some yourself. On the second page it defines a false claim as one reported to law enforcement that is proven factually false. That is a manipulation specifically meant to push the narrative the ‘researchers’ wanted pushed. It ignored the fact that law enforcement and the court system does not function to prove someone’s innocence. They are designed ONLY to look for evidence of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. They MAY stop looking once they realize they can’t meet that standard – they never go looking to prove someone’s innocence. Occasionally it is so obvious that a complainant is lying that LE brings a charge but honestly, most often they don’t care.
May 20, 2023 @ 5:30 pm
Privileged
Cheater
Privileged
Privileged
We all know how this will pan out.
He can’t make any money and he will beg to come
DARLING change them locks, buy a nice big tent then tell him that is your home now
May 24, 2023 @ 5:40 am
The lawyer can file based on the sworn claims of accused. Otherwise E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit would have never been filed.
March 1, 2024 @ 6:58 pm
i’d like to quickly comment that if the victim of rape decides to pursue justice, then there are two ways to do this.
1.) file a civil lawsuit and ask for damages
2.) file a criminal lawsuit, which simply means that if the person is found guilty, they could face prison time.
If the person in this story who claims that she was raped and sexually abused by her boss, there is no need to file a police report if her intention is to simply file a civil lawsuit.
people think that if a victim doesn’t report the incident to the police that they’re lying about what happened to them. Being a victim of sexual assault, I can assure you that rape victims are, in general, treated like pieces of shit by the police. That is why most people will take the civil lawsuit route rather than go for the criminal charges. However, sometimes people do both.
In other words, interested people should drill down and find out if this is a criminal case or a civil case. One would assume, however, that if the incident has not been reported to the police, then it’s probably going to be a civil lawsuit.
May 19, 2023 @ 1:28 pm
The thing I hate about his comment is that it treats the young girl like a distraction, a temptation that he couldn’t resist. His approach reeks of first class man – second class girl- bro-country without the humor. As a black man myself, I find his comment sickening on another level: you are one of the few a black male country singers to make it, following in the footsteps of Charley Pride and Darius Rucker, and you throw it all away for a piece of ass- whether consensual or not. His real weakness rest with his inability to really understand his position and moment in country music , and how, guilty or not, he insults it, his fans, and the history that propelled him to success.
May 19, 2023 @ 2:48 pm
Agreed and I imagine how this makes future black performer’s lives more challenging as they attempt to make their way into country. It is just a stain.
May 19, 2023 @ 3:52 pm
“What terrifies me is if ISIS were to detonate a nuclear device and kill 50 million Americans. Imagine the backlash against peaceful Muslims?”
– Norm Macdonald
May 19, 2023 @ 3:57 pm
The implications to my comment from your comment could be taken about 25 different ways. I will enjoy the ways with which it could be funny and ignore the ways where it could be insulting for me. Additionally, Norm was a great friend to one of my heroes in country!
May 19, 2023 @ 3:59 pm
I love Billy Joe, as well
May 19, 2023 @ 9:10 pm
I’m sorry but Charlie Pride is so far above Darius Rucker and Jimmie Allen that they all shouldn’t even be in the same sentence.
June 8, 2023 @ 9:48 am
Truth, but “that’s Charley with an E Y just like Charley Crockett.”
May 19, 2023 @ 3:45 pm
This kind of thing happens all the time and is horrible. But the minute someone decides to file a lawsuit before going to the police with their accusations, I become highly skeptical. I have never heard a Jimmie Allen song, nor do I want to, but when it becomes all about money and not justice, I can’t help but wonder what the real story is. And if the girl is lying, it doesn’t matter, Allen’s career is finished. If he is guilty, he needs to be punished to the full extent of the law. Then file a civil suit.
May 19, 2023 @ 4:40 pm
As I mentioned when this information first broke, I do think that it is important that the police investigate any accusations Jane Doe is making that could be considered criminal in nature, including the alleged rapes specifically.
What I have found out in the last week is that none of us are in a position to say that this didn’t happen, isn’t happening, or might happen in the future. Since these incidents all happened in different locations across the country, it dramatically complicates the investigation of them, and the reporting on them. You can’t just call up Metro Nashville police and ask if they’re investigating this stuff, because most or all of the alleged incidents did not happen in their jurisdiction. Furthermore, some police departments do not make information available on criminal cases of a sexual nature to protect the identities of alleged victims.
Two of the things that the Jimmie Allen lawsuit accuse him of is false imprisonment and sex trafficking. These would be things that would have to be investigated by the FBI because they cross state lines.
I understand when people say, “Why didn’t she go to the police?” But that situation is so much more complex than I think people appreciate. The accusation was that Jimmie Allen was using fear and power over the accuser to silence her.
May 19, 2023 @ 3:46 pm
Maybe this seems a little nit-picky or unnecessarily contrarian, but I can’t get past how we can know that his apology is “tone-deaf” and “underhanded” if “we do not know that Jimmie Allen is guilty at this moment.”
May 19, 2023 @ 4:45 pm
Jimmie Allen announced that he and his wife were separating on April 21st. Nobody was clamoring for Jimmie Allen to release a public statement apologizing to his wife. All the news this week has been about how his respective representatives have dropped him. He believes that if he just focuses on his infidelity, he can bury the lede here.
May 19, 2023 @ 5:31 pm
I get what you’re saying but there’s also a contradiction. You also suggested he apologize to “convey” he knows how serious this is even though he may not be guilty. But you also say “it’s understandable why he’s not apologizing to them directly….” While also saying “what an apology could do.” I appreciate what you’re saying here and that you try to shine a light on what others ignore…I’m just giving some feedback about your argument.
May 20, 2023 @ 8:11 am
Stop with the comparison of country star using N Word on his front lawn to an allegation with evidence of physical abuse and sex addiction by a married man who supposedly pushed his racial recognition for career advancement. Shame on Allen and shame on Country Music industry for not making statements on these allegations. Where is the media on Allen as compared to the way the press jumped on Wallen’s non violent conduct.
Just saying….
May 19, 2023 @ 4:00 pm
Unfortunately, despite all his success touched on by Trig, this is what he is famous for now. Five years from now if you mention “Jimmie Allen,” you’ll remember the sexual abuse but nothing of his short-lived career (I can’t even name one his songs right now). Ten years from now, you’ll ask, “Who?” Nice legacy for the kids.
May 19, 2023 @ 5:47 pm
If Jimmy Allen did the things that “Jane Doe” says he did, then he should be arrested and brought up on felony charges in criminal court.
The police in the jurisdictions where some of these incidents allegedly occurred should ask “Jane Doe” to give an interview and tell what happened. The prosecutors actually have the power to subpoena her and compel her to talk.
How about starting specifically with the incident where, per your accout: “at one point the alleged victim ended up in an emergency room with vaginal trauma documented, and that the victim alleges that Jimmie Allen photographed and videotaped her to use as blackmail so she wouldn’t speak publicly about the abuse.”
What happened there? If a young woman comes into the emergency room in that condition, they’re going to have a woman doctor or nurse question her about how it happened–and if she was a victim of a crime, they’ll notify the police.
I have a lot of sympathy for women victims of domestic abuse who have litlle or no money, have children to take care of and have no same place to go.
That’s not the story with “Jane Doe.” She did not live with the abuser, she had no children with him–or any children at all–and had a roof over her head provided by her parents. All she had with Jimmy Allen was a job that she liked.
Sorry, filing civil lawsuits for money is not some “alternative” course of action for crime victims. You can file a lawsuit AFTER the criminal case is tried.
I clicked on the Variety article. Seems to me that some of the things that this woman accused Jimmy Allen of could get him locked up in prison for 20-plus years if he’s prosecuted and convicted.
There’s no way in hell that Jimmy Allen is going to submit to questioning about these matters in a civil lawsuit with potential felony charges hanging over his head.
I think Allen’s lawyer will make a motion to hold this lawsuit in abeyance and bar any deposition of Allen from being held while he faces any potential criminal jeopardy. And it will be granted.
These accusations belong in criminal court, not a lawsuit for money. “Jane Doe” needs to step up and properly report the crimes that she’s alleging.
May 19, 2023 @ 6:11 pm
Trig,
A couple months back a guy made a lame arguably homophobic joke and I lightheartedly responded with a lame gay joke (I’m gay). You told us to be grownups.
Now I as a gay formerly-bleeding heart liberal have criticized liberals attitudes towards country music and “conservative” culture more generally several times on this site. I have zero agenda beyond three chords and the truth.
But at least one of these comments on this post is far more “problematic” than those stupid gay jokes that me and some other guy made. I believe it was the weekend of the Oscars. Gays tend to remember such things.
Appreciate ya, but…c’mon.
May 19, 2023 @ 7:26 pm
Multiple comments have been deleted in this comments section. I also agree that others that are posted could be considered “problematic” by some. I do the best I can to try and foster a free and open discussion in these comments sections, but if something is so beyond the pale (which multiple comments here have been), making the rare but necessary move to remove it from the discussion. If you see something that you think is problematic, challenge it. Refute it. Try to convince the commenter why what they’re saying is wrong. I do my best moderating comments, but never claim to be perfect. Some are just looking for where the line is because they get off on walking right up to it but not crossing it, while not really giving a shit what is actually being discussed.
May 19, 2023 @ 7:46 pm
Trig,
Thank you for your reply. I purposely left my comment about other comments vague because I have little interest in telling anybody what they can and can not say. Also this is an article about sexual assault so even more so I have no interest in making the conversation about, say, racially insensitive language when the conversation should really be about the topic at hand.
I’m a gay man. I’ve been sexually assaulted multiple times. Lots of people don’t want to hear that. I have no desire to make the conversation about anything other than sexual assault, etc than necessary.
I’m not asking or wanting you to censor anybody. Just a “dude let’s not go there” would suffice.
May 19, 2023 @ 7:33 pm
A lot of you clearly don’t have a very good grasp of how difficult it is to successfully prove a criminal rape/sex assault case. While I understand the desire to see perpetrators of violent crime face punishment, it is incredibly difficult to meet the legal/evidentiary criteria required to be found guilty of rape/sex assault in a criminal court because “beyond a reasonable doubt” is an extremely high bar to clear. That is why so many of these kinds of allegations are adjudicated in civil court. If you didn’t go to the police the night of or go to the hospital the night of to have a rape kit done, there often isn’t a lot of hard evidence to prove your allegations. *Even if you did* have a rape kit done, many of these kinds of cases devolve into he said, she said scenarios. It’s particularly difficult when a relationship between the two parties already exists, whether that relationship be platonic or otherwise. These difficult legal hurdles are exactly why most women who have been assaulted never even bother to come forward. I want Jimmie to have his chance in court to defend himself just as much as I want Jane Doe’s allegations to be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. Please do not fall victim to undue knee jerk suspicion of Jane Doe’s allegations simply because of where she filed her suit. Our legal system is built on trying to protect the rights of both the accuser AND the accused. This is an admirable ambition, but there are tradeoffs. The resulting difficulty in proving criminal liability for a sexual assault is one of them. Don’t rush to judgment, let the process play out.
May 20, 2023 @ 11:01 pm
@KE. Sorry, but the answer to that is not to substitute lawsuits for criminal trials. And unless the prosecutors are going to give Allen criminal immunity, he’s not going to submit to questioning about the very incidents by civil lawyers.
May 22, 2023 @ 7:00 pm
We don’t know that she didn’t report this to authorities, just that they haven’t charged him ATM. And monetary compensation is as much justice as anything. Especially when you consider the impact it has on the perpetrator. It also means that person can be deposed legally in a way you might not get if you wait for a criminal trial. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t want to answer questions,, he’d be required to bu law.. Which, in turn can be used in criminal proceedings.
It also allows the victim a chance to cover medical costs, seek good quality therapy, relocate, be compensated for lost wages and move on, as well as being formally, legally validated even if criminal charges don’t arise, don’t stick or get pleaded down. Money is freedom in a capitalist system which can serve as a de facto punishment for a perpetrator and de facto validation for the victim, as well as having a way to show the public that there has been a legally upheld wrongdoing on the part of the accused party.
The only way criminal trials shouldn’t be substituted for civil suits is if our justice system actually worked perfectly in every case, which it absolutely doesn’t. Especially in instances of sexual assault cases.
May 22, 2023 @ 7:12 pm
Sorry, Chucky–not to be insulting, but you don’t know of what you speak.
There’s a Constitutional right against self incrimination–the famous 5th Amendment–and you cannot compel someone to answer questions about a matter where he has possible criminal exposure. The only way to compel someone to talk would be to grant him immunity from prosecution.
Bill Cosby was convicted of rape in Pennsylvania but the conviction was reversed by the appeals court because it the prosecutor used testimony that Cosby gave in a civil deposition. Cosby claimed that the former criminal prosecutor, who was long out of office by then, had given him immunity. Even though there was never any written immunity agreement, the court ruled that Cosby must have relied on a promise of immunity or he would not have given the civil deposition.
May 19, 2023 @ 8:54 pm
Now I have to go to Margo Price’s twitter to see what she has to say about this. This certainly isn’t a situation where because two victimized groups are involved that the answer on an Identity Politics calculator is: “syntax error.”
May 19, 2023 @ 9:04 pm
The way Morgan Wallen’s N word incident is brought up every conceivable chance you would think thousands were sent to the hospital with ear canal rupture damage.
May 19, 2023 @ 9:10 pm
…says the guy that just brought up Margo Price for no reason. And you’re the second one to do so.
This comments section is pure shit.
May 19, 2023 @ 9:14 pm
…says the guy who included the Morgan Wallen N word reference in the article.
It’s a valid point within a comment section to point out the selective silence of some politcally-driven Country stars.
And thanks yet again for attaching your ire with whoever to my comment specifically, again.
May 19, 2023 @ 9:33 pm
The Morgan Wallen incident was the biggest controversy in country music in the last 10 years, and perhaps since the Dixie Chicks. It will be and probably should be the measuring stick for all other controversies, and will be tied to this one in numerous ways.
May 19, 2023 @ 9:17 pm
Why do you even have a comment section under your articles if you cannot separate your emotions from the freedom people have to speak their minds? I don’t understand why you feel this incessant need to insert yourself and police the “validity” of someone’s comments.
I fully expect yet another empty threat to shut down the comment section now.
May 20, 2023 @ 8:34 am
In my opinion, not having a comment section would be better than an edited or censored comment section.
Other than just name-calling for no reason, I want to read every opinion. It’s unfortunate that Kyle deletes the opinions that don’t fit inside his biased window of what’s acceptable.
May 20, 2023 @ 5:42 pm
Most comment sections are barely-literate dumpster fires with boomers and gen x’rs stealing bad arguments from Occupy Democrats or pedestrian conservatives sharing unfunny and clique Biden memes. Also the ‘thumbs up’ feature helps me gauge if I want to fully read someone’s paragraph long response.
May 20, 2023 @ 11:20 am
He would have been well advised to say nothing….it wou,de have been better than the ‘apology’.
May 20, 2023 @ 6:54 pm
I have to disagree with you on this one Trig. He has been accused of some extremely serious things that could financially ruin him, and much worse if criminal charges were to come out of it. Even if the allegations are 100% true, he has no practical choice but to vehemently deny everything, and therefore has to attack the credibility of the accuser, which necessarily makes him the victim. So in that situation you paint it as all consensual, apologize to your wife, and don’t give the rest of it the dignity of a response. The PR person who drafted this did it textbook. I’m not saying any of this is “right” – hell, the allegations are likely all true – but it’s just the only approach from his standpoint. As soon as he acknowledges any “seriousness” of the claims, then he is giving them a validity that he can’t afford.
Your take on this would be correct if we were talking about a third party commenting on the situation from the outside looking in, with a responsibility to be objective and mindful of “me too” considerations. But here we are talking about the actual accused, who has an entirely different set of interests; he has no choice but to say it’s all BS.
May 20, 2023 @ 7:17 pm
At this point, apologizing to his wife is superfluous. He already disputed the accusations against him. He would have been better off saying nothing and waiting for the process to play out.
May 20, 2023 @ 7:18 pm
@DMI–Nah, the P.R. person whiffed.
Textbook P.R. is a statement that makes the person your defending look warm and caring. This statement made Allen look cold and–I’ll agree with Trig here–“tonedeaf.”
The first paragraph was probably OK–he appears to be taking responsibility and apologizing to his family, at least. But the seconde graph is a killer.
“This business takes so much from you. It’s full of temptations that can cripple you and ruin everything you built. I’m ashamed that I wasn’t strong enough to withstand them.”
That’s making excuses and sure sounds like he’s blaming the “Jane Doe” woman for being a Jezebel-style temptresss.
Should have simply apologized to all for having an illicit affair. That in no way admits using force or compulsion… the factors that create legal liability.
May 21, 2023 @ 7:14 am
That’s a good point re the second paragraph. I see where y’all are coming from with that.
May 22, 2023 @ 8:40 pm
I never said they could be forced to self incriminate but you are legally required to testify under oath when subpoenad for civil depositions or be held in contempt. And those statements are legal record and can absolutely be used in a legal case.. As long as there aren’t legit grounds for objection, they could still establish timelines, frame of mind, opportunity, nature of their relationship, past incidents, etc, etc which can be useful when building a legal case.
But that wasn’t even my main point.
Just bc someone is seeking civil damages doesn’t delegitimize the nature of their claims nor motives. It may simply be the only realistic step in establishing legal public record of what took place and actually achieving any degree of punishment. Especially in types of cases which are very difficult to prove in criminal court if/when the multiple jurisdictions and agencies are even able to coordinate and establish a solid enough basis for criminal charges which reflect the true nature of the allegations.
May 23, 2023 @ 7:11 pm
Hey, in my heart, I happen to believe that Jimmie Allen mistreated this woman and is a bad guy.
But sorry, if you’re alleging forced sex, physical assault, and blackmail, those are crimes and you should bring that to the police and it should be handed off to a prosecutor.
“Just bc someone is seeking civil damages doesn’t delegitimize the nature of their claims nor motives.”– It may not delegitimize it, but it definitely calls it into question.
You talk about all the difficulties of a criminal prosecution.
Well, in this case, it seems Jane Doe didn’t even attempt to press criminal charges. She went straight to a civil lawyer known for making big scores.
May 23, 2023 @ 8:45 pm
“not to be insulting” but you are very clearly not an attorney. I feel compelled to respond because your ignorance in this regard is of a kind shared by many and worth refuting. My original point stands. It is nonsensical, given the realities of our flawed criminal justice system, to suggest that a victim of a violent crime should be denied recompense. Not only that, it completely ignores the traumatic effect that rape has on its victims. It can (and typically does) affect their ability to make well reasoned decisions in the immediate aftermath of the crime. Most victims don’t report their rapes. Even less have the capacity to recognize that they should have a rape kit done in the immediate aftermath. To view a criminal conviction and prison sentence as the only form of legitimate justice is myopic at best. You need to learn to embrace complexity. It might make it easier for you to make surface level judgments of the veracity of someone’s allegations if you can quickly slot them into “criminal charges = legitimate” and “civil suit = illegitimate” but the real world cannot be so easily categorized. Jane Doe’s potential inability to prove *up to the standards of our criminal justice system* that a crime was committed doesn’t mean that a crime was not in fact committed. Let’s assume for a moment that her claims are factual. Even if they are factual, she may not have the evidence to prove them in a criminal court. This is common! There is not always sufficient evidence to convict someone of a crime, even if they did actually commit that crime. In your view, that means she cannot pursue any kind of justice at all. That is nuts! The vast majority of rapists already get away with it. You are arguing that victims of rape should have even less tools at their disposal. In system with so much already tilted against them, you’re saying their path to justice should be even steeper. You’ve yet to articulate any kind of reasonable rebuttal to the points that I, and others, have made. You say that victims should report to the cops while wilfully ignoring the litany of reasons why that doesn’t usually pan out well for victims. Until you can meaningfully address that, until you can meaningfully address the inherent trade-offs and tensions between the rights of victims and the rights of the accused, I don’t think this back and forth has any merit.
May 24, 2023 @ 6:55 am
You have absolutely no way of knowing whether she reported it or not. All we know is that he hasn’t been formally charged yet. Furthermore, if there are vids, texts, medical records, etc, to call into question her motives or imply that they may be primarily financial in nature is pretty crass. Seeking civil damages in no way implies that money is the main motivation. Civil suits are often the only recourse in cases where the burden of proof in a criminal trial is difficult to meet or when the legal/justice system fails or falls short.. Which it often does
You’re of the opinion it calls into question her motives. I am not