What To Make of These Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Accusations

Random Notes 106 Comments


When sexual assault and rape allegations were revealed in a lawsuit against Garth Brooks on October 3rd, to say that it took the country music world by shock is a gross understatement. And it wasn’t just because of the graphic nature of the charges, or the stature of who they were against. What made them so unbelievable and bizarre-feeling is because of who we’ve all perceived Garth Brooks to be over his nearly 40-year career, including many of his most vocal detractors.

Though the dedicated fans of Garth Brooks always seem to be surprised whenever anyone brings up a discouraging word about the best-selling artist in country music history, Garth Brooks is an extremely polarizing character when it comes to country music, and American culture in general. Obviously, he has a massive population of fervent fans. That’s how Garth ascended to where he is today.

But many others credit Garth Brooks for the over-commercialization of country music, for being insincere with his aw shucks attitude and alligator tears, for being excessively greedy with his endless box set releases selling the same music over and over, and for just being a phony individual overall. This is one of the reasons the “Where are the bodies Garth?” meme started by comedian Tom Segura has become so ubiquitous.

Yet even many of the people who otherwise piss on Garth Brooks whenever they see his name pass under their nose on social media or when it comes up in conversation, they are speaking out in Garth’s defense. Despite all of his perceived insincerity, greediness, and seeming acts of egotism, Garth Brooks never gave off the vibes of being a rapist. The accusation just seems so outlandish, it feels like it should be dismissed out of hand.

But it can’t be. Ever since the news broke, not just Garth’s accuser, but the media itself has seen the ire from some in the public for merely reporting on the matter. Apparently the media is supposed to sit on its hands as country music’s A1 celebrity is accused of rape, or must discount or dismiss the accusations as baseless before any evidence and testimony has even been presented. But the media’s job is to report the news, and get the facts straight for the public to parse through themselves and come to their own conclusions.

Saving Country Music had the audacity to assert that the charges should be taken seriously due to the gravity of the accusations, the status of Garth Brooks in country music and American culture, and the dubious history of entertainment and country music specifically when it comes to the treatment of safety and women, and looking the other way when it comes to such claims. This assertion in itself was met with rebuke. But does anyone truly think these charges should be taken flippantly? Garth Brooks and his lawyers are certainly not taking this matter lightly, nor should they. And nor should the public. The implications for Garth and country music are too significant.

Politics is a big player in the dismissive tone some are taking to this story. In the aftermath of the mania that came with some of the of the most egregious missteps of the #MeToo movement, some people have come to believe that most or all of these allegations end up not being true. Some of them weren’t. Some women used the moment to try to gain advantage in society, or in their workplaces.

But that doesn’t mean that was the common motivation, or the majority outcome. Often the accusations were valid, including in the most high profile cases such as Harvey Weinstein who inspired the #MeToo movement. According to one study of studies from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the amount of false accusations of sexual violence rages from around 2% to 10%, while some 63% of sexual assault instances never go reported. That tells us that false reports are rare, but it also tells us that they definitely do happen.

If anything, the media coverage of the Garth Brooks accusations has been muted, and matter-of-fact. There was much greater media obsession surrounding the Morgan Wallen ‘N’-word incident, or Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” video release, and the supposed Beyoncé snubs by awards shows. There really haven’t been any stories or in-depth think pieces about how country music needs to reckon with its sexist present or past like we saw with those instances centered around race. There’s been no major outcry attempting to paint the entire genre as degrading to women due to the actions of one man like we saw with Morgan Wallen.

There really hasn’t been any major public outcry or outrage over the Garth Brooks matter at all, in part due to the fact that folks just feel like the accusations are so out-of-character for Garth, they should wait until more facts emerge, and the legal process plays out before coming to any hard conclusions.

And that’s exactly what people should be doing. Where before #MeToo the incentive was for women to remain silent since their accusations would be dismissed or ridiculed immediately, and during #MeToo it almost became an element of fashion to embellish experiences or center them as part of identity, perhaps now we have found the proper equilibrium: take the charges seriously, but be patient and let the process play out while presuming innocence. This is what Garth Brooks has been requesting, and that’s the grace he’s being given.

Still, some people think it’s an inequitable position Garth has been foisted in where he’s facing an accuser who is allowed to remain anonymous while he faces the specter of these charges hanging over his head in what Garth himself believes will be a two-year process to clear his name.

This is also where the latest development with the case comes into play, and in a major way. In a refiling of a lawsuit Garth brought against the accuser preemptively in her home state of Mississippi amid the accuser pursuing her lawsuit in California, Garth Brooks and his legal team publicly revealed the accuser’s name. Previously she had been referred to as “Jane Roe” in legal filings, while Garth was referred to as “John Doe.”

Saving Country Music, like many media outlets, has chosen not to publish the accuser’s name. But it is out there, and already was in certain circles after so much about her identity and work history had previously been revealed.

“Garth Brooks just revealed his true self,” attorney Douglas H. Wigdor said in a statement after the Garth Brooks refiling. “Out of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape victim. With no legal justification, Brooks outed her because he thinks the laws don’t apply to him. On behalf of our client, we will be moving for maximum sanctions against him immediately.”

According to legal experts, this move by Brooks could be extremely risky, and potentially damaging. If Garth is completely innocent, it might be inconsequential. But if he is found to be liable in any capacity for the accusations being levied against him, if he had a relationship with the accuser, even if it was consensual or mostly consensual, this move could backfire. It is also likely to be seen as acting in bad faith by the California court, and Garth could face consequences that could harm his defense. It also removes the public criticism of unfairness that he is named, but the accuser isn’t.

Some have also claimed that there will be no ramifications for the accuser if Garth Brooks is found to be innocent. But that is not the case. It was Brooks who first filed suit against the accuser in Mississippi, and the refiling of that court action underscores that the accuser is already facing a countersuit claiming extortion and defamation, and could face significant consequences if found to be lying.

For the implications on country music at large, it’s important to understand the scenario in which the alleged behavior by Garth Brooks occurred. Pushing aside all the saucy details of what is accused, Garth’s accuser was a hair and makeup artist who was working with Garth in close quarters on the road, and this is when the alleged activity occurred. Garth was her boss, and in scenarios where they were traveling together, and often alone. This is a very similar instance to the accusations against Jimmie Allen, who was accused by his day-to-day manager of rape and sexual assault over a prolonged period.

When the Jimmie Allen accusations first came out, many people were dismissive of them because very similar to the Garth Brooks scenario, it seemed unreasonable that a woman would continue to work with someone who had raped them and was continually harassing them. Then a second woman came forward accusing Jimmie Allen of similar behavior. Then it was revealed Allen had another child outside of his marriage. All of a sudden, a pattern of behavior emerged.

Often these accusations come out in bunches as one alleged victim gives others the strength to come forward. This was the same scenario that transpired when award-winning Dallas/Ft. Worth country DJ Justin Frazell was accused of rape by a teen, and then a second teen came forward. Eventually Frazell plead guilty and no contest to the charges. After being accused of rape while on tour with Florida Georgia Line, hip-hop artists Nelly also had two more women come forward.

It is important that as an industry, country music protects women and men in these kinds of scenarios, and that’s why these accusations don’t just have implications for Garth Brooks. They have implications for an industry that has a dubious history in this regard.

In 2017, scores of accusations came out against high-profile publicist Kirt Webster after performer Austin Rick first came out to accuse the publicist of sexual assault. The Metro Nashville police department investigated the charges, found them credible, but deemed they were too far out of the statute of limitations timeline to prosecute. This is one of the many reasons sexual assault allegations often end up in civil courts.

After Austin Rick came forward, so did a second young male singer, and nearly two dozen employees and associates of Kirt Webster. As Saving Country Music reported in 2023, Kirt Webster still continues to work in country music, sometimes through proxies, and currently is managing the estates of George Jones and Charley Pride, as well as the careers of Lee Greenwood and Don McLean. Though the media was actively reporting on Webster in 2017 when Austin Rick’s accusations first emerged, they have since gone silent.

So far, it’s only been the one accuser that has come out against Garth Brooks. Again, at this point, the accusations against Garth Brooks do not fit a pattern of behavior. That is why he’s been given more grace than we have seen in other scenarios.

If the accusations against Garth Brooks are found to be false, there is a good chance Garth and country music move on, and it’s nothing more than a footnote on his Wikipedia page. But on the chance that evidence is presented that is damaging and irrefutable, it could have major implications on country music. Garth is a Country Music Hall of Famer, one of the most awards country artists in history, a Kennedy Center Honors and Gershwin Prize recipient, and the best-selling artist in North America.

It’s because of the implications that we must take these accusations seriously. It’s also why we must all wait for the facts to come out. Unfortunately, what often happens in these cases is they’re settled out of court, non-disclosure agreements are signed, and the public never finds out the ultimate truth. But in this case, it feels especially important that the name of Garth Brooks is completely exonerated, or that it’s revealed that powerful men in music continue to use those positions of power to take advantage of those beneath them.

Unfortunately, it might be years before we find these answers, if we ever do.


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