Garth Brooks Says 'This Thing Is on' Following Sexual Assault Claims as He Prepares for Possible Two-Year Legal Battle

10/08/2024 06:55 PM

The country star was accused of sexual assault by a makeup artist and hair stylist that worked for him; Brooks denies all allegations

Garth Brooks is preparing for potential legal proceedings.

In a video from his Facebook Live show Inside Studio Gshared on Monday, Oct. 7, the country singer, 62, addressed the possibility of a two-year legal battle following sexual assault allegations made against him.

"Lot's happened in the last two weeks. Let's address the elephant in the room, shall we?" Brooks said at the start of the Oct. 7 video. "This thing is on; it's gonna happen."

"People are telling me it could be up to two years. So my suggestion is, we all take a deep breath, just kinda settle in and let's hold hands and take a trip together. Because it is something that we cannot talk about. That's all we can say about it."

Brooks then changed the subject to discuss his recent Habitat for Humanity trip with his wife Trisha Yearwood and his residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Related: Trisha Yearwood Sold Tennessee Home One Day Before Garth Brooks Was Sued for Rape

This Facebook video and brief acknowledgment of the allegations comes days after a lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE was filed in California on Oct. 3 by a former hairstylist and makeup artist of Brooks under the name of "Jane Roe." Roe, who had worked with Brooks for 15 years, accused him of inappropriate behavior that began in 2019 when she was at his home for a styling appointment.

Roe alleges that she found Brooks coming out of the shower naked with an erection and coerced her to touch his penis and asked her to perform sex acts, according to the complaint. She further alleges that she was raped in the summer of 2019 by Brooks while working for an event.

Following the alleged sexual assault, she claimed in the complaint that "Brooks increased the frequency of saying his sexual fantasies about her aloud, along with his physical gropings of her breasts while she was doing his hair and makeup."

While Roe worked for Brooks, she alleged in the complaint that she encountered him "regularly changing his clothing" in front of her and would "often purposefully" expose himself. Brooks also allegedly told her about his "sexual fantasies" and sent her "sexually explicit text messages."

The complaint states that Roe stopped working for Brooks in mid-2021 and relocated to Mississippi.

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Brooks claimed that the accuser sent him a "demand letter" ahead of filing her lawsuit and alleged that Roe is attempting to extort him. In his complaint filed in Mississippi on Sept. 13, Brooks claimed that Roe had told asked him for money when she encountered "financial difficulties" when she moved in 2020 from Tennessee to Mississippi. The country star complied out of loyalty and friendship, and she kept asking for more money.

However, she allegedly increased her "demands for salaried employment and medical benefits." Brooks' complaint claims that she created "false and outrageous allegations of sexual misconduct" in a "confidential demand letter" from Roe's attorneys in July, which noted several "celebrity sexual misconduct lawsuits featuring multi-million dollar jury awards."

The letter features claims of sexual assault, according to Brooks' complaint, and threats to publicly out him unless he paid her millions of dollars.

A second letter in August from Doe allegedly offered to withhold filing a lawsuit in exchange for millions of dollars worth of a payout, Brooks' complaint read. He claimed that Roe knew the extent of damage sexual assault allegations would do to his career, and Roe ultimately filed the suit on Oct. 3.

Related: Garth Brooks' Sexual Assault Lawsuit 'Shocking' to Nashville Community: 'Known as a Nice Guy' (Exclusive Source)

Brooks released a statement in response to the allegations, claiming the accuser is looking to extort him.

"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," Brooks said in a statement to PEOPLE on Oct. 3. "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," the statement continued.

"We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides."

"I want to play music tonight," Brooks added. "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."

Following Brooks speaking out, attorney Douglas H. Wigdor representing the woman said in a statement: "We are very confident in our case and over time the public will see his true character rather than his highly curated persona."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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