Country music sensation Garth Brooks returned to the stage on Thursday (October 3) just hours after being accused of rape and battery in a lawsuit filed by a former employee.
The “Friends in Low Places” singer, 62, performed at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace as part of his ongoing residency, which began in May 2023 and is scheduled to run until March 2025.
Following the sold-out concert, Brooks posted a photo from the night, writing: “If there was ever a night that I really needed this, TONIGHT was that night! Thank you for my life!!!!!”
His message of gratitude came the same day a woman who claims to have been his former makeup and hair stylist filed a complaint in a California state court accusing Brooks of raping her in a hotel suite during a 2019 work trip.
In the lawsuit, the accuser, anonymously identified as “Jane Roe,” also alleged that Brooks repeatedly groped her, made sexually explicit comments, exposed himself to her on many occasions and told her about his sexual fantasies while she worked for him throughout 2019.
Roe said she was initially hired to do hair and makeup for Brooks’ wife, Trisha Yearwood, in 1999. She said she began working for Brooks directly in 2017 and that she was forced to continue working for him due to financial hardship, which she alleged that he was aware of and exploited.
Brooks has vehemently denied Roe’s claims, calling them “lies.”
“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,” he said in a statement. “It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face.”
The Grammy-winning artist referred to a lawsuit he filed last month in an attempt to prevent the content of the accuser’s claims being made public.
“We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character,” he explained.
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“Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money,” he added. “In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of – ugly acts no human should ever do to another.
“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,” Brooks concluded. “I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
In a statement to CNN, attorneys acting on his accuser’s behalf said that they were “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 statement said. “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.”
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)