Garth Brooks Performs Amid Sexual Assault Allegations

Garth Brooks fought back against charges of sexual assault, battery and rape hours before he took the stage in Las Vegas.

The singer kept his commitment at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Thursday night (Oct. 3). After the show, he broke his silence on social media with a post that thanked fans.

• Garth Brooks’ former hair and makeup artist has accused him of sexual assault, rape and battery.
• The lawsuit — filed in California — came three weeks after Brooks filed a preemptive lawsuit in Mississippi, trying to stop her from suing him.
• Jane Roe is seeking a jury trial and compensatory and punitive damages.

Related: Garth Brooks Accused of Sexual Assault, Rape

“If there was ever a night that I really needed this, tonight was that night! Thank you for my life!” Brooks wrote alongside a photo of him on stage in Las Vegas.

Both he and wife Trisha Yearwood have disabled comments on social media. In a statement to media, Brooks denied the charges against him.

What Is Garth Brooks Accused Of?

CNN was first to share news of the lawsuit. “Jane Roe” is accusing Brooks of two specific instances of sexual assault and rape, and alleges continued physical and verbal harassment afterward. Here is each incident, as described in Jane Roe’s lawsuit:

• In early 2019, Roe says she was at Brooks’ home when he walked out of the shower naked, grabbed her hands and forced them onto his genitals while using sexual language.
• In May of 2019, Roe says she was raped by Brooks in a hotel room during a work trip to Los Angeles, where Brooks was booked to tape a Grammy tribute performance.

Garth Brooks Responds to Rape Allegations

Here is Brooks’ full statement responding to the charges brought against 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. 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.

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. 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.

Additional Garth Brooks shows in Las Vegas are planned for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5-6, and Oct. 10, 12 and 13. No cell phones are allowed in the venue, so there is not likely to be video of the singer speaking on the subject from the stage.