The show went on for Garth Brooks amid his sexual assault lawsuit.
The country star shared an emotional Instagram post on Thursday after performing in Las Vegas on the heels of a former employee filing a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and rape.
“If there was ever a night that I really needed this, TONIGHT was that night! Thank you for my life!!!!! Love, g,” Brooks, 62, wrote alongside a picture of himself performing to a sold-out crowd.
The singer is in the middle of his residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which started in May 2023 and is set to run through early 2025.
Earlier that day, news broke that a woman who claims she worked as his hairstylist and makeup artist accused Brooks of rape and battery — but the Country Music Awards winner has maintained his innocence. He compared the allegations to “having a loaded gun waved” in his face.
The lawsuit, filed in a California court Thursday by a woman referred to only as “Jane Roe,” states that Brooks allegedly raped her in a hotel room, where she was alone with and felt “trapped” by the artist. At the time, in May 2019, the pair had allegedly just traveled alone in his private jet to Los Angeles for a Grammys taping.
The alleged victim was first hired as a hair and makeup artist for Brooks’ wife, Trisha Yearwood, in 1999, but was then moved to Brooks’ team in 2017, the suit states.
In addition to sexual assault and battery, Brooks is accused of repeatedly exposing his genitals and buttocks, talking about sex and sharing sexual fantasies with Roe, regularly changing his clothing in front of her and sending her sexually explicit text messages, according to the complaint in the case, obtained by CNN.
The suit alleges these incidents occurred in 2019.
“We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions,” attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker said in a statement to CNN.
The statement adds, “We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks. 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.”
Brooks previously denied his accuser’s allegations and attempted to block Roe from publicly repeating her allegations, according to a previous complaint he had filed as “John Doe,” per CNN.
He claimed that Roe’s legal representation sent him a “confidential” demand letter alleging sexual misconduct after he declined her request for “salaried employment and medical benefits,” the outlet reported. But Roe’s attorneys claim the preemptive complaint was an act of desperation to intimidate and silence his accuser.
According to CNN, in a statement from his publicist, Brooks stated he filed the anonymous complaint nearly a month ago for the “sake of families on both sides” and to speak out against extortion and defamation of character.
“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,” explained the star.
“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.”
Brooks noted that he wants to focus on his career and continue playing music and doing “good deeds,” but his heart “breaks” over his integrity being questioned.
“I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be,” he said.
