Country-music superstar Garth Brooks is the subject of harrowing sexual-assault allegations from a former employee.
In a lawsuit made public on Thursday, a former hair-and-makeup stylist who worked for Brooks and his wife, fellow country-music superstar Trisha Yearwood, alleges that Brooks raped her during a 2019 work trip as Brooks was set to perform at the Grammy Awards.
According to the suit, the two flew to the event alone on his private jet, which was unusual, and he booked just one hotel suite for both of them, also unusual.
Brooks, the suit alleges, denied the stylist’s request to book a separate room for her, and during their stay, he appeared in the suite completely naked, dragged her onto a bed in an adjoining room in the suite, and overpowered her and raped her, to a point where the woman described feeling as if she were being broken in two.
The suit also describes another incident at Brooks’s home earlier in 2019 when the stylist was to do his makeup, and Brooks came out of the bathroom naked and with an erection. The woman alleges that Brooks pointed his erect penis at the woman, grabbed her hands and put them on his penis, and that he told her he fantasized about her giving him oral sex with her glasses on so he could ejaculate on her face.
The woman also detailed in the suit that Brooks would often fondle her breasts while she was doing his hair and makeup, and would masturbate afterwards, and that he sent her numerous texts sharing sexual fantasies involving her, including fantasies about having threesomes with her and his wife.
Brooks and Yearwood married in 2005.
The abusive behavior continued, the suit alleges, because the woman was facing financial hardships and needed the work, and didn’t feel empowered to speak out, and Brooks took advantage of that.
Brooks, in a statement, forcefully denied the allegations.
“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.”
Brooks is currently performing in a residency in Las Vegas, and he performed as scheduled at an event last night.
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Chris Graham
