Garth Brooks Accused of Rape, Sexual Assault

Country music star Garth Brooks has been accused of sexual assault and rape by a former employee, according to a lawsuit filed in California state court Oct. 3. 

The documents obtained by USA Today outline alleged incidents of sexual assault and rape by a former makeup artist identified as "Jane Roe." The anonymous plaintiff said she began doing hair and makeup for Brooks in 2017, though her history with the Brooks family dates back even further, as she first started doing hair and makeup for his future wife Trisha Yearwood back in 1999. 

Roe accused Brooks of acts like exposing his genitals and buttocks on several occasions, describing sexual fantasies to her, and sending her explicit text messages. In one alleged incident in 2019, she was at Brooks' home for work when he walked out of the shower naked and "grabbed her hands and forced them" onto his genitals. The lawsuit then alleged that Brooks raped Roe in a Los Angeles hotel room in May 2019. 

"Usually there were others on Brooks’ private jet but this time, Ms. Roe and Brooks were the only two passengers," the lawsuit said, per CNN. "Once in Los Angeles at the hotel, Ms. Roe could not believe that Brooks had booked a hotel suite with one bedroom and she did not have a separate room." Brooks allegedly "appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, completely naked," leaving Roe feeling "trapped in the room alone with Brooks." The alleged rape concluded with Brooks reportedly continuing to discuss his sexual fantasies with Roe, including “repeated remarks” about "having a threesome" with Yearwood. 

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Roe's legal team shared in a statement to USA Today that Roe has "courage in moving forward with her complaints 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," the statement said. "We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions and his efforts to silence our client through the filing of a preemptive complaint in Mississippi was nothing other than an act of desperation and attempted intimidation. We encourage others who may have been victimized to contact us as no survivor should suffer in silence."

The lawsuit comes after an anonymous celebrity—now revealed to be Brooks—filed a lawsuit in Mississippi federal court asking authorities to declare any forthcoming allegations from the accuser untrue. The move was done before any claims were formally filed on Roe's part, per CNN.  

Men's Journal has reached out to a representative for Brooks for comment.