Garth Brooks Says 'This Thing Is on' Following Sexual Assault Claims as He Prepares for Possible Two-Year Legal Battle

Mar. 15, 2025

Garth Brooks in Frisco, Texas in May 2023.Photo:SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty

US singer/songwriter Garth Brooks performs during the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, on May 11, 2023. (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP

SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty

Garth Brooksis preparing for potential legal proceedings.

In a video from hisFacebook Live showInside Studio Gshared on Monday, Oct. 7, the country singer, 62, addressed the possibility of a two-year legal battle following sexual assault allegations made against him.

“Lot’s happened in the last two weeks. Let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we?” Brooks said at the start of the Oct. 7 video. “This thing is on; it’s gonna happen."

“People are telling me it could be up to two years. So my suggestion is, we all take a deep breath, just kinda settle in and let’s hold hands and take a trip together. Because it is something that we cannot talk about. That’s all we can say about it.”

Brooks then changed the subject to discusshis recent Habitat for Humanity tripwith hiswife Trisha Yearwoodandhis residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Garth Brooks in Nashville in May 2023.Jason Kempin/Getty

Garth Brooks

Jason Kempin/Getty

While Roe worked for Brooks, she alleged in the complaint that she encountered him “regularly changing his clothing” in front of her and would “often purposefully” expose himself. Brooks also allegedly told her about his “sexual fantasies” and sent her “sexually explicit text messages.”

The complaint states that Roe stopped working for Brooks in mid-2021 and relocated to Mississippi.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Brooks claimed that the accuser sent him a “demand letter” ahead of filing her lawsuit and allegedthat Roe is attempting to extort him. In his complaint filed in Mississippi on Sept. 13, Brooks claimed that Roe had told asked him for money when she encountered “financial difficulties” when she moved in 2020 from Tennessee to Mississippi. The country star complied out of loyalty and friendship, and she kept asking for more money.

However, she allegedly increased her “demands for salaried employment and medical benefits.” Brooks' complaint claims that she created “false and outrageous allegations of sexual misconduct” in a “confidential demand letter” from Roe’s attorneys in July, which noted several “celebrity sexual misconduct lawsuits featuring multi-million dollar jury awards.”

The letter features claims of sexual assault, according to Brooks' complaint, and threats to publicly out him unless he paid her millions of dollars.

A second letter in August from Doe allegedly offered to withhold filing a lawsuit in exchange for millions of dollars worth of a payout, Brooks' complaint read. He claimed that Roe knew the extent of damage sexual assault allegations would do to his career, and Roe ultimately filed the suit on Oct. 3.

Garth Brooks in 2024.facebook

Garth Brooks Says ‘This Thing Is on’ Following Sexual Assault Claims as He Prepares for Possible Two-Year Legal Battle

facebook

Brooks released a statement in response to the allegations, claiming the accuser is looking to extort 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,“Brooks said in a statement to PEOPLEon Oct. 3. “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,” the statement continued.

“We filed suit against this person nearly a month agoto 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,” Brooks added. “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.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.

source: people.com