Garth Brooks was full of emotion after he returned to the stage just hours after denying accusations of rape, sexual assault and battery.
The 62-year-old country singer broke his social media silence after performing his Garth Brooks/Plus ONE residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Sharing a photo of the adoring crowd on Instagram, Garth penned: "If there was ever a night that I really needed this, TONIGHT was that night! Thank you for my life!!!!! love, g."
Garth is being sued by a woman identified only as "Jane Roe", who was hired as a makeup artist for his wife, Trisha Yearwood, before working directly for Garth in 2017.
The complaint, which was filed in a state court in California on October 3, contains allegations that Garth raped the unnamed woman, undressed in her presence, exposed his genitals and buttocks, and openly spoke about sex and sexual fantasies in several incidents in 2019.
Garth responded to the accusations in a statement to the press, which said: "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."
Garth also referred to a lawsuit he filed in September in an attempt to prevent the "false allegations of sexual misconduct" made by the accuser from being made public, claiming it would "irreparably harm (his) reputation, family, career and livelihood".
© MediaPunch/Shutterstock"We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character," he explained. "We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides."
The lawsuit was filed on September 13 and called Jane Roe "a lying extortionist who intended on destroying his professional reputation."
© Getty ImagesHe continued: "I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart [that] 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."
© Getty ImagesLawyers from Wigdor LLP, acting on behalf of the woman, said in a statement: "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.
© Getty Images"We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions and his efforts to silence our client through the filing of a pre-emptive 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."
