Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood have spoken about life in Ireland amid rape claims, he says

Garth Brooks is considering buying a house in Ireland with his wife Trisha Yearwood amid a sexual assault allegation against him.

The country star talked about possible plans to buy a house in Europe during his “Inside Studio G” Facebook Live show late last month, which Brooks, 62, attributed to his wife. The conversation was sparked by a video submitted by an Irish fan, which referenced previous comments he made about life in the country.

“Basically the Queen is pushing hard for the house in Ireland,” Brooks said. “I think she just fell in love with the country the last time she was there.”

The “Friends in Low Places” singer recalled playing two weekends of shows in Ireland with Yearwood, 60, in tow. “Everyone was so nice to her,” he said.

USA TODAY has reached out to Yearwood’s representative for comment.

The comments come after Brooks was accused in October of sexual assault and battery by a former hair and makeup artist, who alleged he raped her in a Los Angeles hotel room in 2019.

In the lawsuit, filed in a Jane Roe court in California and obtained by USA TODAY, she claims she was first hired as a hairstylist and makeup artist for Yearwood in 1999 and continued to work for her “over the years.” In 2017, she started doing makeup and hairstyling for Brooks. The alleged abuse began two years later.

Garth Brooks denies it rape allegations, says he’s ‘not the man they portrayed me to be’

Brooks has been married to Yearwood since 2005.

Roe recalled multiple incidents of abuse, including one where she was at Brooks’ home to style his hair and do his makeup when he allegedly “walked out of the shower naked, with an erection and pointing his penis at Ms. Roe.” He then grabbed her hands “and forced them onto his erect penis,” the suit said.

The lawsuit followed an attempt by Brooks to block the sexual abuse claims from public view through a lawsuit he, as John Doe, filed in a federal court in Mississippi on September 13, the same day the country singer concluded his residency in Las Vegas. . The filing argued that the sexual abuse claims would “irreparably harm” his reputation, family, career and livelihood.

On October 8, Brooks amended his case, identifying himself as the John Doe and asking a judge to preemptively declare the Jane Roe’s sexual misconduct allegations untrue and award him damages for emotional distress and defamation. In the complaint, Brooks also names the woman who accuses him of sexual assault.

Garth Brooks claims he is the victim of a ‘shakedown’, names himself and the accuser of the rape

Roe’s attorneys — Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker — denounced Brooks at the time for naming their client in his filing in a statement to USA TODAY.

“Garth Brooks just revealed his true self,” the lawyers said. “Without legal justification, Brooks has locked her out because he thinks the laws don’t apply to him.”

Brooks, who has denied all of Roe’s allegations, called himself “the victim of a shakedown.”

Contributors: Jay Stahl, Pam Avila, KiMi Robinson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood considering living in Ireland, he says