Garth Brooks didn't shy away from the controversy. During an October 7 livestream, the country star addressed what he called "the elephant in the room" - shocking sexual assault allegations that had been levied against him by a former employee four days earlier. "This thing is on, it's gonna happen, and people are telling me it could be up to two years" until his legal woes are resolved, he said. "So, my suggestion is, well, take a deep breath, we all just kind of settle in and let's hold hands and take the trip together, because it is something that you cannot talk about. That's all we can say about it."

Fans are desperate to know more. On October 3, a woman who worked as a makeup artist and hairstylist for the 62-year-old and his second wife, fellow country singer Trisha Yearwood, 60, filed a civil complaint in California under the pseudonym "Jane Roe" accusing him of rape and harassment.

For the beloved star known for his philanthropy and rep as one of the good guys, the stunning claims - which he's vigorously denied, insisting in an October 3 statement that he's "incapable" of committing such "ugly acts" - have some speculating that he's been leading a secret double life during his widely admired, nearly 19-year marriage. Not so, an insider exclusively tells Life & Style. "Garth swears this is nothing but a vicious smear campaign and money grab. He will do whatever it takes to clear his name."

TROUBLING DETAILS

There's a lot to debunk. The most serious claim: that Garth raped Jane Roe in his L.A. hotel suite in May 2019. While in town to tape a Grammys tribute, he "appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, completely naked," the suit claims, describing "his 6-foot and almost 300-pound frame ready to pounce on Ms. Roe, who is less than 5 feet and 100 pounds. As she began to panic, he grabbed her hands and pulled her into the next room and onto the bed where she could not escape." After the "painful and traumatic" incident, the filing claims, "it was business as usual. Ms. Roe worked quickly to style his hair and do his makeup for the event so he was on time."

Jane had been working with Trisha since 1999. When she faced financial difficulties in 2017, Garth reportedly also began using her services. But the good turn turned bad. According to the 29-page suit, the "Friends in Low Places" singer repeatedly changed his clothing in front of her, exposed his genitals and buttocks and once placed her hand on his erect penis. He groped her breasts while she was doing his hair and makeup, she claims, and sent her sexually explicit texts he later deleted from her phone. Garth, Jane claims, also shared his fantasies - often saying he wanted "a threesome" with her and Trisha. In one shocking claim, the suit says she "believes Brooks' wife overheard [that] on at least one occasion."

FIGHTING BACK

The 23-time Academy of Country Music Award winner is adamant none of the above is true. He defiantly responded to the lawsuit in a lengthy October 3 statement saying, "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," adding, "I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be."

He first denied Jane's allegations in a preemptive complaint filed anonymously September 13 in Mississippi, where his accuser moved in 2021. In court papers, "John Doe" sought to block the claims of a "lying extortionist" set on "destroying his professional reputation" by making good "on her threat to 'publicly file' her fabricated lawsuit" after initially sending him "a 'confidential' demand letter" in July.

In his complaint, Garth also said Jane had "alleged a belief " that he "planned to hire someone to murder her," which he denied. (He later amended the suit to reveal Jane's real name; Life & Style has decided not to publish it.)

THE EVIDENCE

Jane's complaint - in which she's seeking unspecified monetary and punitive damages - can allegedly be backed up with texts, emails and, it suggests, recordings of private calls: A footnote in the filing states that "Any email, text message or content of telephone conversations placed within quotations herein, are direct quotes from the documents or audio recordings."

In one partially redacted message, for instance, she wrote about his "huge stick," to which Garth allegedly responded, "I'll take that nickname," adding, "Thank you. I love you." Also among the conversations quoted is one which Jane says took place after the alleged rape about a mysterious to text to Garth, which she says he suspected came from her husband. He tried to persuade her to give him her spouse's number, according to the suit. "[Garth] told Ms. Roe, 'I never want to hurt anybody so that [mysterious text], it bothered me...'" She says he continued, "And that killed me. It broke my heart, like, god, I never want to hurt anybody. So I was just - I was scared to death.

UNDER PRESSURE

There's a lot at stake. Though Garth and Trisha have been one of country music's most popular couples, Garth has a history of cheating. In 1993, he confessed to betraying first wife Sandy Mahl, 59, with whom he has three adult daughters. After reconciling, they split for good in 2000. He and Trisha got together that same year and wed in 2005.

Despite his sketchy past, "Trisha felt they were soulmates in a way Garth and Sandy were not," explains the source. In recent weeks, they've been putting on a united front. On September 13 - the same day Garth filed his preemptive lawsuit - USA Today published an interview with the two-time Grammy winner pledging "to be the plus one" to Trisha, who has three Grammys herself, after he wraps his Vegas residency in March. (The "She's in Love With the Boy" singer is also a popular cookbook author and TV chef.) On September 30, he posted a pic holding hands with his wife as they walked through a Habitat for Humanity construction site. Though Trisha didn't publicly comment on the allegations, on October 7, she captioned a photo of the couple, "Love One Another." Even so, says the source, "Trisha is mortified and distressed."

She and Garth have a lot to consider. "Their careers, their brands, their reputations," says the source, noting the couple are worth a reported $400 million combined. "Friends worry that if it's proven Garth did these sordid things, Trisha won't stick around," adds the source. "They hope she would kick him to the curb and take him for everything he's got."