Country music star Garth Brooks has been announced as the first headliner for next year’s British Summer Time festival in London, less than a year after he was accused of raping a woman in a hotel room.
Brooks, 63, has vehemently denied the accusations against him and filed in December for the case to be thrown out, arguing that the suit is an extortion attempt.
The festival appearance at London’s Hyde Park next summer, which will mark his first UK performance in 30 years, also follows controversy about his decision to name his anonymous accuser.
The woman was identified only as “Jane Roe” in the suit, but on 8 October Brooks shared her name in a court filing in Mississippi, a move that was met with condemnation by her legal team.
In a statement to The Independent, Jane Roe’s lawyers Douglas H Wigdor, Jeanne M Christensen, and Hayley Baker said: “Garth Brooks just revealed his true self. Out of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape victim.
“With no legal justification, Brooks outed her because he thinks the laws don’t apply to him. On behalf of our client, we will be moving for maximum sanctions against him immediately.”
In the lawsuit, Jane Roe said she was hired to do hair and makeup for Brooks’s wife, country singer and cookbook author Trisha Yearwood, in 1999 – the year he separated from his first wife, Sandy Mahl.
Jane Roe said she then began working for Brooks directly in 2017. She alleged that the rape took place in a hotel room in Los Angeles in May 2019, and that on subsequent occasions he physically groped her and made “repeated remarks” about “having a threesome” with his wife.
In a statement addressing the allegations against him, Brooks told Deadline through his representatives: “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.”
He continued: “Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behaviour I am incapable of, ugly acts no human should ever do to another.”
Brooks is one of country music’s biggest stars. Born Troyal Garth Brooks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he released his self-titled debut album in 1989 and achieved a No 1 single on the Hot Country Songs chart with “If Tomorrow Never Comes”.
His breakthrough second album, 1990’s No Fences, included his signature song “Friends in Low Places”.
Brooks has been married twice: first to songwriter Mahl, with whom he shares three daughters, Taylor, August and Allie. He also has a granddaughter, Karalynn, born to August and her partner Chance Michael Russell. Brooks and Mahl separated in 1999; their divorce was finalised two years later. He married Yearwood in 2005.
Brooks will headline British Summer Time on 27 June 2026.
Jim King, chief executive of the festival’s operators AEG Presents UK and European Festivals, said: “Announcing Garth Brooks as our first BST Hyde Park headliner for 2026 is a landmark moment. He joins the line of legendary artists who have defined BST over the years.
“A true global icon, Garth’s songs have connected with audiences everywhere, and his influence has paved the way for many of the country stars we celebrate today. His first UK performance in nearly three decades promises to be an unforgettable occasion at Hyde Park.”
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
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