Garth Brooks makes bold decision with Jimmy Kimmel Live! performance in LA as sexual assault case continues

Garth Brooks wound up onstage in Los Angeles Monday after initially canceling the show, as he continues his legal battle with a former employee who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a suit filed last month.

The Grammy-winning artist, 62, took the stage in a mini-show on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he decided to move forward with in a ‘last minute’ decision, sources told The U.S. Sun on Monday.

The Friends in Low Places singer took the stage in an all-black ensemble, with a hooded sweatshirt reading the name of late singer Chris LeDoux across the front. 

He paired the top with black jeans and a black Pittsburgh Pirates ballcap with teal colors, which MLB teams typically play in every Father’s Day weekend. 

The ticketing company 1iota sent communications to ticketholders that ‘the Garth Brooks Outdoor Mini-Concert on Monday, November 25th is moving back outside as originally scheduled,’ according to the outlet.

The concert had been previously ‘canceled with no explanation,’ The U.S. Sun reported. 

The Grammy-winning artist took the stage in a mini-show on on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he decided to move forward with in a ‘last minute’ decision

Last week, 1iota told those who obtained seats to the show that it had ‘been canceled and will no longer proceed as scheduled,’ the outlet reported.

The company added that the ‘event will not be rescheduled,’ and pointed to the changing nature of TV scheduling in explaining the abrupt change of course.

‘Television production decisions can fluctuate due to a variety of reasons,’ the company said. ‘Unfortunately, in the world of television, these things sometimes happen.’

Dailymail.com has reached out to Brooks’ reps for comment on the issue.  

The Tulsa, Oklahoma native was earlier pictured making his way to Kimmel’s Hollywood, California studio in a comfy ensemble of a black sweater that read ‘Life is good’ across the front.

He rounded out his ensemble with blue sweatpants and brown Nike sneakers as he toted a large blue Nike gym bag on his shoulder.

A pair of posts appeared on Brooks’ X/Twitter page Monday afternoon confirmed he would be taking the stage.

‘Tonight Garth Brooks returns to @JimmyKimmelLive and he’s bringing the whole band with him! -Team Garth,’ a tweet posted at 3:09 p.m. PT read.

The Friends in Low Places singer raised his arms in triumph during his set 

The Friends in Low Places singer took the stage in an all-black ensemble, with a hooded sweatshirt reading the name of late singer Chris LeDoux across the front 

He paired the top with black jeans and a black Pittsburgh Pirates ballcap with teal colors, which MLB teams typically play in every Father’s Day weekend 

Brooks tipped his hat to the crowd as he was flanked by his band during the outing 

Another posted at 4:29 p.m. PT linked to a clip of the country star, with the caption, ‘Backstage at @JimmyKimmelLive! We have the whole band here tonight!!! love, g.’

Replies were limited to accounts Brooks follows or mentioned in the tweet amid his ongoing litigation.

Brooks earlier this month submit paperwork in an effort to get his case moved to federal court after a former employee filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting her.

The country music superstar filed documents on November 1 to have his complaint against the woman, who initially filed as an anonymous ‘Jane Roe,’ moved from the California Superior Court to federal court, according to People.

According to documents obtained by the publication, Brooks’ attorneys requested the transfer because his accuser asked for damages exceeding $75,000, which would put the amount in the range that can be covered by federal courts. 

The singer, who has adamantly denied the woman’s allegations, previously claimed he was the ‘victim of a shakedown,’ and he accused the plaintiff of trying to ‘blackmail’ him in legal documents.

While speaking to Entertainment Tonight, legal expert Tre Lovell explained that Brooks may also be eligible to have the lawsuit moved to federal court because he is from Tennessee, while Roe is from Mississippi.

Among the potential ‘advantages’ of a federal trial are a ‘quicker trial date’ and a ‘broader jury pool.’

The Thunder Rolls artist played to the crowd during the outdoor show in Southern California 

The Tulsa, Oklahoma native was earlier pictured making his way to Kimmel’s Hollywood, California studio in a comfy ensemble of a black sweater that read ‘Life is good’ across the front 

The Unanswered Prayers vocalist appeared to be in good spirits as he arrived at the studio

He was seen approaching the late night show’s Guillermo Rodriguez at the studio 

‘Los Angeles tends to be more of a minority blue-collar jury pool,’ Lovell said, implying that that composition would be more favorable to Roe.

‘In federal court, you have a broader jury pool, and a broader jury pool, I think, would help Garth as well in this case,’ he added.

The legal expert suggested that federal judges might be more willing to throw out the case, and he also noted that they might be more likely to seal the filings, which could prevent any embarrassing details about the singer’s alleged interactions with his accuser from being seen by the public.

Brooks was previously so upset that his name was disclosed by Roe’s attorneys that he re-filed his initial complaint last month with her full name listed.

The singer had filed an anonymous preemptive countersuit in federal court in Mississippi in September, though his accuser eventually filed her suit in California on October 3.

In his filing, he said the lawsuit was filed after he received a ‘demand letter’ from Roe’s attorney.

In her lawsuit, the anonymous woman accused Brooks of fostering a sexually hostile workplace prior to the alleged rape in 2019.

She claimed he ‘took advantage’ of financial difficulties she was suffering around 2019 by calling on her for sexual favors. 

The stalwart country artist was pictured rehearsing ahead of his show 

Brooks earlier this month submit paperwork in an effort to get his case moved to federal court after a former employee filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting her 

A legal expert told ET that Brooks could benefit from a more sympathetic jury pool, a speedier trial and judges who are more willing to dismiss cases in federal court

Roe accused Brooks of emerging naked from a shower on one occasion ‘with an erection’ that he forced her to touch. He allegedly grabbed her hand and told her that he fantasized about the moment and wanted her to perform a sex act on him.

In a filing from early October, she included screenshots of a sexually explicit text message conversation that she allegedly carried on with Brooks. 

She claimed things escalated in May 2019, when he asked her to travel with him to Los Angeles for a Grammy Awards tribute to Sam Moore. She claimed he booked a one-bedroom hotel suite and refused to provide her with her own room.

She accused Brooks of brutally raping her during the trip, before going on to send her explicit text messages and encouraging her to sext him in return.

The woman also claimed he boasted that he had ‘f***ed multiple women in every corner of a hotel room,’ ‘white, Black, brown, or whatever… on every surface’.

She said Brooks repeatedly spoke of the potential of having a threesome with Yearwood and Roe, and he allegedly exposed himself to her and groped her body including her breasts multiple times, the lawsuit claimed.

Strikingly, Roe believed Yearwood ‘overheard [his suggestion of a threesome] on at least one occasion,’ and she said his wife was present for one particularly lewd conversation in which Brooks spoke of inventing a shampoo bottle that would double as a dildo.

Roe claimed the conversation made her so uncomfortable that she would not join in, which angered Brooks so much he allegedly ‘slammed his fists down on the kitchen counter in frustration so hard that items on the counter moved and he leaned in and spoke in a threatening manner to Ms. Roe.’

The singer’s attorneys claim they want to move to federal court because Jane Roe requested damages over $75K

Brooks is from Tennessee and the woman accusing him of sex assault is from Mississippi, which could help a move to federal court. She filed her lawsuit in California 

After Brooks outed the woman in a re-filed suit, she filed screenshots of sexually explicit text message conversations allegedly involving him 

Roe’s legal team accused Brooks of pretending to entertain talks of a settlement, even as he used her sexual assault complaint to file his own preemptive lawsuit. 

In the country superstar’s lawsuit, he claimed Roe began suffering financial difficulties following a relocation to Mississippi. 

He alleged that she asked him for financial help, which he said he provided, but Brooks said the woman’s ‘demands for financial assistance only increased, with defendant ultimately asking plaintiff for salaried employment and medical benefits.’

Brooks refused and, he claimed, ‘she responded with false and outrageous allegations of sexual misconduct she claims occurred years ago’.

His lawsuits says an attorney acting for Roe on July 17 sent Brooks a ‘demand letter alleging a litany of sexual misconduct…ranging from allegations of sexual “grooming,” creation of a sexually hostile work environment, unwanted sexual touching, and sexual assault.’

In his lawsuit, Brooks claimed Roe also alleged her belief that he, ‘planned to hire someone to murder her.’ This allegation was not included in Roe’s own lawsuit.

Brooks claimed the demand letter was the first time he heard any of the allegations being made against him. He stated that the letter threatened to ‘publicly file’ a civil complaint – the draft of which was included – unless he ‘agreed to pay… millions of dollars.

‘The letter referred to various celebrity sexual misconduct lawsuits featuring multi-million-dollar jury awards,’ his lawsuit claimed.

Jane Doe claimed Brooks raped her on a work trip, then sent her explicitly sexual texts. She also says he tried to talk her into a threesome with his wife Trisha Yearwood; Brooks and Yearwood are pictured in April 2022 in Hollywood 

In a follow-up letter dated August 23, 2024, Brook’s filing says Roe again ‘offered to refrain from publicly filing her false and defamatory lawsuit…in exchange for a multi-million-dollar payment.’

He claimed: ‘She threatened that if [Brooks] failed to meet this demand, he would face exposure of many millions of dollars ‘based on [his] net worth.’

As the Recording Industry Association of America’s top solo artist in history, selling nearly 150 million albums, the Friends in Low Places, singer has an estimated net worth of between $300 million and $350 million.

He has at times been the highest-paid celebrity on the planet. Between June 2017 and June 2018, he earned $45 million. In the same period in 2019 — the year Roe accuses him of raping her — he earned $25 million.

Brooks’ country singer wife Trisha Yearwood’s own wealth brings their net worth as a couple to around $400 million. Married for 21 years, Yearwood, 60, and Brooks have homes in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as well as Nashville, Tennessee, and Malibu, California.

Brooks broke his silence on October 3, hours after issuing a strenuous legal denial of the allegations of rape and battery claims leveled by the make-up artist whom he has known for more than 20 years.

Sharing an update to Instagram after his show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Brooks wrote to fans that he ‘really needed this.’

Uploading a photograph of the huge crowd who turned out to cheer him on he wrote, ‘If ever there was a night that I really needed this, TONIGHT was that night! Thank you for my life!!!!love, g.’