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Garth Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, stepped out this week to honor their longtime friend, the late President Jimmy Carter, at his funeral in Washington, D.C. Their appearance comes amid the sexual assault lawsuit against the 62-year-old "Friends in Low Places" singer.
On Wednesday, January 9, the country music power couple performed an acoustic rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine" at the National Cathedral. Brooks strummed his guitar while harmonizing with Yearwood, 60, as a choir joined them.
Brooks and the "She's In Love With The Boy" songstress, who have a long history with the nation's 39th president and his late wife Rosalynn Carter through Habitat for Humanity, joined the service attended by President Joe Biden, former presidents (including Donald Trump and Barack Obama), and other world leaders.
This wasn't their first time honoring the Carters — the pair also performed "Imagine" at Rosalynn's funeral in 2023.
The country icons' tribute to the late POTUS — who died at age 100 on December 29, 2024 — came as the "If Tomorrow Never Comes" singer continues to face legal troubles stemming from a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him last October. The anonymous plaintiff, a former employee, has accused Brooks of assault and harassment dating back to 2019 — allegations the musician has strongly denied.
"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," Brooks said in a statement when the lawsuit was filed. "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."
He continued, "I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart 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."
The two-time Grammy Award winner has been married to Yearwood since 2005. Before their union, he welcomed three daughters — Taylor, 32, Augusta, 30, and Allie, 28 — with his first wife, Sandy Mahl.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to https://www.rainn.org/
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