Jimmy Kimmel failed to question Garth Brooks about being accused of rape during a fluffy interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Monday.
The late-night host, 57, greeted the country singer, 62, with a big smile and immediately asked some softball questions about his plans for Thanksgiving.
“It’s very good to see you. … I can’t think of a better guest for Thanksgiving week because you are as American as Americans get, and I mean that in a good way,” Kimmel told Brooks.
The ABC personality went on to list several attributes that make the Grammy winner “American,” like being a country singer and a baseball player.
“You probably have more gratitude than anyone who’s in the realm that you are in of anybody,” he gushed.
Brooks thanked Kimmel for the kind words before joking that he is also a “great eater,” prompting the comedian to ask the the “Friends in Low Places” crooner about his Turkey Day agenda.
“We’ll have about 25 people over for Thanksgiving,” Brooks shared before complimenting his wife Trisha Yearwood’s cooking skills.
“She’s a fantastic cook,” he said.
The couple tied the knot in 2005. The musician was previously married to Sandy Mahl, with whom he shares three daughters: Taylor, 32, August, 30, and Allie, 28.
Kimmel peppered Brooks with inquiries about the holidays and his family; however, he notably ignored any mention of the sexual violence accusations pegged against his guest.
Last month, a woman who worked as Brooks’ hairstylist, sued the “Dance” singer for sexual assault and battery.
The alleged incident occurred in 2019, according to the complaint filed in California on Oct. 3.
The hairstylist, who identified herself only as Jane Doe, accused Brooks of repeatedly exposing his genitals, changing in front of her, discussing sexual fantasies and sending her explicit text messages.
In one alleged 2019 interaction, Roe claimed she was at Brooks’ home when he walked out of the shower naked and “grabbed her hands and forced them” onto his genitals as he said vulgar things to her.
The same year, he allegedly raped her in a hotel room during a work trip to Los Angeles.
Roe further claimed Brooks groped her and made repeated remarks about “having a threesome” with Yearwood.
The alleged victim said in the filing that she began working for Brooks in 2017 but was initially hired to do hair and makeup for Yearwood in 1999.
The performer vehemently denied the accusations in a statement to Page Six.
“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 claimed.
“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.
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“We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides.
“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.”
Brooks has since sued his accuser for compensatory and punitive damages, though he stated that money “cannot adequately compensate” for altering his reputation.
“Defendant will suffer no hardship from an injunction of her wrongful conduct, while Plaintiff will suffer irreparable harm if no injunction is issued,” he said in court documents.
The hitmaker also publicly named the previously anonymous woman in his filing, which prompted her lawyers to threaten “maximum sanctions against him.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
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