Ryan Adams has been accused of psychologically abusive behavior, harassment, and other misconduct by a number of women, including his ex-wife, Mandy Moore, as well as musicians Phoebe Bridgers and Courtney Jaye.
The allegations were published Wednesday by the New York Times.
Both Moore, who was married to Adams from 2009 to 2016, and his ex-fiancée, Megan Butterworth, went on record with the Times. So, too, did Bridgers and Jaye, who previously collaborated with Adams. All four women — as well as two other musicians who asked not to be identified — recounted Adams’ “psychologically abusive” behavior.
Moore accused Adams of being overly controlling and stunting her professional career. “His controlling behavior essentially did block my ability to make new connections in the industry during a very pivotal and potentially lucrative time — my entire mid-to-late 20s,” Moore said.
Both Bridgers and Jaye detailed similar interactions with Adams, which began with intense flattery and offers to collaborate. However, as their respective relationships progressed, Adams’ behavior allegedly “turned obsessive and emotionally abusive.” Bridgers said when she broke up with Adams, he rescinded an offer for her to open an upcoming tour and threatened to withhold the release of her music. Bridgers also accused Adam of exposing himself prior to a concert in 2017.
Another woman, identified only by “Ava”, said she and Adams began an online relationship when she was only 14 years old. Ava told the Times that Adams repeatedly asked about her age and appealed to her to keep their conversations private. Several times, their interactions became explicit.
Adams’ attorney, Andrew B. Brettler, said in a statement, “Mr. Adams unequivocally denies that he ever engaged in inappropriate online sexual communications with someone he knew was underage,” and also denied the “extremely serious and outlandish accusations” detailed in the Times’ reporting. Brettler called some of the allegations “grousing by disgruntled individuals.”
Adams himself addressed the article on Twitter, writing: “I am not a perfect man and I have made many mistakes. To anyone I have ever hurt, however unintentionally, I apologize deeply and unreservedly. But the picture that this article paints is upsettingly inaccurate. Some of its details are misrepresented; some are exaggerated; some are outright false. I would never have inappropriate interactions with someone I though was underage. Period. As someone who has always tried to spread joy through my music and my life, hearing that some people believe I caused them pain saddens me greatly. I am resolved to work to be the best man I can be. And I wish everyone compassion, understanding and healing.”
Earlier today, Adams preempted the article’s publishing with a pair of since-deleted social media postings. In an Instagram post, he shared an image of the New York Times logo with the caption, “Fuck you.” And in a tweet, he wrote, “Happy Valentines day @nytimes. I know you got lawyers. But do you have the truth on your side. No. I do. And you have run out of friends. My folks are NOT your friends.”
Meanwhile, two comedians, Kate Quigley and Erica Rhodes, discussed their own interactions with Adams during a recent episode of Quigley’s podcast #DateFails. In the episode, the women never identify Adams by name; however, after Adams asked Quigley to pull the episode, she identified Adams as the subject of the podcast. During their lengthy conversation, Quigley and Rhodes recounted similar behavior to what is detailed in the Times article, and also expressed concern over his renewed drug use. (Adams was 60 days sober as of late December.)
