Phoebe Bridgers opens up about assault by Ryan Adams, thanks fans for support

Pic Courtesy: Instagram

Washington: American musician Phoebe Bridgers has finally broken her silence on allegations of harassment and emotional abuse against singer-songwriter Ryan Adams. The 24-year-old artist shared an emotional Instagram post on Sunday, thanking her family and friends for their love and support.

Bridgers began her note by saying, “It’s been a weird week and I wanted to say a couple things.”

"Thank you from my whole f---ing heart to my friends, my bands, my mom. They all supported and validated me. They told me that what had happened was f---d up and wrong, and that I was right to feel weird about it. I couldn’t have done this without them," she wrote alongside a photo featuring fellow singer-songwriters Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker.

She also slammed Adam’s support system and friends, urging friends of potential abusers to keep them in check.“Ryan had a network too. Friends, bands, people he worked with. None of them held him accountable. They told him, by what they said or by what they didn’t, that what he was doing was okay. They validated him. He couldn’t have done this without them. Guys, if your friend is acting f---d up, call them out. If they’re actually your friend, they’ll listen. That’s the way this all gets better,” she concluded. Her message was met with outpouring support from others, including Adam’s ex-wife Mandy Moore.“Spot on. [Heart] you, friend,” the ‘This is Us’ actor commented, using a heart emoji.

Adams was hit with the allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct by multiple women in a New York Times article that published last Wednesday.The accusers, one of whom claimed that she was just a teenager when the two engaged in “sexual conversations” online, alleged that Adams used his power within the industry to lure them in with the promise of advancing their career.

Adams’ lawyer Andrew B. Brettler has denied all the claims to the Times, stating that his client never “engaged in inappropriate online sexual communications with someone he knew was underage.”

Brettler also added that the allegations come from “disgruntled individuals” who blame the singer for personal or professional disappointments, according to the outlet. Bridgers told the Times that she first met Adams in 2014 when she was just 20 years old and was fascinated by the “mythology” surrounding Adams, who she had heard could help push careers forward. She added that the duo embarked on a whirlwind romance and began discussing her potentially releasing music on his record label. 

Bridgers claimed that the 44-year-old singer grew emotionally abusive and controlling, at times also threatening suicide if she did not immediately respond to his texts. Bridgers also alleged that Adams once asked her to “bring him something in his hotel room,” where he was “completely nude” when she showed up.

Through his lawyer, Adams told the Times that his time with Bridgers was a “brief, consensual fling,” and denied sending any flirtatious text messages and the nude incident. Shortly after the Times story got published, Adams issued an apology on Twitter, admitting to having made “many mistakes,” but called the article “upsettingly inaccurate.”