Ryan Adams Sexual Misconduct and Abuse Allegations

Overview

The Ryan Adams Sexual Misconduct Allegations were first published in a New York Times article, featuring interviews with seven women, including Adams' former wife actor and singer Mandy Moore and more than a dozen other "associates," accusing recording artist Ryan Adams of sexual misconduct, manipulation and verbal and physical abuse. Additionally, the article reports that Adams made sexual advances toward a 14-year-old girl. Adams has denied the allegations.

Background

On February 13th, 2019, the New York Times^[1] published an article entitled "Ryan Adams Dangled Success. Women Say They Paid a Price." In the piece, the Time reports accounts from numerous women who claim that Adams "dangled career opportunities while simultaneously pursuing female artists for sex." These interactions, as per their accounts, would include "domineering and vengeful" when they refused his advances, "subjecting women to emotional and verbal abuse, and harassment in texts and on social media."

These interactions including one with a 14-year-old bass player to whom Adams allegedly promised career help. These conversations turned sexual as Adams made advances towards the girl, exposing himself in at least one Skype video chat. According to these accounts, Adams wrote to the girl, "If people knew they would say I was like R Kelley lol."

"I just want you to touch your nipple," he continued. "And tell me that your mom is not gonna kill me if she finds out we even text."

The piece also includes interviews with Adams' ex-wife Mandy Moore, who claims that Adams would emotionally and mentally abuse her. They write:

When they met in 2007, she was 23, he a decade older. Professionally, Moore was at a turning point: She was exiting her teen-pop years, and his reputation as a sensitive, authentic voice provided the artistic credibility she craved. In 2010, Adams offered to work on her next album; when she parted ways with her music manager, Adams discouraged her from working with other producers or managers, she said, effectively leaving him in charge of her music career.

They wrote songs together regularly that Adams promised to record, but never did. He booked them time at his studio, only to replace her with other female artists, she said. And he lashed out in ways that Moore came to consider psychologically abusive.

Developments

Adams' Response

In the article, Adam's attorney Andrew B. Brettler wrote, "Mr. Adams unequivocally denies that he ever engaged in inappropriate online sexual communications with someone he knew was underage."

He later tweeted,^[2] "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 thought 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."

Online Reaction

Many online criticized the behavior depicted by Adams in the piece, while simultaneously praising the women who came forward. Twitter user @Thisispearson tweeted^[3], "Speaking your truth can be painful and triggering but it’s always worth it.
Mandy opened up about her ex-husband Ryan Adams' controlling and abusive behavior during their relationship… #MeToo⁠ ⁠
JUSTICE FOR MANDY MOORE." The tweet received more than 30 retweets and 140 likes in 24 hours (shown below, left).

Meredith Graves, the director of music at Kickstarter, tweeted,^[4] "ryan adams didn't get away with this for so long because he made awe inspiring, impossible-to-criticize music. he got away with it because 95% of the music industry from DIY on up are completely mediocre pervert dudes just like him and they all want to keep it this way." The tweet received more than 650 retweets and 3,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below, center).

Writer Lindsey Romain tweeteed,^[5] "the ryan adams story is so important for men to read. too often, without a hot-button word like 'rape,' they don't understand that manipulation, threats, and obsessive behavior can make women feel just as endangered and belittled as 'louder' forms of abuse." The tweet received more than 350 retweets and 1,500 likes in 24 hours (shown below, right).

Media Coverage

Numerous media outlets covered the story, including NBC,^[6] USA Today,^[7] Uproxx,^[8] Reuters^[9] and more.

Telegraph Article

On February 14th, 2019, the news outlet The Telegraph^[10] published an article titled "If Ryan Adams can be ruined by his creepy behaviour, most of rock will go down with him." In the article, writer Neil McCormick states that appreciators of art should not expect artists to be flawless. He wrote, "Maybe Adams deserves to have his wings clipped. But do we really expect our artists to be paragons? Because, if we do, we are not just going to be very disappointed, we are going to be stuck with a lot of mediocre art."

Guardian writer Laura Snapes tweeted,^[11] "Absolute WOW but also not at all wow at the Telegraph's fucking rancid take on the Ryan Adams debacle." The tweet received more than 110 retweets and 600 likes in 24 hours (shown below).

Search Interest

External References