Garth Brooks spoke briefly about the sexual assault and battery charges filed against him during a Monday night (Oct. 7) installment of his Facebook Live show, Inside Studio G.

It was the first time he’s spoken directly to fans about the allegations, though he did issue a formal response via CNN the same day the lawsuit came out last Thursday (Oct. 3).

He addressed the charges at the very beginning of his Inside Studio G video, and cautioned that he couldn’t speak much about the actively developing lawsuit.

“A lot’s happened in the last two weeks. Let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we?” Brooks says (watch below).

Read More: Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Allegations Fact Sheet

“This thing is on. It’s gonna happen,” he confirms, adding that his lawsuit is likely to be a long process. “People are telling me it could be up to two years.”

“So my suggestion is, we all take a deep breath, just kinda settle in and let’s hold hands and take a trip together,” Brooks continues. “Because it is something that we cannot talk about. That’s all we can say about it.”

For the rest of the 25-minute Inside Studio G video, Brooks refrained from speaking further about the charges. Instead, he focused on discussing his work with Habitat for Humanity, his recent string of Las Vegas residency shows and his enduring gratitude and love for his fans.

He also spoke glowingly about his wife, Trisha Yearwood, throughout the video: Specifically, he praised her commitment to Habitat for Humanity work and shared how impressed he was by her skills with power tools and building stairs during the build.

Brooks has been vocal about his love and admiration for his wife for years, but their relationship is under particular scrutiny right now, since fans have been wondering what her reaction would be to the allegations against her superstar husband.

Over the weekend, Us Weekly reported that Yearwood and Brooks’ children all believe that he is telling the truth about his innocence, according to an anonymous source.

All About the Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Lawsuit

• Garth Brooks is being accused of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit filed by an anonymous Jane Roe in California on Oct. 3.
• Two alleged incidents are described in Roe’s lawsuit, which was obtained by CNN and described in graphic detail by TMZ.
• Both incidents are alleged to have happened in 2019.
• In the first, Roe says she was at Brooks’ home when he walked out of the shower nude, grabbed her hands and forced them onto his genitals. She also says he used language that was sexual in nature.
• The second incident allegedly occurred during a trip to Los Angeles, where Brooks was scheduled to perform a Grammy tribute to Sam Moore. Roe says Brooks overpowered and raped her in a hotel room.