Months after singer-songwriter Ryan Adams was accused of abuse and inappropriate behavior by several women, including ex-wife and This Is Us star Mandy Moore, the musician took to Instagram to defend himself. Adams chose to speak out now “because the truth matters… it’s what matters most.” Moore accused Adams of being psychologically abusive and controlling.
View this post on Instagram
“I have a lot to say. I am going to. Soon,” Adams began his lengthy post, which included a photo of himself singing. “Because the truth matters. It’s what matters most. I know who I am. What I am. It’s time people know. Past time.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
He later continued, “This madness and misunderstanding. There’s enough of that in this world. My work was always meant to be a map for the lost. I’ve tried my best to be open and accountable. Not a billboard. I mean, maybe for being flawed. I’ve always wanted to help. I’m trying.”
Adams said it was “time to get back to what I do best” and make more music. He noted that he “didn’t have an easy life,” pointing out that his brother died the day his Prisoner Tour ended.
“Believe Women. Believe Truth. But never give up on being part of solutions, and healing,” Adams continued. “I’ve lost friends who have passed away in this time of self reflection and silence. I can’t be like that. There’s been too much that mattered.”
He went on to thank his supporters “for your kindness, your support and for this time I needed to decide how I could be a part of a better tomorrow for everybody. Sometimes that peace comes from opening yourself up. That’s who I want to be.”
The 44-year-old concluded his post, “Here’s to that. With love and with faith… In all of us and our best and our faults.”
Back in February, the New York Times published an expose on Adams’ alleged behavior with women, including several underage. Many of the women’s stories were similar, with Adams offering to help advance their careers before he became controlling and manipulative. The report included details of a relationship between Adams and a girl named Ava, who was 14 at the time she started communicating with him. Adams denied the behavior through a statement from his lawyer.
Moore also told the Times about Adams’ alleged behavior during their marriage. The two were married from 2009 to 2016.
“Music was a point of control for him,” Moore said, noting that Adams “discouraged her from working with other producers or managers,’ which left him in control of her music career.
Moore claimed she often wrote songs with Adams, but he would record them with other female artists.
“He would always tell me, ‘You’re not a real musician, because you don’t play an instrument,’” Moore claimed. “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.”
Shortly after the Times report was published, Adams took to Twitter to apologize, but also called the report “upsettingly inaccurate.”
“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,” Adams claimed.
Adams planned to release multiple albums in 2019, but Universal Music Group cancelled their release.
Photo credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images
