Rape-Accused Garth Brooks Admits Wife Trisha Yearwood 'Works Harder Than Me' and Praises Women in Music Industry As Country Superstar Fights to Salvage Shattered Image

Garth Brooks is making sure he keeps his head above water as he used a rare public appearance to praise his wife, Trisha Yearwood, as well as women in the industry, RadarOnline.com can reveal

On Wednesday, June 4, the country icon presented Stacy Vee with the Executive of the Year award at Billboard's Country Power Players event in Nashville, but his speech went off the rails.

"... I got about 90 seconds up here, so let's just cut to the chase. Everything that is a blessing is a curse, and everything that is a curse is a blessing," Brooks said during his speech.

He continued: "The curse in this business, like so many businesses, a female needs to work a thousand times harder than a male to get a tenth as much as the male gets. That's just how it is, always been.

"But the blessing on that, I think that's what makes Dolly Parton, Dolly Parton. I think that's what, and I was first-hand watching this, is what makes Reba McEntire, Reba McEntire."

"You can't outwork her. I'm married to one of the greatest singers of any format, and I watch her every day work a thousand times harder than me to get a tenth as much as they give me," the Friends in Low Places hitmaker said, referring to his wife.

Brooks then told the audience he was "trying not to make this a gender thing, so there'll be no comments about who has a bigger pair of balls, (Vee) or more men in this industry, 'cause it's no competition..."

The singer's career is hanging by a thread currently as he has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman, his former hairstylist and makeup artist, who is referred to as "Jane Roe" in her lawsuit.

According to the filing, the 63-year-old forced the alleged victim to put her hands on his genitals, he vulgarly talked about sex, and discussed his sexual fantasies with her, which included "repeated remarks" about "having a threesome" with his wife.

Brooks denied all of the allegations made by Roe and proceeded to file a counterclaim, citing "defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress through outrageous conduct."

He had previously attempted to keep his name from the lawsuit, hoping for a pseudonym.

Following the lawsuit, Yearwood is said to have been left "shocked that anyone would accuse Garth of such heinous things."

The source claimed: "It's put a strain on their relationship. They've been living with this legal mess for months now. It's the elephant in the room."

The couple, who tied the knot in 2015, appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2022, and both teamed up to reveal just how they have kept their marriage afloat after all these years.

After an audience member asked, "What is the key to a long-lasting marriage?" Brooks was quick to interject and responded: "I'll take this one all. Right? I think you got it... well, it's just kind of weird. I think you got to treat it like a duet. You got to harmonize, is that fair?

"You've got to make your partner feel like they're a star. And if not, you're going to turn into a solo act pretty damn quick. If you know what I mean."