Phoebe Bridgers Breaks Silence on Ryan Adams Abuse Allegations as Mandy Moore Offers Support
Phoebe Bridgers is speaking out after she joined Mandy Moore and five other women in coming forward with allegations of harassment and emotional abuse against singer-songwriter Ryan Adams.
The “Scott Street” singer, 24, shared an emotional Instagram post on Saturday, thanking her family and friends for their support and validation and slamming Adams’ own support system.
“It’s been a weird week and I wanted to say a couple things,” she began the note.
“Thank you from my whole f—ing heart to my friends, my bands, my mom. They all supported and validated me,” Bridgers continued. “They told me what had happened was f—ed up and wrong, and that I was right to feel weird about it. I couldn’t have done this without them,” she said, alongside a photo featuring fellow singer-songwriters Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker. Together, the trio make up the supergroup boygenius.
“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.”
RELATED: Karen Elson Comes Forward, Says She Also ‘Had a Traumatizing Experience’ with Ryan Adams
Bridgers continued with a call to action, urging friends of potential abusers to keep them in check.
“Guys, if your friend is acting f—ed up, call them out,” she wrote. “If they’re actually your friend, they’ll listen. That’s the way this all gets better.”
Her powerful message was met with an outpouring of support, including from Moore herself.
“Spot on. [Heart] you, friend,” the This is Us actress commented, using a heart emoji.
RELATED: Mandy Moore and 6 Other Women Accuse Musician Ryan Adams of Harassment and Emotional Abuse
Adams, 44, was hit with the allegations in a New York Times article published Wednesday.
The musician’s accusers, one of whom claimed she was just a teen when the two engaged in “sexual conversations” online, allege Adams wielded his power within the industry to lure them in with the promise of helping to grow their career, only to grow manipulative and obsessive.
Adams’ lawyer Andrew B. Brettler denied the claims to the Times, saying his client never “engaged in inappropriate online sexual communications with someone he knew was underage.” Brettler also said the allegations come from “disgruntled individuals” who blame the singer for personal or professional disappointments, according to the outlet.
Bridgers told the Times she first met Adams in 2014, when she was 20 years old, and was intrigued by the “mythology” surrounding the man she’d heard could help push careers forward. She said the two embarked on a whirlwind romance and began discussing her potentially releasing music on his record label.
RELATED VIDEO: Mandy Moore and 6 Other Women Accuse Musician Ryan Adams of Harassment and Emotional Abuse
Bridgers claimed Adams grew emotionally abusive, at times threatening suicide if she did not immediately respond to his texts, the Times reported.
She told the Times she ended their courtship, and so too came the end of Adams’ offer for her to open his upcoming concerts.
Bridgers also alleged 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 ever having sent flirtatious text messages and the occurrence of the nude incident.
Following the article’s publication, Adams issued an apology on Twitter, admitting to having made “many mistakes,” but calling the article “upsettingly inaccurate.”
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.
— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) February 13, 2019
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
Moore, 34 — who wed Adams in 2009 and divorced him in 2016 — told the Times that her ex-husband took charge of her music career in 2010 three years after they first met when she was 23.
The This Is Us star claimed he “discouraged” her from working with other producers and managers, but after writing songs together Adams would “replace her with other female artists” when it came time to record the tracks.
The actress also said he was “psychologically abusive” and belittled her musical abilities. “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,” Moore told the Times.
Adams denied Moore’s claims via his lawyer, saying her “characterization” of their relationship is “completely inconsistent with his view.”
RELATED VIDEO: Mandy Moore Speaks Out After Alleging Ex Ryan Adams Was ‘Psychologically Abusive’ in New Report
RELATED: Mandy Moore Speaks Out After Alleging Ex Ryan Adams Was ‘Psychologically Abusive’ in New Report
Moore, too, spoke out following the article’s publication, writing on Instagram that any women who have ever suffered abuse were forever bonded in sisterhood.
“Speaking your truth can be painful and triggering but it’s always worth it. My heart is with all women who have suffered any sort of trauma or abuse. You are seen and heard. #sisterhoodforever,” she wrote on Instagram.
A post shared by Mandy Moore (@mandymooremm) on Feb 13, 2019 at 9:52pm PST
The star has since moved on with Dawes rocker Taylor Goldsmith, whom she married in November.
Moore told PEOPLE last week that she and Goldsmith are already planning on collaborating on future projects.
“We have things written, we’re ready to go,” she said. “Our [This Is Us] hiatus starts soon, so I’m getting ready to go in the studio.”
If you suspect domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.