Ryan Adams has been accused of sexual misconduct and emotional abuse in a damning New York Times report where several women, including Adams’ ex-wife Mandy Moore and emerging artist Phoebe Bridgers, claim that the singer-songwriter would turn offers to help their career into sexual advances and would emotionally abuse women with whom he was in relationships.
In one of the more upsetting accusations against Adams, a woman named “Ava” claims that — after striking up an online dialogue with Adams when she was 14 years old — she and he engaged in phone sex and had Skype calls where Adams exposed himself; Ava provided the Times with over 3,000 text messages that Adams allegedly sent during a nine-month stretch when she was between 15 and 16 years old. On one occasion, Ava claims, Adams was already naked when they connected on a Skype video chat.
“Mr. Adams unequivocally denies that he ever engaged in inappropriate online sexual communications with someone he knew was underage,” Adams’ lawyer told the Times, adding that “if, in fact, this woman was underage, Mr. Adams was unaware.”
At the time, “Ava” lived in Ohio, where it is “a felony to solicit, exchange or possess any material that shows a person under 18 engaging in sexual activity.”
As with “Ava,” who was a bassist, Adams offered to use his indie rock standing to help launch the career of female artists. However, those opportunities often resulted in Adams reportedly pursuing the women sexually and then lashing out or severing ties with them if they rejected his advances. In the case of “Ava,” she told the Times that she never performed another gig after her interaction with Adams.
(Excerpt) Read more in: Rolling Stone