Jimmie Allen, accused of sexually assaulting two women, announces comedy tour: ‘Is this ... a joke?’
This story contains details of alleged sexual assault.
Jimmie Allen — the embattled country musician who just countersued two women who had previously filed lawsuits alleging the “Best Shot” singer sexually assaulted them and filmed them without their consent — just announced an upcoming comedy tour.
Allen announced a three-day run of invitation-only shows he’s calling the “I Said What I Said” Comedy Tour. The promo on Instagram features Allen shrugging and smiling with the caption “‘I Said What I Said,’ and I’m gonna say it again during my 3-night comedy tour coming this October!”
No specific location, dates or venues have been announced, and Allen offers only an email subscription box on the affiliated website where fans can enter to win tickets.
Replies under the post signaled that some fans were unbothered by the allegations against Allen, while others found Allen’s choice of attempted comeback an odd one. “Now is this post a joke? I’m honestly asking,” one user commented.
“I didn’t have this on my bingo card,” quipped another.
Country musician Jimmie Allen is countersuing two women who accused him of sexual assault in separate lawsuits they filed against him this spring.
But apparently it’s for real: A representative for Allen told Billboard that footage from the three nights would be assembled into a digital special that would be available in the future on the singer’s website.
Allen did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Friday.
The “Good Times Roll” singer has denied all the allegations and two weeks ago, he filed countersuits against both women who had sued him this spring. He alleged that one defamed him and intentionally inflicted emotional distress and that the other illegally swiped his cellphone after consenting to being recorded during their sexual encounter.
Jimmie Allen returned to social media a week after he was sued for alleged sexual assault and sex trafficking. ‘We gonna be alright,’ he wrote Wednesday.
In documents filed July 13 in Nashville federal court, Allen, 38, alleged that everything that transpired with both women was consensual and that their allegations caused the once-rising country star to lose “lucrative endorsement deals” and have “several performance contracts canceled,” as well as ultimately being dropped by his record label.
Allen’s countersuit is requesting “reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees.” The suit also calls for a jury trial. “Allen’s reputation and relationships within the entertainment industry have been severely damaged,” the countersuit states.
In a statement to The Times earlier this month, the lead attorney for both women, Elizabeth Fegan, said Allen’s filings included what they expected, “claims that all his encounters with Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 were consensual.” The legal team is “eager to show the court abundant evidence to the contrary,” which they said they were confident would prove that Allen is “a serial abuser and should be held accountable for his actions,” according to Fegan’s statement.
Country singer Jimmie Allen has been sued by his ex-manager for alleged sexual assault, sex trafficking and battery. He says their relationship was consensual.
“It is becoming increasingly common for perpetrators to countersue their victims, claiming defamation. This is a concerning trend, one designed to convince victims that if they speak out, they will be the target of spurious litigation,” the statement said.
The first lawsuit against Allen was brought by his former manager for alleged sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, sex trafficking and emotional distress, according to legal documents obtained by The Times.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous because she still works in the music industry, said that while she was employed by Allen’s management company, Wide Open Music, the country musician raped her, regularly sexually abused her and harassed her for a year and a half.
She also said Allen “raped her in private while choking her” and filmed “multiple sexual encounters in order to blackmail her to stay silent.”
Country musician Jimmie Allen has been sued by another women who alleges that he sexually assaulted her and filmed the encounter in Las Vegas last July.
The second lawsuit was filed less than a month after the first and alleged that the “Warrior” singer sexually assaulted another woman (identified as Jane Doe 2 in legal documents obtained by The Times) at a Las Vegas hotel last summer and secretly recorded the encounter. She is seeking a judgment against Allen, along with an unspecified amount in monetary damages and legal fees.
Fallout came swiftly for the Grammy-nominated country musician after the initial sexual assault allegations went public this spring. He was terminated by his publicist;, United Talent Agency severed ties with him; and he was removed from the CMA Fest lineup in Nashville. He was also dropped as the commencement speaker at Delaware State University’s graduation ceremony. Allen’s label, BBR Music Group, suspended the recording artist in response to the initial allegations and ultimately dropped him after the second woman sued him a month later.
In addition to the business fallout, Allen and wife Alexis Gale announced via social media in April that they were calling it quits after three years of marriage, but also revealed that Gale was pregnant with their third child. In July he told People that his divorce was still pending and said he and his estranged wife were “working to resolve things together as a family.”
Resources for survivors of sexual assault
If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual violence, you can find support using RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline. Call (800) 656-HOPE or visit online.rainn.org to speak with a trained support specialist.
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