Ryan Adams accused of sexual harassment by Mandy Moore, other musicians in new report

Ryan Adams has been accused of sexual harassment by a number of women, including Mandy Moore and Phoebe Bridgers. Photo / Getty Images

Ryan Adams has been accused of sexual harassment and manipulation by multiple women, including his ex-wife Mandy Moore, and singer Phoebe Bridgers.

In a report by the New York Times, seven women accuse Adams of sexual misconduct, saying he would promise to jumpstart their careers, but would later act inappopriately towards them.

Adams is revealed to have corresponded online in a sexual manner with an underage girl named as "Ava" in the story, exposing himself during phone sex and asking about her body parts.

Adams reportedly asked multiple times whether she was 18, which Ava sometimes said she was. Via a lawyer, Adams provided photos of Ava to the New York Times, saying she looked "approximately 20".

This Is Us actress Mandy Moore, who was married to Adams for six years, met the singer-songwriter when she was 23 and he 33. She told the Times he would promise to record songs they had written together, but never followed through, and would lash out in ways described as "psychologically abusive".

Actress and singer Mandy Moore married Ryan Adams in 2009. Their divorce was finalised in 2016. Photo / Getty Images

"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," she said. Moore has not released an album since they wed in 2009.

Singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers said Adams invited her to his studio one night when she was 20.

As they started developing Bridgers' music, Adams would send her flirty texts, and turned obsessive and emotionally abusive. Bridgers said he would insist she prove her whereabouts, and threatened suicide if she didn't reply.

On tour with him in 2017, Bridgers said: "The first day, he asked me to bring him something in his hotel room. I came upstairs and he was completely nude."

Singer Phoebe Bridgers. Photo / Getty Images

According to the Times report, the women connected to Adams only recently discovered they shared similar experiences, and have since created a support system for one another.

Adams has denied the accusations on Twitter, saying the article is "upsettingly inaccurate".

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.

— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) February 13, 2019

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

As someone who has always tried to spread joy through my music and my life, hearing that some people believe I caused them pain saddens me greatly. I am resolved to work to be the best man I can be. And I wish everyone compassion, understanding and healing.

— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) February 13, 2019

WHERE TO GET HELP:

If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call police immediately on 111.