He was accused of controlling and manipulative behaviour like rescinding professional offers and threatening women's careers when they spurned his sexual advances, as well as conducting an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl.
Adams has denied all allegations.
But in addition to women like Mandy Moore and Phoebe Bridgers, who went on-record with details of Adams' controlling behaviour (especially when it came to music), many other artists have now shared similar experiences in the music industry and criticized the support system that allows such behaviour to go unpunished.
ryan adams didn't get away with this for so long because he made awe inspiring, impossible-to-criticize music. he got away with it because 95% of the music industry from DIY on up are completely mediocre pervert dudes just like him and they all want to keep it this way
— meredith graves (@gravesmeredith) February 14, 2019
Having to perpetually question if a potential collaborator is interested in you musically or personally is an enormous and unspoken barrier for women in music.
— The Weather Station (@TheWeatherStn) February 14, 2019
Every gatekeeper is a man.
And so you have to ask yourself. https://t.co/cxs4LBPAvF
The saddest part about the NYT article on Ryan Adams is that it could literally be written about so many dudes in music. Also my favorite type of male apology is the kind where they literally don't apologize at all lol
— Best Coast (@BestCoast) February 13, 2019
ryan adams once asked me if i wanted to start a goth band with him and i told him to fuck off
— yung zeej feat. lil zoji (@ZOLAJESUS) February 14, 2019
I'm so glad I got back on Twitter just in time to watch everyone act surprised to find out Ryan Adams is a creep.
— Mish Barber-Way (@myszkaway) February 14, 2019
Thank you to Mandy, Phoebe, Courtney and others for speaking out. This is an important article. This also cracks the door on more like him in our industry. There are more. Thank you to the @nytimes for continuing these important reveals. We're all fed up. https://t.co/xlU6ibjubX
— V a n e s s a C a r l t o n (@VanessaCarlton) February 14, 2019
Literally find me a woman in the music industry who *hasn't* had a some dude pull that Ryan Adams "I wanna help you" with strings attached shit? And like in this story, these are some of the reasons women abandon careers, keep their dreams private, record in their bedrooms alone.
— Jessica Hopper (@jesshopp) February 13, 2019
Some of Adams' past collaborators and tourmates have also spoken out about the allegations, sharing their support for the women who have come forward with their stories of abuse.
Jason Isbell, for instance, responded to Twitter users asking if he knew about Adams' alleged behaviour. He denied having any knowledge. Nevertheless, Isbell asserted that he believes the allegations.
No, we didn't. https://t.co/MoaN3U1Ore
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) February 13, 2019
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) February 14, 2019
Carl Newman of the New Pornographers, meanwhile, recounted an anecdote about witnessing Adams be "a complete piece of shit," referencing the way he treated his girlfriend.
Encountered Ryan Adams one night long ago. He was a complete piece of shit + it involved how he was treating his ex-girlfriend. On the upside, I did become a character in his song 'Harder Now That It's Over'. This is true. And the handcuffs in that song are not a metaphor.
— Carl Newman (@ACNewman) February 13, 2019
See some of the other messages of support below.
Believe women, believe survivors
— Natalie Prass (@NataliePrass) February 13, 2019
always believe women https://t.co/wJaqEIl74Y
— Sylvan Esso (@SylvanEsso) February 14, 2019
Extraordinarily brave of Mandy, Phoebe et all to have spoken. Believe them. And then imagine how many people not speaking it took to get here. No women to be abused for the cause of 'art'
— Laura Marling (@lauramarlinghq) February 14, 2019
Other recent collaborators like Miley Cyrus, Liz Phair and Jenny Lewis have yet to publicly comment on the allegations.
UPDATE (2/15, 9:50 a.m. EST): Liz Phair and Karen Elson have shared statements on the allegations facing Adams. Without going into detail, Elson said that she also had "a traumatizing experience" with Adams. Phair suggested on Twitter that while her own experiences weren't as "personally involving" as those in the Times piece, their collaborative record ended "and the similarities are upsetting."
If I do, I'll write about it. But I think you can extrapolate. My experience was nowhere near as personally involving, but yes the record ended and the similarities are upsetting
— Liz Phair (@PhizLair) February 14, 2019