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- Jimmie Allen is a country singer who skyrocketed to the top of the charts in 2018
- Jimmie was accused of rape by a former manager weeks after he and his pregnant wife announced their divorce
- He broke his silence on May 18, 2023 and said he was a victim of ‘weakness’
- In July of 2023, he announced he was countersuing both of his accusers
“Freedom Was A Highway” hitmaker Jimmie Allen, 37, was accused of rape and sexual assault, and was sued by his former daily manager, according to a May 11, 2023 Variety report. The woman, whose name is listed as Jane Doe in court documents, reported that she was sexually assaulted by the country crooner for 18 months beginning in 2021. The rape allegedly occurred in March 2021 after he taped an episode of American Idol as a celebrity guest. She claimed “she woke up naked in her hotel room in severe pain and bleeding vaginally, having remembered nothing of what happened the night before,” per Variety, and that Jimmie was lying next to her and asked her to take Plan B. Jane Doe also claimed Jimmie took her virginity away from her.
Another instance of assault allegedly occurred before and after the singer’s May 2021 visit on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, on which he promoted his children’s book titled My Voice Is a Trumpet. He said the book is meant to teach children to speak up if they see or experience something that doesn’t sit right with them. The day before the taping, Jane Doe accused Jimmie of “groping her breasts on the plane, pushing his erect penis against her body in public and masturbating in front of her at the hotel where they were both staying”. She accused him of inserting his fingers into her vagina after the taping as well.
Jimmie vehemently denied all allegations. “It is deeply troubling and hurtful that someone I counted as one of my closest friends, colleagues and confidants would make allegations that have no truth to them whatsoever,” he said in a statement to Variety. He then confessed to a two-year “sexual relationship” with her but said it was consensual. “During that time, she never once accused me of any wrongdoing, and she spoke of our relationship and friendship as being something she wanted to continue indefinitely,” he added.
“Only after things ended between us, did she hire a lawyer to reach out and ask for money, which leads me to question her motives,” Jimmie further claimed. “The simple fact is, her accusations are not only false, but also extremely damaging. I’ve worked incredibly hard to build my career, and I intend to mount a vigorous defense to her claims and take all other legal action necessary to protect my reputation.”
However, Jane Doe’s lawyer said she never asked for money. “The only ask we made of Allen and his legal counsel was to meet to discuss Allen’s behavior and resolution of our client’s claims. At no time did our client make a monetary demand,” the statement to Variety read. “The response was a hard no, and colored with threats that his team would take steps to publicly tarnish my client. My client had no choice but to be proactive in protecting herself by filing the complaint.”
One week after the accusations came to light, Jimmie apologized to his estranged wife, Alexis Gale, via an Instagram message, as seen above. “I want to publicly apologize to my wife, Alexis, for humiliating her with my affair,” he wrote in part in a May 18 Instagram post. “I’m embarrassed that my choices have brought shame on her. That’s something she did not deserve at all. I also want to apologize to my children for being a poor example of a man and a father.”
Jimmie then explained that the music industry is “full of temptations” and said he feels shame that he was not “strong enough to withstand them.” He added, “I will no longer be a victim of my weakness. The singer concluded the statement by writing, “I challenge everyone to seek help when they need it. Do not be afraid of your weakness, surround yourself with people that WILL help you.”
In July of 2023, Jimmie proactively fought against the accusations by filing countersuits against both of his accusers. Per a July 13 by PEOPLE, the singer said he was taking the court action in order to “protect my reputation and refute these claims that have caused severe damage to my family, mental health and business.”
Per the outlet, he wrote in a statement, “I’ve taken a couple months before publicly responding to these claims, because I wanted to fix my family first. This situation has caused me great humiliation, and I felt it was necessary to seek professional help. For years, I have dealt with racism and harmful threats solely because I am a Black man in the country music industry, and this situation has only amplified that.”
“These false allegations have caused me to lose a vast number of business and endorsement opportunities that I worked extremely hard for,” he continued. “These false allegations have also not only harmed me, but have caused severe financial damage to my band, my team and their families.”
The same day, the outlet reported that the singer was working to repair his marriage to Alexis. “The divorce case is still pending, as my wife and I are working to resolve things together as a family,” he told the outlet. After stating that he wanted to “fix” his “family first” before responding to the dual allegations, he also clarified that statement.
“What I meant by ‘fixing my family first,’ was making sure their mental health and stability are OK in light of these hurtful, false allegations,” he explained. “I took some time off to be with my wife, kids and friends, to ensure everyone was OK.”
These accusations came just months after Jimmie and Alexis announce they are separating. Read on to learn about their separation and Jimmie below.
Jimmie Alan And Alexis Gale Were Only Married For Two Years
Jimmie and Alexis, 27, announced they were both separating and expecting a third child in an April 21, 2023 Instagram post. “After much thought and reflection in recent months, Lex & I have made the decision to separate,” Jimmie began in his announcement post, as seen above. “As we navigate this life change, we can also share that we will be welcoming another child together later this year.”
“Our number one priority is and always will be ensuring that our children are healthy, happy and loved, and we remain committed to co-parenting with love and respect for one another,” he continued. “In light of our growing family, we respectfully request privacy during this time.” Alexis shared the same note on her Instagram account. The couple tied the knot at The Lake House Inn in Perkasie, Penn. in May 2021.
Jimmie and Alexis share children Zara James, 18 months, and Naomi Bettie, 3. Jimie has an 8-year-old son, Aadyn, from a previous relationship.
Alexis hinted toward infidelity in a cryptic Instagram Story post just days before the lawsuit against Jimmie dropped, according to PEOPLE. “continue the chaos while I heal in peace,” she wrote. “my Instagram isn’t a help line so please stop messaging me about any third parties.”
Jimmie Allen Was A Contestant On ‘American Idol’
Before he landed a spot on the hit singing competition series as a guest star, Jimmie was a contestant on Season 10 of American Idol, which aired in 2011. He got a golden ticket from the judges for his audition but did not make it past Hollywood Week in the competition. However, he did form a friendship with the season’s eventual winner, Scotty McCreery. It wasn’t until six years later that Jimmie signed his record deal with the Stoney Creek imprint at Broken Bow Records.
Jimmie Is Not Surprised By His Success
The American Country Music Award winner released his first single, “Best Shot,” in 2018. It reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart three times. He followed it up with a second single, “Make Me Want To,” in 2019, which reached No. 7 and No. 1 on the US Country chart and Country Airplay chart, respectively. In 2020, Jimmie teamed up with Noah Cyrus for a duet called “This Is Us.” His debut album, Mercury Lane, came out in 2018, followed by another record, Bettie James Gold Edition in 2021. He had another top 10 hit in 2022 with his Brad Paisley collab, “Freedom Was a Highway”.
Jimmie’s fast rise to the top is no surprise to him. “Everything I accomplish, it doesn’t surprise me. I’m thankful for the opportunity, but I’m not surprised at all,” he told Billboard in 2022. “It’s all part of this plan that has been written down.”
Jimmie wanted to be a singer his entire life. “I told my mom when I was 5 years old I was going to be an entertainer,” he recalled to NPR‘s Consider This in March 2022.
Jimmie Allen Has Huge Plans For The Future
Although the status of his lawsuit may hinder his big dreams, the “Down Home” singer previously raved about all he wants to do in life during his interview on Consider This. He told the podcast that he’d like to perform on Broadway, start his own clothing line, and become a WWE wrestler. And although he has already created his own music label and serves as the executive music producer for Netflix’s series Titletown High, he has bigger ideas. He revealed he wants to open up a charter music school that focuses less on testing and more on the actual experience of learning. Does he stop there? Of course not. He has (well, had) dreams of starring in a reality show with Alexis and already has the outline for a sitcom in his head.
“In my head, it’s kind of about me moving from Delaware to Nashville,” the former Dancing with the Stars contestant noted. “It’s kind of like a comedy, and it plays on racial stereotypes a lot. It’s pretty much saying what everybody is thinking, but afraid to say.”
Jimmie Allen Loves Bringing Diversity To Country Music
Jimmie didn’t see many Black singers as successful country artists growing up, and he’s proud to be that idol for his young fans. “Growing up listening to country music, I loved it. It’s all my dad listened to. My dad was like, ‘Well, you should be a country singer,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, nah, they’re all white. I don’t know if they let people like me even sing country music,’” he recalled to PEOPLE while rehearsing for the 2021 ACMs.
“I get messages on Instagram and Twitter from parents that tell me and thank me for getting into country music because their son or their daughter see me and they say I remind them of them,” he continued. “I feel like representation is so important, so to see artists like Mickey Guyton doing her thing, Kane Brown, Darius Rucker, Willie Jones, Breland, Brittany Spencer, Tiera — it’s just so many that are starting to come to this genre of music, doing it their way, having their own sound, And I love to see it.”
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