Garth Brooks Song Pulled From TV Special Out of ‘an Abundance of Caution’ After Assault Allegations

Plans for a cover of one of Garth Brooks’ most popular songs to be included in an annual country music TV special were pulled after sexual assault allegations made against the singer were made public last week.

Brooks, 62, was accused of sexual assault and battery by a woman who identified herself as “Jane Roe” in a lawsuit filed in California on Thursday, Oct. 3. The woman said she worked for Brooks as a hair and makeup stylist, according to court documents obtained by CNN . Brooks denied the allegations in a statement shared with Parade .

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Shortly after news of the allegations broke, Ireland’s The Late Late Show was due to record is annual Country Music Special, which featured several artists performing covers of popular country songs. Irish singer Michael English had practiced Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” during a dress rehearsal for the special, according to the Irish Independent , but the song was not performed as part of the official program that aired on Friday, Oct. 4.

Related: Trisha Yearwood Issues a Direct Message as She Breaks Silence Amid Garth Brooks Allegations

“There was uncertainty about the specifics of an emerging news story prior to recording of the song,” a spokesperson for Irish broadcaster RTÉ told the Sunday Independent . “Through an abundance of caution, a decision was made to make an editorial change. No song was cut from the show. No Garth Brooks song was performed in front of a studio audience.”

Brooks said he was “hassled” in the two months prior to the Oct. 3 lawsuit by the woman who made the allegations, which he compared to “having a loaded gun waved in my face.” He filed a lawsuit of his own anonymously one month earlier “to speak out against extortion and defamation of character,” his statement to Parade said, in part.

Brooks later described himself as “the victim of a shakedown” in new court documents that his legal team filed on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Next: Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood Made Major Life Decision Just 1 Day Before Assault Allegations