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28. Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams, who was well-known for championing young female artists’ careers, was accused by several women (including ex-wife Mandy Moore) in 2017 of “dangling career opportunities while simultaneously pursuing female artists for sex.” If the women refused, he allegedly grew angry and resorted to emotional and verbal abuse as well as harassment. Adams did apologize but did not specifically confirm the allegations. “I am fully accountable for my harmful behavior, and will be for my actions moving forward,” he wrote in a public apology. He was also investigated for an alleged online sexual relationship with a minor, but charges were not filed.
Adams’s career suffered greatly, with Adams releasing his next two albums through his own label (the albums did not chart in America or England) and taking to social media with desperate pleas for labels to sign him. “I just really want a second chance to make some music — maybe help other people believe you can get up out of the gutter and be something,” he wrote, saying he was close to becoming homeless.
In 2022, Adams performed a sold-out show at Carnegie Hall but did not invite any journalists. He hired a new team, including crisis-PR specialist Howard Bragman, who spoke to Variety, saying, “We want to show that he has a real team behind him that believes in him and supports him, and that he’s putting a life together. We want people to notice, and if they want to move forward with him, here’s where we are.” He’s released eleven albums since – including four on a single day — that did not receive much attention.
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