Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s 17-Year Friendship With Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter Began With a Horrific Tragedy
- The country singers appearance at Jimmy Carter's funeral marks their first appearance after lawsuit was filed against Brooks.
- The couple performed Imagine by John Lennon.
- Garth Brooks has denied all the allegations against him.
The 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, real name James Earl Carter Jr., passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100. President Joe Biden announced January 9, 2025, as a national day of mourning in remembrance of Jimmy Carter. Former president Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Donald Trump Jr., Joe and Jill Biden, and more attended the former president’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood performed their version of John Lennon’s Imagine alongside the church choir. The duo celebrated the life of their long-time friend and the longest-living president in U.S. history with a surprise tribute that got the public curious about their long-standing friendship with the late president.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood met the Carters while working for Habitat for Humanity
According to Fox News reports, country singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood met the Carters while they were working for Habitat for Humanity. The charity was started by the former president and his wife in 1984 and led a renovation project on a 19-unit apartment building in NYC.
After Hurricane Katrina left New Orleans needing help, the country singers joined Habitat for Humanity. They shared with People magazine (via Fox News),
After Katrina in ’07, we fell in love with Habitat for Humanity. We knew we loved the Carters, and we fell more in love with them just getting a chance to work alongside them. We love what Habitat for Humanity is about—spreading love.
Trisha Yearwood added that the charity is about creating a community and mentioned that whoever has much or is expected to do a little more. They added that they’ll never be able to fill in their shoes, but they are really doing the best they can.
Brooks and Yearwood also got inspired by a former president’s and his wife’s relationship of 77 years. The country singer couple added that the former president and his wife had inspired them in ways including humanity, humbleness, work ethic, and more.
Brooks, however, added that Carter has also inspired them as husband and wife. They explained,
We worked beside them for the last 15 years, and you notice right away they bicker back and forth about the right way to do things. That kind of works for us too.
The country singer had recently attended the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Week Project to celebrate the former president’s 100th birthday in Minnesota. The week project was designed to raise awareness about affordable housing. They not only performed at Jimmy Carter’s funeral but also, in November 2023, they performed at the funeral of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
According to reports from American Songwriter, the former president had specifically requested the couple to perform a duet of ‘Imagine’ at his funeral.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood mark their first appearance at the funeral amid ongoing scandal
Brooks and Yearwood’s appearance at Jimmy Carter’s funeral was their first appearance after Brooks was accused of s**ual assault and battery in October 2024. US Magazine reported that Jane Roe, a hairstylist and makeup artist, alleged in her lawsuit that Brooks, during his 2019 work trip, sent her explicit texts.
Roe’s lawsuit against Garth Brooks claims that the country singer had made multiple remarks about having a threesome with him and his wife, Trisha Yearwood. The singer has, however, denied all the allegations and later shared a statement that read,
For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many million dollars. It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face.
Brook added further that hush money will always be hush money, and in his mind, hush money is like him admitting to behavior he is incapable of. He noted that they filed a lawsuit against the concerned person nearly a month ago to speak about the extortion and defamation of character. He clarified that they had filed the lawsuit anonymously for the sake of the families on both sides.
The country singer in November filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was denied with prejudice. US Magazine states, Brooks’ wife completely believes him and have full faith in him.
