Ryan Adams penned an apology for his past behavior in a statement published by the Daily Mail, writing that allegations of sexual misconduct “wrecked” him and that he is “still reeling from the ripples of devastating effects that my actions triggered.” Adams was accused of sexual and psychological abuse by at least a dozen people in a New York Times report last year, including Mandy Moore and Phoebe Bridgers. As a result of the report, the FBI apparently opened an investigation into Adams’s alleged inappropriate messages with an underage girl, Adams’s album and tour dates were pulled, and his past collaborators condemned his actions. Adams’s statement is the first formal apology he has issued regarding the allegations, aside from his tweets shortly after the Times article was published last February, in which he claimed that the article was “upsettingly inaccurate.”
“All I can say is that I’m sorry. It’s that simple,” Adams wrote in the Daily Mail. “This period of isolation and reflection made me realize that I needed to make significant changes in my life. I’ve gotten past the point where I would be apologizing just for the sake of being let off the hook and I know full well that any apology from me probably won’t be accepted by those I’ve hurt.” Adams goes on to say that “to a lot of people this will just seem like the same empty bullshit apology that I’ve always used when I was called out, and all I can say is, this time it is different.” Adams continues, “Realizing the consequences of my actions, I took a hard look inwards and sought to find the truth behind them,” and shared that in the past year, he has gotten sober and “internalized the importance of self-care and self-work.” He concludes by writing that he hopes his accusers will “heal” and “find a way” to forgive him.
