The fallout of the New York Times expose about the singer continues to unfold.
Certain allegations in the recent expose of musician Ryan Adams have reportedly sparked an inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
The F.B.I. is allegedly looking into whether or not the 44-year-old singer committed a crime regarding the sexual nature of alleged past communications with an underage fan, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
The alleged inquiry comes one day after The Times published an explosive report featuring interviews with multiple women, including Adams' ex-wife Mandy Moore, accusing him of various forms of emotional and psychological abuse.
Adams, through his lawyer, has strongly denied the allegations against him in the piece.
One of the women interviewed for The Times expose -- a 20-year-old bass player identified only as Ava -- claims that Adams struck up an online correspondence with her when she was 14-years-old, and alleges that Adams exposed himself to her over Skype during an online sexual encounter.
According to text messages reviewed by The Times, Adams allegedly questioned Ava repeatedly about her age, during which she did at times claim to be older than she was. The piece goes on to claim that Adams seemed unconvinced by Ava's responses about how old she was but allegedly continued on with their sexual conversations.
"Mr. Adams unequivocally denies that he ever engaged in inappropriate online sexual communications with someone he knew was underage," Adams' attorney told The Times.
Adams himself echoed the denial in a series of posts on Twitter, in which he apologized to those he "unintentionally" hurt, and reiterated, "I would never have inappropriate interactions with someone I thought was underage. Period."
According to an unnamed law enforcement source who spoke with The Times on Thursday regarding the alleged F.B.I. inquiry, agents for the bureau's New York office have taken the first steps in opening an official criminal investigation.
The source alleges that agents from the Crimes Against Children Squad will attempt to get in contact with the woman interviewed in the expose and will seek any material evidence of the past communications she may have in her possession. The Times further reports that agents may then possibly issue subpoenas for cell phone records from both her and Adams' service providers.
An attorney for the woman declined to comment when contacted by The Times, and Adams' lawyer said he had not been contacted by authorities.
ET reached out to the F.B.I. who, in adherence to the official policy of the Department of Justice, said they can neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.
The aftermath of the expose continued Thursday when Adams' forthcoming album Big Colors -- the first of three albums the musician said he planned on releasing in 2019 -- had been put on hold, Variety reports.
Retailers were reportedly notified by Universal Music Group that the album, which was set to hit shelves April 19, has been pulled from the label's release schedule. Neither UMG nor Adams' own label, Pax-Am, have officially commented on the reports. However, Pax-Am has quietly deleted pre-order pages for the Big Colors CD and LP.
Additionally, the chorus of women speaking out with accusations against Adams grew Thursday morning when model and musician Karen Elson took to Instagram to claim that she had a "traumatizing experience" with Adams, but said she's "not quite brave enough yet to speak about my specifics."
"I’m encouraged that many women have bonded and helped each other heal. This is the power of sisterhood and I’m very grateful for these women," Elson wrote. "I hope all those speaking out are given the grace and dignity they deserve. The trauma that lingers is often a very powerful silencer of women as is the business that enables these men to thrive without ever facing consequences. #metoo #timesup."
Elson added in the caption to the post, "While I don’t want to share my specific experience, reading The NY Times story is profoundly healing."
Moore, who also spoke out in the expose and was married to Adams from 2009-2016, claims in the piece that her ex-husband was psychologically abusive during their relationship, further alleging that he was controlling in ways that ultimately hurt her music career.
The This Is Us star took to Instagram after the publication of The Times article to share her support with the other women who spoke out, writing, "Speaking your truth can be painful and triggering but it’s always worth it. My heart is with all women who have suffered any sort of trauma or abuse. You are seen and heard. #sisterhoodforever."
Adams’ lawyer told the Times that Moore’s allegations were "completely inconsistent with his view of the relationship," and that he supported her "well-deserved professional success."
For more on the developing story, watch the video below.
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