What you need to know about Jimmie Allen, the Delaware country singer who announced a comedy tour amid sexual assault allegations

Country music singer and Delaware native Jimmie Allen — who is at the center of two sexual assault lawsuits — announced last week that he’s embarking on a comedy tour.

The artist, who denies the allegations and filed countersuits earlier this month, said his “I Said What I Said” comedy tour will take place in October and be invite-only.

The tour announcement — which doesn’t specify where the shows will take place — has been met with sharp criticism. Here’s what you need to know.

Allen was a rising country star who once partnered with the Philadelphia Eagles before allegations against him surfaced.

Allen is best known for songs including “Best Shot” and “Good Times Roll.” He signed to Broken Bow Records and in 2021, won the Country Music Association’s new artist of the year award. Allen was the second Black artist to win the title (Darius Rucker was the first in 2009).

Allen, 38, was born and raised in Milton, Del. and still visits regularly. He was a contestant on the Season 10 of American Idol but didn’t make it to the live voting rounds. He returned in Season 20 as a guest mentor.

Last year, Allen worked with the Eagles to produce a hype song called “Let’s Go” (which can still be heard on the team’s YouTube page).

“It’s pretty much a football hype song, like we’re about to turn this field into a party, all that stuff,” Allen said at the time in a now-deleted feature on the Eagles’ site. The Eagles appeared to scrub the article from its page when the allegations first came to light.

In May, Allen’s former manager filed a lawsuit in Tennessee federal court alleging that Allen sexually assaulted her and that she lost her job after speaking out. A month later, a new federal lawsuit filed by a different woman said Allen sexually assaulted her in his Las Vegas hotel room and filmed the incident without her consent.

In the first complaint, Allen is alleged to have “manipulated and used his power” over his then-manager, who worked for Wide Open Management, as a way to “sexually harass and abuse her” for over a year, according to the suit.

The manager — who is in her early 20s and goes by “Jane Doe” in the lawsuit — alleged that Allen raped her, repeatedly sexually abusing and harassing her over an 18-month period. Variety was the first to break the news of the lawsuit.

“Plaintiff expressed in words and actions that Jimmie Allen’s conduct was unwelcome, including pushing him away, sitting where he could not reach her, telling him she was uncomfortable … and crying uncontrollably,” the complaint said. “However, Allen made clear that plaintiff’s job was dependent on her staying silent about his conduct.” According to the lawsuit, the woman was fired after telling her supervisor at the management company about the alleged rape and abuse.

In the second lawsuit, “Jane Doe 2″ says she and Allen initially had consensual unprotected sex, but he ejaculated inside her when she “repeatedly told him she did not” want him to.

The woman also claims that she found a cell phone in the hotel’s closet, recording their bedroom scene without her consent. She took the phone and later turned it over to the Las Vegas Police Department.

Allen has not been criminally charged in either instance.

Initially, Allen didn’t acknowledge the allegations against him. In May, he issued an apology to his wife but didn’t address his former manager’s claims or her lawsuit. Instead, he apologized for having an “affair” and promised a “vigorous defense.”

In July, Allen filed countersuits alleging defamation against the two women and is seeking monetary damages.

“It is becoming increasingly common for perpetrators to countersue their victims, claiming defamation,” attorney Elizabeth Fegan — who is representing both women — told USA Today. Fegan, who previously brought sex trafficking claims against Harvey Weinstein, said the move is designed to intimidate victims against speaking out.

In his countersuit against Doe 2, Allen says the woman stole his cell phone. A new court filing from Fegan on Tuesday is asking for a judge to dismiss that accusation. The woman’s attorney is calling Allen’s claim “harassment” since she turned the cell phone over to police as evidence.

Allen said he delayed speaking out about the allegations because he was focusing on his family, in a statement to People magazine. Allen and his wife have two children together and are expecting a third. They announced both the pregnancy and pending divorce in April but say they are trying to work things out.

“This situation has caused me great humiliation, and I felt it was necessary to seek professional help … For years, I have dealt with racism and harmful threats solely because I am a Black man in the country music industry, and this situation has only amplified that,” Allen told People.

Allen said he looked forward to the opportunity to clear his name.

Allen was dropped or suspended by his record label, his talent agency, his publicist, and his management company.

Several performances — including one at CMA Fest and another headlining an Idaho state fair — were canceled.

The artist made his profile on Twitter — the platform now known as X — private, deleted his over 100 Instagram posts predating June, and temporarily disabled comments. He has since returned to Instagram, mainly posting music updates, including a performance announcement for Nov. 4 at the Salute to American Heroes fundraising concert in Clearwater, Fla.

Last week, Allen announced his “I Said What I Said” comedy tour, accompanied by a photo of him smiling and shrugging, with his arms in the air. He encouraged followers to sign up for email announcements via the “link in bio,” though as of Monday that link is no longer listed.

On social media, people reacted to Allen’s announcement with mixed reviews. While many of Allen’s followers appear to remain steadfast in their support, discourse in outside channels was critical, telling the country singer to “read the room” and questioning the tour’s timing amid the two lawsuits. Some Instagram users also say Allen has been blocking his critics on the platform.