Garth Brooks song cover dropped from RTÉ’s ‘Late Late’ as country star accused of rape

The annual special is always pre-recorded on the Thursday before broadcast to accommodate performers who have live concerts around the country on Friday nights.

Last Thursday, stars gathered in Donnybrook to record the show, which was to include one of Brooks’ most popular songs, Friends in Low Places.

Singer Michael English had even performed it in the dress rehearsal, but as reports began to emerge that Brooks had been accused in a US court of rape, sexual assault and battery, the performance in front of the live audience was dropped.

Brooks has ­strenuously denied the allegations.

Through an abundance of caution, a decision was made to make an editorial change

Speaking to the Sunday Independent this weekend, an RTÉ source said: “The bosses had a decision to make when the story broke online, so after weighing it up they decided to drop plans to perform the song.”

When contacted this weekend, an RTÉ spokesperson said: “The Late Late country music special was pre-recorded on…

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Independent.ie