Brand New’s Jesse Lacey Responds to Sexual Misconduct Claims

Brand New frontman Jesse Lacey has responded to accusations of sexual misconduct by saying he’s “absolutely sorry” for the “pain and harm” he’s caused in the past.

He was the subject of claims by Nicole Elizabeth Garey, who wrote on Facebook about Lacey having “solicited nudes from me starting when I was 15 and he was 24.” She further alleged that he had “manipulated” her and made her “watch him masturbate on Skype.” Support band Martha, who were set to appear with Brand New on Nov. 18 and 19 in the U.K., canceled their appearances after Garey’s allegations were made.

Lacey responded with a statement via Brand New’s Facebook page, in which he didn’t respond directly to Garey’s post. “The actions of my past have caused pain and harm to a number of people, and I want to say that I am absolutely sorry,” he wrote. “I do not stand in defense of myself nor do I forgive myself. I was selfish, narcissistic, and insensitive in my past, and there are a number of people who have had to shoulder the burden of my failures. I apologize for the hurt I have caused, and hope to be able to take the correct actions to earn forgiveness and trust.”

Saying that he’d “developed a dependent and addictive relationship with sex” early in his life, he added: “Lust, sex, love and arousal were coping tools for me” and that he had “detached my own feelings and emotions from most of my sexual interactions. I hid, or lied about my behavior to escape reproach. I was a habitual cheater. I have been unfaithful in many, if not most of my relationships, including the relationship with my wife, who has with all of her might, patience, and grace, tried to hold our marriage together, despite having to endure the pain of the revelations of my past. It is heart wrenching that the most important changes in my life have come at the expense of others.

“I am sorry for how I have hurt people, mistreated them, lied, and cheated. I am sorry for ignoring the way in which my position, status, and power as a member of a band affected the way people viewed me or their approach to their interactions with me. And I am sorry for how often I have not afforded women the respect, support, or honesty that they deserved, and which is their right. I believe in the equality and autonomy of all, but in my life I have been more of a detriment to these ideals than an advocate.”

Lacey said he was working to address his “narcissism” and “self-obsession” and that he needed to “earn” forgiveness. “I am not above reproach, and no one should be,” he finished.