Blake Shelton has filed a $2 million lawsuit against In Touch. The tabloid ran a cover story last September with the headline “Rehab for Blake.” Their article claimed Blake had hit rock bottom during his marriage to Miranda Lambert, and accused him of having a drinking problem and of cheating on Miranda. As evidence of Blake’s drinking problem, InTouch added details claiming Blake had been drunk on The Voice and once peed on a mailbox.
Blake’s lawsuit stated that all of the magazine’s allegations were categorically false and added that he doesn’t “drink excessively, binge drink or have a drinking problem.” He also addressed infidelity accusations by stating, “My ex-wife Miranda Lambert did not catch me with a bunch of naked women in our Tennessee home.” As for the details about his alleged drinking problem, the declaration in the lawsuit said that “I have never urinated on a mailbox,” “I do not slur my words or stumble when I drink,” and that “I do not drink vodka before 11 AM.”
Well, it’s good to know he doesn’t drink vodka with his Frosted Flakes, so I suppose he whips up a batch of screwdrivers at 11:01. He may have shot himself in the foot with that statement. 11 AM? Wouldn’t it have been smarter to say maybe 5-ish? Or, better yet, nothing at all?
Blake has spoken and tweeted many times about his love of drinking. He admitted to Parade Magazine in 2011 that “I drink a lot,” and he told US Magazine around that time that fans know he’s “either drunk or lying or just full of crap all the time.” Plus he used to drunk tweet all the time. I’m sure InTouch can find plenty of evidence on social media to defend themselves against this lawsuit.
Im so drunk right now I just walked in to Kentucky Fried Chicken and shouted "Finger licking good?!! Can yall dump my order in my pants?!"
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) August 10, 2012
I'm so hungover right now I just shaved my reflection and put on a single sock. Not on my foot…
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) August 23, 2013
I'm so drunk right now I just defrosted my cat… In the microwave…
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) December 8, 2010
Happy Easter… pic.twitter.com/Jwh5VSysA2
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) March 31, 2013
Photo credit: Getty Images, Fame Flynet
I read somewhere that when people are lying they don’t use contractions. See above….
Except you don’t use contractions in legal writing (or you’re really not supposed to).
I don’t know how libel/slander laws work but can’t Blake sue for specific things In Touch said? Even if he is an alcoholic I don’t know if magazines can say he had a bunch of naked women in his house or urinated in a mailbox if it didn’t happen.
He can sue them for specific things they said, but he won’t get anywhere unless it was both false and particularily harmful. Gossiping about sexual promiscuity and drunken antics are probably not enough in the US, even if untrue.
It’s just possible that he might have a case with the whole turning up drunk at the Voice bit. US libel laws typically offer protection against false allegiations that could hurt a persons business or profession. If Blake gets a rep for not being able to do his job because of drunkenness, that could hurt his line of business. So maybe?
Dumb, the reasons celebrities rarely sue is because libel laws in the United States are practically non-existent when it comes to public figures. Brad and Angelina only sued once in the U.K., even though the tabs have crossed the line many times and attacked their children, because they realize they can’t win and it just makes it even worse by bringing more attention to BS that most people forget in a week or two.
He’s suing for made-up stories. Good for him. All that mag does is put pure fabrication with intimate details as if fact.
He’s an entertainer and few tweets does not make him a drunk.
Even if he gets nothing, he’s proudly just suing them to make a point, good for him.
I agree.
So do I.
It’s too easy to say say anything and every thing, the most outrageous and damaging lies and never be accounted responsible because the victim is a public figure. If more celebrities did sue, at one point one would win and things would change.
I don’t know about all of it, but that Easter pic is pretty obviously staged, even the bottle is almost completely full, and closed. Sounds like Out of Touch has some ‘splaining to do… to the judge.
Except that’s kind of lame too. Either he’s a drunk or he’s lying about being a drunk to seem cool.
I watch the Voice, mainly because it’s “family friendly” so it’s something we can all watch together (my 3yr old loves Blake, btw). I have a feeling that Blake doesn’t really drink nearly as much as he claims, and it’s really a schtick to play up his “country hick good ol’ boy” image. He always seems underneath to be quite knowledgable and genuinely invested in the singers and their careers. He often has them perform with him on tour, and a former contestant just got married at his home (he and Gwen attended the wedding). From watching the show I can see how he can turn the “frat boy” act off like a switch when it suits him.
Just from reading those silly tweets, they come off as part of his schtick or persona. Either that or his typing while drunk skills are pretty good. I think Blake has such a backpfeifengesicht face but good on him for suing that rag.
I think he was pretty influential and supportive when his good buddy Trace Adkins went to rehab, so I son’t think he takes that part of the story lightly.
I wonder 2 things: it might be his way of trying to clear his name about the cheating allegations (true or false, I don’t know), and I wonder if its his way of controlling his image. Many guys (people?) see binge drinking very differently from being an alcoholic. But I also remember Miranda saying once before their wedding that he actually doesn’t drink as much as he says because he can’t hold his alcohol.
From reading his tweets over the past few years, they have really changed their tone and content since he’s been with Gwen. I think he and Miranda probably did drink together much more and he isn’t in the same space anymore.
It’s never funny to joke about putting your cat in the microwave, but it should probably be avoided when you’ve previously joked about deliberately running over turtles in the road, and you’re on tape killing a baby alligator.
Really? Idiot.
Well as much as I dislike Blake Shelton, I think it is pretty obvious that he is joking in his tweets
He brags about drinking, all the time. On the Voice, it became a joke of the show. Everyone teased him about his drinking. He is the one running the narrative. Seems very shady.