Express & Star

Mandy Moore opens up on ‘untenable’ marriage to Ryan Adams

The pop star has accused the singer-songwriter of being psychologically abusive towards her.

Published
Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore has said she was “so sad” during her marriage to singer-songwriter Ryan Adams and revealed she felt like she was “drowning” while they were together.

The pop star and actress – speaking in a podcast recorded before she and six other women accused Adams of varying degrees of abuse – said her career took a back seat to his.

A lawyer for Adams denied the allegations of abuse, which first appeared in the New York Times earlier this month.

Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore has opened up on her marriage to Ryan Adams and revealed she was ‘so sad’ during the relationship (Aurore Marechal/PA)

Moore, 34, married Adams, 44, in 2009 and they divorced in 2016. She alleged her career was hindered when he became dependent on her, saying the relationship “had an an entirely unhealthy dynamic”.

Speaking on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, she said: “ I had no sense of self.

“I felt like I was drowning. It was so untenable and unsustainable and it was so lonely. I was so sad. I was lonely with him.”

Moore found fame as a teenage pop star and has starred in films including The Princess Diaries.

Ryan Adams
Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams has been accused of psychological abuse by ex-wife Mandy Moore (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

She has starred in TV drama This Is Us since 2016. Moore said her marriage to Adams could not “sustain itself” if she worked full-time, adding: “I would do little jobs – it’s not like I completely stopped working.

“But it would become abundantly clear while I was working, things would completely fall apart at home.

“I couldn’t do my job because there was a constant stream of trying to pay attention to this person who needed me and wouldn’t let me do anything else.”

Moore, who married Taylor Goldsmith in 2018, was one of seven women who told the New York Times earlier this month that Adams had been abusive towards them.

In the New York Times story, a 20-year-old female musician said Adams had inappropriate conversations with her while she was 15 and 16.

Moore said he had been psychologically abusive towards her. A lawyer for Adams denied the claims to the Times.

A representative for Adams has been contacted.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.