Dean Lewis issued an apology Thursday following viral allegations that the Australian singer-songwriter behaved inappropriately with female fans.
In recent weeks, several women who claim to have had interactions with Lewis over the past decade have shared their experiences on TikTok, providing screenshots and phone recordings that appear to show Lewis sexting, flirting, and arranging meet-ups with female fans.
In his statement Thursday, Lewis — an award-winning singer in his native Australia whose hits “Waves” and “Be Alright” led him to a stint performing and collaborating with the Jonas Brothers — acknowledged the accusations and apologized for his behavior, but reiterated that he did nothing “illegal” with women he thought were “consenting adults.”
“I understand why people are angry and disappointed after learning embarrassing details of intimate, private conversations and relationships I’ve had with consenting adults over the past decade, but I want to emphasize that none of this is illegal,” Lewis wrote.
“The individuals leading the campaign against me have repeatedly acknowledged this, and I’m hurt by any suggestion that I’ve done things that have crossed into illegality. At the same time, I realize I’ve made an incredible mess, people are genuinely hurt, and I need to make changes.”
Lewis admitted, “I’ve been flirty with adult women of all different ages, in-person, online, and over text. Occasionally, that flirting leads to consensual intimate encounters or relationships that I thought were private. And like anyone who has ever dated, been in a relationship, or just sent dumb flirty texts (and yes, sometimes sexts), I’ve done and said incredibly stupid, insensitive, and embarrassing things that I’m mortified by when looking back.”
Lewis called the viral allegations against him and the fans’ reaction to the TikTok videos an “overdue wake-up call.”
“In the past few days, social media has made public a decade-plus of private conversations with a number of women, all of adult age. I don’t fault these individuals for having hard feelings, and I don’t want anyone defending me,” Lewis said. “I was breathtakingly dumb texting and flirting in the manner I have over many years. I should have been more sensitive that not everyone might look at our interactions the way I often did. From the bottom of my heart, I want to sincerely apologize to those I’ve hurt.”
Lewis promised to make “a lot of changes” going forward, including enrolling in “intense therapy” in order to make “better choices and dramatically shift my approach to dating, relationships, and showing greater care to the women in my life.” He also said he would formulate “a whole new set of rules” regarding how he engaged with fans.
“I know it’s too much to ask for grace and forgiveness at this moment, but in time I hope to re-earn the trust of those I’ve hurt, and do better by those I’ve disappointed,” Lewis wrote. “I’m going to look after myself for a little bit while I get my head and life in order.”
