A week ago, Paris Campbell Grace, the wife of Against Me!‘s Laura Jane Grace, publicly accused Laura of abuse via social media. What followed was a turbulent and highly public exchange between the two, which we previously reported on here. Now, there have been developments from both sides, including Laura officially addressing the allegations.
On the Paris update side, she initially stated in her original posts that she wanted Laura to leave their shared home so Paris and their daughter could have a safe environment. Paris later confirmed that Laura had left. On Threads, Paris wrote:
“My wife has left the house, and I’m bringing my daughter home tomorrow to a safe environment. My only purpose in coming forward was to ensure our safety, so from this point forward, until I go through proper legal channels, I will no longer speak about the situation with my wife. When the time comes, I absolutely will share my experience as I see fit. I thank everyone who has shown me compassion. You’ve given me strength I thought was killed. ❤️”
Laura Jane Grace has since responded to the situation on Instagram. In the caption, she wrote:
“I would like to acknowledge my fault here and take responsibility for my mistakes. Anyone who has been paying attention can see clear as day that this has been a toxic, codependent relationship from the start. It was reckless of me to get married so quickly and I made a lot of poor decisions where I absolutely should have known better. My poor decisions have impacted my kid, my band and my community. I hold myself accountable for it and sincerely apologize.”
The post itself goes beyond the caption, with a lengthy statement attributed to an unnamed touring member of Laura Jane Grace and the Trauma Tropes, a band that both Laura and Paris are in, and coincidentally released their debut album on the same day the allegations broke. The person claims to have witnessed troubling behavior from Paris on tour, alleging emotional manipulation and isolating actions toward other members of the touring crew.
The full post includes accusations that Paris made other bandmates uncomfortable, “cornered” them to share personal grievances about Laura, and attempted to paint Laura as abusive without showing evidence. The account also disputes Paris’ claims of being financially abandoned and describes Laura as calm, sober, and supported by friends during the moving process. The full post states:
“The following is my first hand experience and what I have perceived between Laura Jane Grace and Paris Campbell Grace.”
“I have been around LJG and Paris regularly since first starting to tour with them at the beginning of spring. In that time on tour together, myself and many other people were cornered by Paris and trauma dumped on in a way that felt very strange. They would say that they don’t have anyone to talk to about this and that they need help in their relationship. When I would dig further or offer resources, they would say that nothing is going to help the situation and that it is all 100% LJG and that they (Paris) haven’t done anything to contribute to the conflict. There were multiple times that I wanted to confront LJG with this information but strategically, I never got a minute alone with her without Paris present. I was also nervous that presenting this information to her would make matters worse, so I did my best to stay out of it. While telling my band mates and tour mates that something weird was going on. I also asked my band mates to intervene if they ever saw Paris trying to pull me away from the group. Which they tried to do but Paris would ask them to leave.”
“During our first tour together, Paris would constantly hit on one of the other tour mates in a way that me and that tour mate would discuss often about how inappropriate it was, and Paris seemed unwell. We would actively avoid being alone around Paris, because Paris admitted to using them to make LJG jealous. This was the 2nd or 3rd night of tour. Paris would pull me aside often and single me out. Whether it was to go run through the exhibits of both meowwolf locations after they had shut down the exhibits for the night, or to pull me aside to talk about the other tour mate and/or LJG. There were multiple times that I heard “Paris is looking for you.” This made me a little uncomfortable that it would be perceived as inappropriate by other people and also I didn’t want her to bring me into the drama she was actively creating by trying to make LJG jealous.”
“Paris often singled me out and got me alone to vent to me about her wife, but the stories always seemed a little off to me. LJG getting mad out of nowhere and Paris seemingly never contributing to any conflict. Her saying she has evidence but never showing it. I would say something diplomatic to try and get her to stop. Usually it would be like “it sounds like you guys would benefit from couples therapy” or “you need to get on the same team.” She accused LJG of financial abuse but I later learned that all band members including LJG got paid equally, by a separate management company after each tour. Sometimes it takes a month plus for the band to get paid on a given tour. But everyone got paid the same amount and everyone got paid the same time.”
“When I showed up to Chicago, I was looking to help both of my friends out. I didn’t know what was going on but I knew they both needed help. I was told Laura Jane needed treatment (which insinuated that she had relapsed) and that she was acting psychotic and scary and was in the middle of a full-blown mental health crisis. When I got there, her roadie and friend of 25 years who I know well met me outside and told me that he has been with her the entire time aside from the hour or so that he had to drop off gear. During that time LJG went live on Instagram to showcase that she was not “tearing apart the house” and to get eyes on her to protect her from Paris also to give herself an alibi. During that time, she played songs and looked like she was not in a good headspace. Because she wasn’t. She was taking requests and playing her own catalogue to pass the time on live where she was clearly very uncomfortable.”
“Her roadie informed me that LJG was in fact not tearing apart the house. (I know that because it looked spotless when I went inside) and was not having a mental breakdown (I know that because I went and talked to Laura soon after talking with Jon) and that the only person screaming and needing help was Paris.”
“Paris was not locked in her office, and she immediately came out to pull me away to speak with her when I got there and she heard my voice. I told her to stop posting on social media because if LJG was having a mental health crisis, this would only escalate things. I told her my sole purpose of coming with my van was to help LJG get out of the house, but that it was going to take some time because there was a lot of sensitive things to move. Every time she spoke to me it was in a creepy performative tone. She said it was good that it was escalating and said that she had every right to post. She just kept repeating that Laura Jane needs to leave or she’s calling the cops. I told her over and over that I was there to help LJG leave. We were not intimidating her. We were not interacting with her unless she came out to speak to us.”
“Paris was not left with “no money or resources”. LJG showed me a bank account that Paris’ name is on that she has access to with over $6k in it.”
“LJG was sober and calm and had been the entire 24 hrs she was at home waiting for help to arrive to move crucial items out of the home to a storage unit that she had already secured. LJG has dozens of valuable guitars and journals and archives from the last 20 years. Lots of irreplaceable items from the Against Me! days, original tapes and masters of AM records and tons of very valuable gear. She was unwilling to leave the house because she didn’t trust Paris with those items. She also required that one person stayed with her at all times because she was scared of Paris. So while her roadie and I would take a load to the storage unit, our other friend would stay back and they would sit in LJG’s office. LJG had a therapy appointment that day and a call with her lawyer. Those required her to be at home by her phone at specific times.”
“After the first load of equipment, her roadie and I compared stories and there were things that didn’t line up. He then informed me that Paris had been doing the same thing with him, pulling him aside, telling him wild stories about LJG that seemed off or strange and then telling him not to tell anyone. John also wanted to tell LJG but could never get her alone.”
“There are at least 6 people who have told me the same thing. Paris would corner them, tell them very inappropriate and personal things about Laura Jane and then try to paint a picture of abuse. Paris would tell them not to tell anyone, and that they haven’t told anyone else about this stuff happening to them. I have seen them fight, as have other members of the touring party. In every instance, we hear LJG tell Paris to leave her alone and Paris won’t. She pushes and pushes until Laura snaps and yells at her to go away, and then Paris calls her reaction abuse. What Paris is doing is a form of abuse.”
“The whole LJG band and our band hit it off so well that we went on a second tour with them and went to hang out with them multiple times when they were in Michigan. On tour we would hang out in each other’s hotel rooms and go out to eat often. I have spent so much time around the both of them both on and off tour, and I have yet to see A SHRED of evidence that LJG is committing abuse. However, I have seen Paris behave in ways that are manipulative, isolating, and coercive.”
“After speaking with other tour party members (not even LJG at this point) it became very apparent that Paris is the one committing abuse and lying to everyone. -She claims she has evidence, that she keeps using as collateral and threatening to “leak if LJG doesn’t do XYZ” but I haven’t seen anything. Meanwhile I have seen evidence of her abuse.”
“She claims that LJG is unwell and needs treatment, but LJG seems like herself to me and everyone else that’s been in a van with her for the last 4 months. Aside from being obviously a little shook up at the moment which should be completely understandable as she navigates this traumatic event. Also, Laura Jane has maintained her sobriety which Paris has insinuated multiple times that she has relapsed.”
“She claims that she is locked away without money or resources, but LJG is the one trying to leave after Laura invited her to be in her band and perform for her large fan base that she has built over the last 30 years, while giving her the same pay as herself and the seasoned musicians she plays with. LJG has offered to pay for hotels and give her investment from the house that they co-own back. She’s also offered to pay for places for her to stay to get her away from the house.”“She claims that she has no resources or network, but clearly, from her internet following and the thousands of people rushing to defend her and give her free legal advice, that isn’t true. Meanwhile, LJG has been isolated from her core friend group by Paris and doesn’t cross lines in having inappropriate relationships with her fans, so the claim of her massive network is also untrue.”
“Laura Jane has been trying to leave Paris for over half a year now but keeps getting manipulated to stay and is stuck because of the public nature of their relationship and the obligations they have to the band and everyone’s income. Additionally, the manipulation from their partner who they loved dearly has continued to draw them back in when they try to leave. LJG finally said she was done and Paris went ballistic. LJG has filed for divorce and is trying to leave the house. We were all at the house helping her move, not intimidating Paris. We took 5 or 6 van loads of LJG’s stuff to a storage unit in the day and a half we were there. There was one hour where we weren’t moving because we were waiting for lunch to be delivered and then eating it. In that time Paris asked us to leave, threatened to call the cops, and weaponized bringing her child home (that they wouldn’t have had for another couple of days anyways because they were supposed to be on tour all weekend).”
“I told them calmly but firmly that I was no longer going to play their games and that I no longer found them to have credibility. I called them out on the few lies that I caught them in off the top of my head and they just continued to argue and get upset while putting on a very strange performance that made everyone uneasy. LJG’s roadie was silent and avoiding confrontation, LJG was quiet unless she needed to say something, which she would then calmly state what she needed to say to Paris. I told Paris I would gladly speak to police if they thought that was the best option for them, and that if they felt it was a good idea, they could bring their child home and none of us would talk to their kid. We had to keep reassuring her that we were not leaving LJG alone with her and that we were only there to help LJG move and get out.”
“I’m not saying because LJG is my friend she doesn’t have the capacity to be abusive, I think there are reactions that have been bad and I think LJG has said things she shouldn’t have, but I have yet to see her be the perpetrator and abuse Paris. The time I witnessed them fighting in front of me and another band mate, LJG was desperately asking for space over and over and Paris refused to give her space, which led to LJG snapping and storming off. This was a cycle that other members of the touring party witnessed often.”
“It is my belief that Paris latched on to a very vulnerable LJG for her own financial gain and follower count. I have seen Paris isolate Laura from everyone that has any type of special relationship with her and I have seen Paris’ possessiveness and inability to self-regulate take over and escalate to wild levels.”
“Paris is not a reliable narrator. Paris is proven to me to be untrustworthy and manipulative. Paris has nearly as large of a following as LJG does. Paris is being broken up with, and if they can’t have what they want, I believe that they intend to burn it down and destroy LJG.”
Paris responded briefly on Threads:
“So much for a ‘mutual’ gag order, I guess. I won’t be responding to any of this. Everything I said is true. All in the dark always sees the light, say whatever you want about me. I’m finally free.”
She then offered a more detailed statement on Facebook, identifying the anonymous touring member as Tiff Hannay from The Rodeo Boys:
“This is truly the last I will ever speak of this. Because at this point, engaging with this is only allowing someone who caused me a lot of pain to have power over me.
I loved, and still do (that doesn’t just go away) my wife. She did not treat me well. I have laid out enough of the ways. The morning I locked myself in my office (which was the prior day to Tiff of @rodeoboysofficial arriving, who is the person who wrote that post, by the way. If you’re gonna stand, stand on your business, dude!), my wife scared the hell out of me. We got into a verbal argument that lead to me threatening to leave her, which blew her up further; things got scary, and that’s when I locked myself in and started sending texts and eventually cried out publicly. I filed for divorce several days ago.
I spent over 30 minutes on the phone with my lawyer today because my wife wanted me to sign a ‘mutual’ agreement to not speak about each other. To which, I was agreeable and the conditions were being worked out between our lawyers. She then posted 19 screenshots about me that same day, after asking for said gag order. So, I’m not the one acting impulsively here.
That’s literally all you need to know.”
However, she returned to Threads today, writing:
“I feel completely fucking attacked, article after article with incredibly false information is being posted about me. I’ve done literally everything I can to prove myself… I’m logging the fuck off. Leave me alone.”
At this point, it’s clear both sides are presenting drastically different versions of events. We will continue to monitor the situation for any further developments.