#Rhye’s Michael Milosh Accused of Sexual and Physical Abuse by Ex-Wife, Issues Denial

Michael Milosh—the musician, singer, and songwriter behind the projects Rhye and Milosh—was accused of sexual assault, domestic violence, and grooming a minor in an open letter shared Sunday (March 14) by his ex-wife, the actress Alexa Nikolas, Rolling Stone reports.

In an open letter called “Groomed by the Groom,” Nikolas claimed she began talking to Milosh when she was 16 and he was 33—an assertion she previously made in a 2018 interview with Verse. Nikolas also said that when she turned 18, she met Milosh in Berlin, where he allegedly coerced her into sex after she denied consent. She also detailed accusations of physical abuse.

In a statement shared with Pitchfork, Milosh called Nikolas’ allegations “outrageously false” and her open letter “a piece of revisionist fiction.” He said her “stories [are] provably untrue,” adding that he is “fully prepared to cooperate with any independent investigation into” Nikolas’ claims.

Nikolas, in her open letter, claimed that Milosh reneged on a promise of financial support after their divorce. “I have always wished her nothing but the best and continued to support her financially even after I was no longer required to under our divorce agreement,” Milosh wrote in his statement. “Eventually, I stopped paying [and] in response, Alexa has resorted to character assassination.”

Michael Milosh and Alexa Nikolas were married on March 16, 2012, according to court documents obtained by Pitchfork. The couple separated on March 26, 2016, and the divorce was finalized on May 17, 2019, the records show. Rhye’s breakout album, 2013’s Woman, was positioned in the press as a kind of love letter from Milosh to Nikolas; in its liner notes, Milosh thanks “my wife, my muse, Alexa.”

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault or domestic violence, we encourage you to reach out for support:

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://www.rainn.org 
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)

Crisis Text Line
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741

The National Domestic Violence Hotline
http://thehotline.org
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)