[Content warning: Contains depictions of sexual assault.]
Rhye, aka musician Michael Milosh, has been accused of sexual misconduct by his ex-wife, artist Alexa Nikolas, in an open letter shared via a series of Instagram posts, as reporter Benjamin Goggin pointed out on Sunday afternoon. Nikolas alleges that Milosh “groomed a teenager for a green card, success, and sex,” and details various incidents ranging from emotional manipulation and gaslighting to sexual coercion, rape and physical violence. Her lengthy account is littered with text message and email screenshots, as well as various Rhye lyrics that she connects to her experiences.
Nikolas describes a “pen pal relationship” that allegedly began when she was 16 years old and Milosh was 33; when she spoke to music magazine Verse about the beginnings of that relationship in an interview, Rhye’s team attempted to have the article removed, Nikolas claims. In that article, she recalled sending Milosh a message to compliment his music, after which the two of them began communicating regularly online. Nikolas excerpts and expands upon that account in her open letter, noting, “He was aware of my age,” and alleging that he made efforts to meet her in person despite her being underage. She also recalls video chats that occurred during that time period that were “all sexual and flirtations,” writing, “I can account on numerous occasions undressing at his request.”
Nikolas alleges that her “first sexual experience with Milosh” occurred against her will when she was 18, writing, “I remember feeling very uncomfortable, but I was attracted to him and I did not want our first sexual experience to be spoiled. I did not respect my no and neither did he.” She goes on to accuse Milosh of “forc[ing] me into opening up to anal sex,” about which she alleges he wrote “Major Minor Love,” a song from his 2013 debut album Woman. She also alleges that Milosh took advantage of their relationship for financial gain, and recounts what she calls “one of many examples of Milosh bragging about sexual violence and exploiting women in his music.”
After Nikolas and Milosh moved in together, “The honeymoon phase was over,” she writes. When Nikolas was raped by someone she was dating, she alleges Milosh responded by “telling me I had to get over it or I was going to become a loser as an adult,” clocking the amount of time she spoke about her assault, and becoming so angry that he punched her refrigerator (among other household objects), denting it. They married when Nikolas was 19, after dating for six months—she alleges that Milosh, who is Canadian, proposed so he could gain entry into the United States on an artist visa for the sake of his career.
Nikolas’ disturbing account goes onto to detail another secondhand assault she accuses Milosh of describing to her, as well as an incident in which he allegedly “pressed his forearm into [Nikolas’] throat and continually screamed ‘shut the fuck up, shut the fuck up, shut the fuck up!’” in response to her having an anxiety attack. From there, she describes the dissolution of their marriage and their subsequent years-long divorce. “My wish to Milosh is for him to experience a profound metanoia and renounce all of his disturbing ways,” she concludes.
A representative for Milosh did not immediately respond to Paste’s request for comment, but we’ll update this post with any further information that we receive.
You can read Nikolas’ account in full via her Instagram.
