In a “Valentine’s Day statement” shared on social media, Antonia Teixeira, the wife of the Lemonheads co-founder Evan Dando, addressed the allegations that the musician sent a fan unsolicited videos of himself masturbating before being hospitalized for mental health treatment.
Teixeira said that in the weeks leading up to the incident, the frontman was “struggling with heavy drinking, prescription drug abuse, and a serious mental health episode.” She said that during this period, Dando “engaged in inappropriate online exchanges.”
While Teixeira said he believed he was participating in “consensual sexual messaging,” that belief “does not excuse his behavior” and that she was “not minimizing what happened.”
Last week, news broke that a fan identified as “Dawn” on journalist Tony Ortega’s substack, The Underground Bunker, claimed she had reached out to Dando in social media DMs in October to congratulate him on releasing Love Chant, the Lemonheads’ first album of original music since 2006’s The Lemonheads. Dando allegedly replied, “Cool I’m sorry I’m an exhibitionist,” and the following day sent her an unwanted video of himself masturbating.
Dando, who lives in Brazil with his wife Antonia Teixeira and is stepfather to Teixeira’s three children, was later admitted to a local hospital to receive help from mental health professionals, his rep previously told Rolling Stone.
Teixeira said that she has reached out to the woman who made the allegations to apologize and said, “No one deserves to receive unwanted sexual content, and I am sincerely sorry for the distress this caused.” She said Dando agreed to enter treatment prior to the claims becoming public and is now in rehab to address his substance abuse and mental health.
“I have made it clear that continuing treatment is essential, and I will make decisions that protect myself if he does not follow through,” Teixeira continued. “I am not defending his actions. They hurt me deeply. At the same time, I believe addiction and mental illness can lead to destructive behavior that requires accountability and professional help.” She added, “I hope there can be room for both responsibility and compassion as he takes steps toward recovery.”
On the day Dando’s rep confirmed the artist had checked into a hospital in Brazil, Teixeira spoke with Billboard and told the publication that the couple had traveled from their home in São Paulo to New York City for the Lemonheads’ appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Jan. 20, which was followed by a Tiny Desk episode in Washington, D.C. However, Teixeira said “that day, he was totally out of his mind,” adding, “So out of his mind, that the Tiny Desk won’t be aired.”
“I’m very mad, because he betrayed me,” Teixeira said when discussing discovering the alleged unsolicited videos. Teixeira said she believes the video was messaged to the wrong woman, “From what I’m looking [at] now, it wasn’t … he doesn’t remember what he did. He was in a mental meltdown.”