American musician and actor Marilyn Manson (real name - Brian Warner) responded to allegations of rape and domestic violence that actress Evan Rachel Wood and several other women posted on social networks.
The artist published a post on the Instagram social network, where he emphasizes that he entered into an intimate relationship only by mutual consent.
“Obviously, my work and my life have long been the subject of controversy, but recent statements about me are a disgusting distortion of real events.
In my intimate life, everything has invariably been accomplished with the full consent of partners who share my views.
This is true regardless of how - and why - other people choose to misinterpret the past, ”Manson said.
View this post on Instagram
Posted by Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson)
On February 1, 2021, the accusations against the musician were brought forward by the actress Evan Rachel Wood, best known for her central roles in the series "Westworld" and "Mildred Pierce".
The fact that the artists are in a relationship became known in 2007 - then Wood was 19 years old, and Manson was 38. They were engaged, but soon broke up.
Since 2016, Wood has told the media that she had experienced domestic violence and two cases of rape, but did not give specific names and denied Manson's involvement in this situation.
On February 1, the actress posted a post on the social network Instagram, where she mentioned the musician and outlined her version of events.
“The name of my rapist is Brian Warner, he is also known to the world as Marilyn Manson.
He began courting me when I was a teenager, and his abuse of me continued for years.
By brainwashing and manipulation, he achieved my submission, ”reads the entry.
“I am tired of living in fear of persecution, slander or blackmail.
By this I want to expose this dangerous person and those companies that condoned him in order to prevent new victims.
I express my solidarity with the multitude of victims who will no longer remain silent, ”also wrote Wood.
Later, she was joined by at least four other women who identified themselves as victims of violence by Marilyn Manson.
They also posted posts to Instagram, but later one of them deleted the post.
The women reported suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and nightmares.
According to the users, Manson intimidated them, held them against their will, did not allow them to sleep, and subjected them to physical and psychological abuse.
They expressed the hope that after their statements Manson will be called to account, and the artist will stop behaving in this way towards other women.
AFP
© Frazer Harrison / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA /
On Twitter, actress Rose McGowan supported Wood and others.
She previously sided with the prosecution in a trial against producer Harvey Weinstein.
Later, Evan Rachel Wood also released a copy of a letter from California Senator Susan Rubio to FBI Director Christopher Ray and Acting Chief of the US Department of Justice Monty Wilkinson, asking him to investigate alleged domestic violence cases involving Marilyn Manson.
Less than a day after the publication of the posts, the management of the record company Loma Vista, which was working on the promotion of Manson's latest studio album, We Are Chaos, announced that it would stop working with the musician and spoke out in support of the prosecutors.
“In light of today's shocking allegations made by Evan Rachel Wood and other women who have reported abuse by Marilyn Manson, Loma Vista will immediately cease further promotion of Manson's current album.
In the context of this alarming situation, we also decided to refuse to collaborate with Marilyn Manson on other future projects, ”reads a statement posted on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
Publication from LOMA VISTA RECORDINGS (@lomavistarecordings)
The incident also influenced Manson's acting career.
He played one of the roles in the series based on the novel by Neil Gaiman "American Gods", but now the footage with Manson will be cut.
The artist joined the cast in 2019.
He got the role of a Viking, lead singer of the death metal band Blood Death, an associate of the god Odin.
The character appears in the third season of the series, which premiered in January 2021.
“Due to the accusations against Marilyn Manson, we decided to cut the artist out of the series planned for broadcast - the last with him in the current season.
Starz unreservedly supports all victims and survivors of abuse, ”a Starz TV spokesman said in an interview with Deadline.
Actress Yetide Badaki, who also starred on American Gods, expressed her support for Wood and other women on Twitter.
In addition, Manson will not appear in the horror anthology Kaleidoscope of Horror, which airs on AMC's Shudder streaming service.
The artist was supposed to appear in one of the upcoming episodes of the second season, but the platform's management decided to replace the fragment with his participation.
In 2018, the Los Angeles Police Department was investigating unspecified sex offenses that were believed to have occurred in 2011. Marilyn Manson was under suspicion, but the case was not considered due to lack of evidence and expiration of the statute of limitations.