Marilyn Manson Has Been Accused Of Abuse By Evan Rachel Wood And Four Other Women
"I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander or blackmail. I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him."
After detailing her experiences with abuse previously without naming her abuser, actress Evan Rachel Wood has come forward to allege that Marilyn Manson “horrifically abused” her for years and ‘groomed her’ while she was a teenager.
— Content Warning: This article discusses sexual and physical abuse and self-harm. —
In an Instagram post, the 33-year-old actress shared a statement accusing Manson (née Brian Warner) of abuse, saying she was ‘brainwashed and manipulated into submission’. The two dated from 2006, when Wood was 18 and Manson 37, until 2010, and were briefly engaged.
“The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson. He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years,” she wrote. “I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission. I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander or blackmail. I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.”
Wood has repeatedly spoken about her experiences with abuse in the past without naming Manson. In 2016, she told Rolling Stone she had been raped twice (once by a “significant other”, though her new statement doesn’t clarify whether that refers to Manson), and in 2018 spoke before a US government subcommittee to share her own experiences in support of all 50 states ratifying President Obama’s Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights.
“My experience with domestic violence was this: toxic mental, physical and sexual abuse which started slow but escalated over time, including threats against my life, severe gaslighting and brainwashing, waking up to the man that claimed to love me raping what he believed to be my unconscious body,” she told the subcommittee.
Wood also told the subcommittee that she was later diagnosed with PTSD, and had both self-harmed and attempted suicide.
After Wood’s Instagram post, four other women have made posts alleging abuse by Manson — two statements are below, with two now no longer public but widely reported. In them, Manson is accused of torture, physical and emotional abuse, sexual and physical violence, coercion, rape and forcing one woman to take drugs.
Manson was accused of sexual assault in 2018, with a police report filed for sex crimes dating back to 2011. The charges were dropped by police for a lack of evidence, and Manson’s attorney called them false.
Following the allegations, Manson’s label Loma Vista Recordings has dropped him.
“In light of today’s disturbing allegations by Evan Rachel Wood and other women naming Marilyn Manson as their abuser, Loma Vista will cease to further promote his current album, effective immediately,” the label wrote in a statement (via Pitchfork). “Due to these concerning developments, we have also decided not to work with Marilyn Manson on any future projects.”
In 2009, Manson told Spin that he fantasised “every day about smashing [Wood’s] skull in with a sledgehammer”.
Wood is perhaps best known for her role as a teen actress Thirteen, and most recently has appeared in HBO’s Westworld, Frozen II and as the lead in Miranda July’s 2020 film Kajillionaire.
Manson has released eleven studio albums, most recently We Are Chaos last September, and has recently acted in TV shows including American Gods and The New Pope, and is slated to appear in the upcoming horror anthology Creepshow.
UPDATE: In response to the multiple allegations, Manson has denied them and called them “horrible distortions of reality” via a statement on his Instagram, where comments are disabled.
“Obviously, my life and my art have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality,” he writes.
“My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”
Find two more allegations against Manson below.
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If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
Men can access anonymous confidential telephone counselling to help to stop using violent and controlling behaviour through the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.
Photo Credit: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage for Disney Pictures