On Monday, Evan Rachel Wood released a statement naming Marilyn Manson as her alleged abuser, accusing him of grooming her over the course of their relationship. Four more women posted later that day, issuing their own claims against the controversial singer. Now, at least five more women have joined the chorus, accusing Manson of similarly abusive behavior.
One woman, filmmaker and activist Love Bailey, accused Manson of a slew of disturbing claims, including holding a gun to her head and calling her a derogatory slur at a photo shoot in 2011, when she was working as a stylist. “My life flashed before my eyes and I thought I was going to die,” she wrote in an email to Vanity Fair. The alleged incident took place in Manson’s recording studio, Bailey claimed, where the singer was purportedly accompanied by an unnamed actor who appeared unconscious. Bailey also posted a video detailing her allegations on Instagram.
Another, musician Chloe Black, accused Manson of physical abuse. “I’ve only been bruised to the point of my skin turning black once in my life,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “It was from him.”
Actors including Rose McGowan, who was previously engaged to Manson, and Charlyne Yi, who accused Manson of harassment back in 2018, have released statements supporting the singer’s accusers. “Pls support the people who spoke out,” Yi wrote on Instagram, noting that she received thousands of death threats from Manson supporters when she came forward three years ago. “It is fucking hard esp when Brian has so much power & violence in his history.” (Manson’s real name is Brian Warner.)
Manson had issued a blanket denial of the growing allegations Monday, characterizing them as “horrible distortions of reality.”
“Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality,” Manson said in the statement, posted to Instagram. “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.”
Since Wood went public with her claim, however, Manson has faced a swift career fallout. Creative Artists Agency confirmed to Vanity Fair that it has dropped him as a client, and Manson’s music label, Loma Vista Records, announced it was also severing ties. Starz announced that Manson will also be edited out of an upcoming episode of its series American Gods. His appearance on an upcoming segment of the Shudder horror series Creepshow will not air, a spokesperson for AMC told Vanity Fair.
Wood had in the past shared allegations of being abused by an unnamed ex partner, even testifying before a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee in 2018 in order to get the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights passed in all 50 states. Wood, now 33, has said she first met Manson when she was 18 and he was 36. In the subcommittee hearing, she accused a tormentor of brainwashing her, verbally abusing her, and raping her. She did not name the perpetrator at the time.
On Monday, she wrote: “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. 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.”
Several more women have come forward accusing Manson of misconduct, including Sarah McNeilly, Ashley Lindsay Morgan, Ashley Walters, Brittany Leigh, Scarlett Kapella, Yi, Bailey, and Black, the Los Angeles Times reports. Two more women, whose display names on Instagram are Torii and Gabriella, have also accused him of misconduct, the newspaper said. Many of their claims had similarities, painting a portrait of an emotionally and physically abusive predator. “The reason I’m finally sharing this traumatic experience is for my healing and because I’m done being silent,” Gabriella wrote. “I don’t believe it’s fair for someone to not be held accountable for their horrific actions. I’m not a victim. I’m a survivor.”
Maureen Ryan contributed to this report.
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