In February 2021, ‘Westworld’ star Evan Rachel Wood named Marilyn Manson as her alleged abuser. Here’s what has happened since. Marilyn Manson Stewart Cook/Shutterstock In February 2021, Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood named Marilyn Manson as her alleged abuser. “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,” she shared via Instagram on Feb 1. Wood and Manson had a relationship when the actress was 18 and Manson was 36, and the pair were briefly engaged in 2010. Manson denied the allegations in his own Instagram statement. “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality,” he wrote. “My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how – and why – others are now choosing to misinterpret the past, that is the truth.” Billboard made earlier attempts to reach Manson for comment through his now former management, but has not received any responses. Following Wood’s statement, a number of other women went public with their own claims against Manson, but his history with abuse allegations stems back nearly 25 years. See below for a full timeline. February 1998 – The Long Hard Road Out of Hell Manson’s autobiography featured a number of anecdotes, which Chicago Reader critic Jim Derogatis called out at the time for “generally mistreating one or more women per page.” In a particularly gruesome chapter, “Meating the Fans / Meat and Greet,” Manson recalled a deaf fan who got covered in raw meat and had sex with a number of band members before getting urinated on by Manson and his bandmate. While that encounter was presented as consensual by Manson, another anecdote featuring Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor stirred controversy. The chapter, which resurfaced online recently, details how Reznor and Manson allegedly physically and sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman in the ’90s. On Feb. 3, 2021, Reznor issued a statement to denounce his onetime collaborator. “I have been vocal over the years about my dislike of Manson as a person and cut ties with him nearly 25 years ago,” Reznor said in his statement to Pitchfork. “As I said at the time, the passage from Manson’s memoir is a complete fabrication. I was infuriated and offended back when it came out and remain so today.” December 2001 – Assault and sexual misconduct charge Manson was charged with assaulting security guard Joshua Keasler after he allegedly spit on the man’s head and rubbed his G-string-clad genital area on it during a concert at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan. He was accused of felony fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct along with misdemeanor assault and battery. Manson pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and received a $4,000 fine. He and the security guard eventually reached a settlement. April 2002 – Wrongful death lawsuit Following the death of actress Jennifer Syme, her mother Maria St. John sued Manson for wrongful death, alleging that he gave her drugs and encouraged her to drive while inebriated. On his website, Manson shared a statement, calling the accusations “completely false.” “Manson believes that the lawsuit is completely unfounded and is investigating an immediate counter-suit against St. John for slander, harassment and abuse of the legal process,” the statement read, according to Blabbermouth. “‘This lawsuit, which is completely without merit, will not bring back Jennifer’s life. It serves only to reopen the wounds and the pain felt by all who loved Jennifer. It is a pity that St. John sullies her own daughter’s reputation by filing this baseless claim.’” “After Manson and his five guests finished an evening at the movies followed by a quiet get-together at his home, he made sure Syme received a safe ride home from a designated driver and went to sleep,” the statement concluded. June 2009 – Spin interview Following his first breakup from Wood in 2007, Manson revealed to Spin in an extensive Q&A that he severely self-harmed following their split. He also shared violent thoughts about the then-22-year-old Wood, and how his song “I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies” is about the “fantasies” he had “every day about smashing her skull in with a sledgehammer.” In November 2020, after Manson was asked about Wood’s domestic abuse testimonies in an interview with Metal Hammer, the singer hung up the phone. Manson’s team later released a statement claiming the “sledgehammer” comment was “obviously a theatrical rock star interview promoting a new record, and not a factual account. The fact that Evan and Manson got engaged six months after this interview would indicate that no one took this story literally.” July 2009 – Violent threats against music journalists In response to media scrutiny, Manson reportedly threatened music journalists in a since-deleted blog post. “I am far different than the soon-to-be-murdered-in-their-home press has decided to fabricate,” he wrote, according to The Guardian. “If one more ‘journalist’ makes a cavalier statement about me and my band, I will personally or with my fans’ help, greet them at their home and discover just how much they believe in their freedom of speech.” October 2017 – Twiggy Ramirez allegations Ramirez, Manson’s longtime bassist, was accused by Jack Off Jill singer Jessicka Addams of sexual and psychological abuse while they dated in the 1990s. Following the allegations, Ramirez (real name Jeordie White) was removed from Manson’s touring party. Manson said in a statement announcing the exit that he “knew nothing about these allegations until very recently and am saddened by Jessicka’s obvious distress.” In a statement to Pitchfork, Ramirez said that he had “only recently been made aware of these allegations from over 20 years ago,” and claimed, “I do not condone non-consensual sex of any kind.” February 2018 – Charlyne Yi’s allegations The House actress said in a since-deleted tweet that Manson was a “huge fan of the show,” and visited the cast while they were filming the final season, where he “harassed just about every woman asking us if we were going to scissor, rhino & called me a China man.” “I genuinely hope he gets help,” she continued. February 2018 – Wood testifies before Congress In an effort to secure a bill of rights for sexual assault survivors in all
