Brian Warner, whose alter-ego is Marilyn Manson, is no stranger to controversy. As a musician and actor he has sort out deliberately-provocative material over the years but in recent times his behaviour away from the stage and camera has come under more scrutiny.
He was in a relationship with multi Emmy-nominated Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) for several years when she was in her late teens (and he was in his thirties) and more recently Wood has discussed an abusive relationship she was in (including instances of physical abuse, being deprived her of sleep, starved, stalking, grooming and rape) which was believed to refer to her time with Warner/Manson. Originally, she did not name him directly (other details left little room for doubt on his identity), but as of this week that has officially changed and Wood specifically named him as her abuser. Her statements join those of several other women who had already named Warner/Manson in connection with similar and extensive claims of abuse.
As a result, Manson’s roles in upcoming episodes of both Creepshow and American Gods have now been curtailed and, as of Tuesday, his record label, Loma Vista Records and the CAA talent agency have both immediately dropped him as a client citing the allegations (Wood remains on the CAA roster).
“Due to the allegations made against Marilyn Manson, we have decided to remove his performance from the remaining episode he is in, scheduled to air later this season. Starz stands unequivocally with all victims and survivors of abuse,” a Starz spokesperson told industry site Deadline regarding his appearances on American Gods.
Manson has issued his own statement via Instagram, saying: ” Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality. 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.”
However, one does have to look at that denial in terms of past comments which seem more damning. In an infamous magazine interview around the time Wood had ended the relationship, Warner/Manson talked about that relationship – confirming that he had subsequently bombarded her with calls and fantasised about murdering her with a sledgehammer (he later denied the comments should be taken seriously).
