Actor Evan Rachel Wood and four other women left with abuse charges against Manson.
Dita Von Teese addressed the charges against her ex-husband Marilyn Manson after several women, including Westworld actor Evan Rachel Wood, accused the musician of “preparation” and “horrible” abuse.
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For years, Wood spoke about his experience in a past abusive relationship with a man who had a lot of “charisma and power”, testifying in front of the California Senate Public Security Committee in 2019 in support of a bill to expand rights of survivors of domestic violence.
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In his testimony, Wood described a relationship with an unidentified older man who “broke up [her] through hunger, sleep deprivation and threats against [her] life.”
Wood said the man controlled her appearance, isolated her from her friends and family and hacked into her phone and social media accounts. She also reported incidents of physical and sexual abuse, including a time when she was tied up and tortured, ostensibly to “prove her loyalty”.
“My attacker’s name is Brian Warner, also known worldwide as Marilyn Manson,” Wood said in an Instagram post on Monday.
“I got tired of living in fear of retaliation, slander or blackmail,” wrote the 33-year-old. “I am here to expose this dangerous man and summon the many industries that have enabled him, before he destroys more lives.”
Wood and Manson have been in a relationship for several years, ending in 2010 after a seven-month engagement. They met when she was 18 and he was 36.
Four other women performed on Monday, also accusing Manson of physical, mental and sexual abuse. Two of them said that their experiences led to the diagnosis of PTSD.
Model Sarah McNeilly wrote in a statement that she was “emotionally abused, terrified and scarred” after Manson locked her in rooms and forced her to listen to him with other women. Lindsay Morgan, a Jewish actress, said Manson would ask her to bring Nazi memorabilia from Asia as “a joke”. An artist, Gabriella, known as sourgirrrl on Instagram, said she took pictures of her naked and tied up without her permission and sent them to her friends.
In a statement on his own Instagram account on Monday, Manson called the allegations “horrible distortions of reality.”
“My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners,” he wrote. “Regardless of how – and why – others are now choosing to distort the past, that is the truth.”
On Wednesday, Manson’s ex-wife, Dita Von Teese, posted her own statement on Instagram, saying the allegations “do not match” her experience in their relationship.
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The couple started dating in 2001 and divorced in 2006 after a year of marriage.
“For those who have expressed concerns about my well-being, I thank you for your kindness,” said the 48-year-old.
“Please know that the details made public do not correspond to my personal experience during our 7 years together as a couple,” she continued. “If they did, I wouldn’t have married him in December 2005.”
“I left 12 months later due to infidelity and drug abuse,” she added.
In an interview with the Telegraph in 2007, the burlesque dancer said she made the decision to end her marriage to Manson because she “did not support her parties or her relationship with another girl.”
“I have a feeling he thinks I didn’t support him,” she said at the time. “But the truth is that I did not support his lifestyle and someone else did support him.”
“Abuse of any kind has no place in any relationship,” said Von Teese in his statement on Wednesday. “I urge those of you who have been abused to take steps to heal and the strength to fully realize themselves.”
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A representative of Marilyn Manson was contacted for further comments.