Marilyn Manson’s ex-fiancée Rose McGowan has publicly expressed her support for Evan Rachel Wood “and all of those who have or will come forward” with abuse allegations against Manson.
In denying abuse claims against him in the past, Manson and his team cited positive comments made about him by McGowan. “Rose is one of the bravest and most outspoken figureheads of the Me Too movement. Manson remains friends with McGowan and she talks very fondly of their three a half years together,” Manson’s team wrote in a 2020 statement.
But in light of new allegations against Manson levied by Wood and four other women, McGowan has made it clear that she stands with his alleged victims.
“I am profoundly sorry to those who have suffered the abuse & mental torture of Marilyn Manson,” McGowan wrote in an Instagram post on Monday evening. “When I say Hollywood is a cult, I mean the Entertainment industry including the music industry is a cult. Cult’s protect the rot at the top. Theirs is a sickness that must be stopped. The industrial fame complex chooses who they protect & who they’ll let be their victims. For profit.”
“I stand with Evan Rachel Wood and all of those who have or will come forward,” McGowan added. “And please don’t pull out the ‘why did they take so much time to come forward?’ question that shames victims/survivors, it’s what stops others from coming forward. And to all of those who have covered for monsters, shame on you. Rise and say no more.”
On Monday, Wood and four other women accused Manson of sexual assault, psychological abuse, and coercion. “The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson,” Wood wrote in an Instagram post. “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.” In light of the allegations, Manson has been dropped by his record label.
Manson himself responded to the allegations late Monday evening in an Instagram post. “Obviously, my life and my art have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality,” Manson wrote. “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.”
Meanwhile, Susan Rubio, a state senator in California, has called on Acting U.S. Attorney General Monty Wilkinson and FBI Director Christopher Wray to launch an investigation into the allegations. In a letter shared by Wood on Instagram, Rubio wrote: “Since some of the alleged cases against Mr. Warner are from California, I am especially alarmed. Individuals who engage in this kind of abuse are often serial offenders. If these allegations are true, and no investigation is undertaken, we will be failing the victims and allowing a possible perpetrator to continue abusing unsuspecting victims. That must not be allowed to happen.”