A woman who initially accused Marilyn Manson of sexually abusing her has now claimed that she was pressured into coming forward with abuse allegations.
Ashley Morgan Smithline, the former girlfriend of the 54-year-old alternative metal musician, has previously made damning accusations of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. In 2021 she told PEOPLE that she was in a relationship with Manson - whose legal name is Brian Warner - between 2010 and 2013. That same year, she filed a lawsuit against Manson accusing him of sexual assault, human trafficking, and unlawful imprisonment.
Per NBC News, Smithline claimed that Manson had whipped her; carved his initials into her body; raped her while she was unconscious; and forced her to partake in consuming drugs and alcohol. At the time, Smithline was photographed in exclusive images for PEOPLE wearing a towel that showed off a scar on her leg that she alleged was caused by Manson.
In the same interview, Smithline claims that meeting Manson's other accusers in 2020 - namely Manson's ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood and Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco - helped her to heal from the abuse she suffered.
However, Smithline is now backtracking on her claims, suggesting that Wood had pressured her to come forward with embellished accusations. In a recent court document, Smithline states that she was "manipulated" to come forward and had actually denied being abused when meeting with Wood in 2020.
"When I said, no this did not happen to me and this was not my experience, I recall being told by Ms. Wood that just because I could not remember did not necessarily mean that it did not happen," the statement in the filing read.
Wood is one of several women who has taken legal action against Manson - she was in a relationship with him from 2006 to 2010, around the time his marriage to Dita Von Teese began failing. As previously reported, she has claimed Manson subjected her to "sick rituals" that included Manson mentally and physically torturing Wood while her hands and feet were bound, until she had "proven" her love for him.
The Cut unearthed an interview Manson gave to the Spin after he and Wood had a brief breakup in 2009. In the interview, he states that he called Wood 158 on Christmas Day in 2008, and cut his face and hands to "show her the pain she put me through." Wood would have been 21 at the time, and Manson 39.
Though the 'Long Hard Road Out Of Hell' singer clearly disagrees with the claims, as he sued Wood for defamation, and alleged that she "engaged in a 'conspiracy' to smear him as 'a rapist and abuser' in an effort to sabotage his 'successful music, TV, and film career'," per the Daily Mail. Following the accusations, Manson was dropped by both his agent and his record label.
His attorney Howard King released a statement after Smithline backtracked on her previous statements, saying: "As we have always said, the coordinated campaign of #MeToo lies against Brian Warner is going to go down as one of the greatest hoaxes of all time. Vulnerable women were manipulated by unscrupulous individuals seeking to build their own brands and pursue their own vendettas."