Marilyn Manson has been accused of abuse by a further four women following actress Evan Rachel Wood's claims on Instagram.
The controversy began on Sunday, January 31, when the 33-year-old Westworld actress made a statement made on her official Instagram account, in which she wrote: "The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson."
Wood continued:
"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 more lives.
"I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent."
According to NME, four other accusers have since come forward in lengthy and detailed statements of their own in the wake of Wood's allegations, accusing the metal icon of systematically grooming and abusing them over a number of occasions.
For instance, model Sarah McNeilly wrote on Instagram:
"He (Brian Warner aka Marilyn Manson) lured me in with 'love bombing.' Posing as the perfect boyfriend. Claiming he was just misunderstood. Charming, smart, funny, charismatic.
"As he was wooing me I would come to find out he was torturing others. Before long I was the one being tortured. I was emotionally abused, terrorized, and scarred. I was locked in rooms when I was 'bad', sometimes forced to listen to him entertaining other women.
"I was told stories of others who tried to tell their story and their pets ended up dead. I wasn’t allowed to go near other artists working on the same set, as he told me they had aids and were disgusting and if I did so he would be very upset and: 'I wouldn’t want that.'
"I was verbally berated for hours upon hours. Blamed for everything under the sun in order to make me feel worthless. Any male friends in my life were not allowed any longer. He threatened to shank one of them after they posted something on my Facebook page.
"I was thrown up against a wall and he threatened to bash my face in with the baseball bat he was holding, for trying to get him to pick out a pair of pants prior to a music video.
"I witnessed him terrorize and abuse others in my presence. Slander his exes. I have been afraid to bring any spotlight upon myself as to avoid winding up in his crosshairs again.
"As a result of the way he treated me, I suffer from mental health issues and PTSD that have affected my personal and professional relationships, self-worth, and personal goals.
"I believe he gets off on ruining people's lives. I stand in support of all that have and all will come forward. I want to see Brian held accountable for his evil."
Meanwhile, in a statement of her own, a woman named Ashley Lindsay Morgan alleged that she too had been abused by Manson after meeting him in Bangkok and starting a relationship with him.
Morgan stated: "I was given rules and got 'in trouble' for any behavior he didn't approve of. There was abuse, sexual violence, physical violence, and coercion. I still feel the effects every day."
She added: "I don't want him to do this to anyone else and I've felt responsible for others getting hurt for so long. I just thought it was somehow my fault. I know he is still doing this to a rotating door of young girls, and causing irreparable damage."
On Instagram, another woman named Gabriella wrote: "It has taken me five years to speak out and say that I was in an abusive relationship. I have been diagnosed with PTSD and still suffer from nightmares.
"I blocked out a lot of the memories, but the feelings remain and manifest in various ways. The reason I’m finally sharing this traumatic experience is for my healing and because I’m done being silent.
"I don’t believe it’s fair for someone to not be held accountable for their horrific actions. I’m not a victim. I’m a survivor."
Per Far Out magazine, another woman named Ashley Walters also wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post: "I continue to suffer from PTSD, and struggle with depression. I stayed in touch with quite a few people who went through their own traumas, under his control.
"As we all struggled, as survivors do, to get on with our lives, I’d keep hearing stories disturbingly similar to our own experiences."
"It became clear the abuse he’s caused; he continues to inflict on so many and I cannot stand by and let this happen to others. Brian Warner needs to be held accountable."
Responding to the rumours of domestic violence in a statement made in November of 2020, a spokesperson for Manson wrote: "Personal testimony is just that, and we think it’s inappropriate to comment on that."
The spokesperson added: "Unfortunately, we live in a time where people believe what they read on the Internet, and feel free to say what they want with no actual evidence.
"The effects can be catastrophic and promoting non-fact-based information is wholly irresponsible. All we can try and do, as the media and individuals, is to use facts and truth and not hide behind gossip and conjecture to further our own agendas."
VT has contacted Marilyn Manson's rep for comment.