'Horrible distortions of reality': Marilyn Manson responds to shocking abuse claims

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 09: Marilyn Manson attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 09, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Photo credit: Getty

Warning: This article contains content that may disturb some readers.

Marilyn Manson has denied abusing his former partners after his ex-girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood and at least four other women alleged he had subjected them to horrific physical and psychological torture. 

In an Instagram post, Manson called the claims - which range from brainwashing to domestic and sexual violence - "horrible distortions of reality". 

"Obviously, my life and my art have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality," he 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."

Manson turned comments off for the post, but it was liked by his wife Lindsay Usich, who he married last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Earlier this week, Wood released a statement naming Manson as her abuser, claiming he subjected her to "horrific abuse" throughout their relationship. The pair got together in 2007, when Wood was 19 and Manson was 37. The Westworld actress alleged Manson was a "dangerous man" who "branwashed and manipulated" her into submission, having begun grooming her when she was a teenager. 

Four more women spoke out about the 'Beautiful People' singer's "horrifying, deranged behaviour" alongside Wood, and since then, more have come forward. Wood has been sharing the latest testimonials on her Instagram Story with trigger warnings due to the nature of the content. 

Many of the women recounted similar experiences, including being cut to perform "blood pacts" with Manson, being held against their will and deprived of sleep and food, and having heavy objects thrown at them. Almost all of Manson's former partners said they now suffered PTSD as a result of the relationship. 

Following the accusations, Manson's record label Loma Vista cut ties with him effective immediately. 

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