Warning: Discussion of suicide and sexual assault.
Linkin Park’s newest addition, Emily Armstrong, is addressing her link to actor and convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
Seven years after late frontman Chester Bennington died by suicide, Linkin Park announced they’re reuniting with two new bandmates and an upcoming album.
The upcoming album, From Zero, will feature Emily of the band Dead Sara as a co-vocalist and Colin Brittain, a songwriter and producer for Illenium, G Flip, and One OK Rock as a drummer.
Fans’ reactions to the new members were pretty fair regarding sound and dynamic between the new bandmates.
“Chester is irreplaceable but Linkin Park needs to evolve and Emily sounds fucking great. I also love seeing more badass women kicking ass in the the rock/metal scene,” one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, “I don’t think there can ever be a true replacement for Chester but DAYUM Emily Armstrong really is doing him justice.”
But, when Emily’s past connection to Danny Masterson resurfaced, their tune changed. Last year, Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta commented on Dead Sara’s Instagram page, “Do you fans know about your friend Danny Masterson? Your rapist friend.” Following Linkin Park’s announcement, the comment resurfaced. Cedric reposted the comment to his stories, which have now been removed.
For context, That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison when he was found guilty by an LA jury on two of three counts of rape. Danny was found not guilty of accusations from Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, Cedric’s wife.
According to the Associated Press, an initial jury failed to reach verdicts on the three counts of rape in December 2023, and a mistrial was declared. The prosecutors retried Danny, and at a second trial on May 31, he was found guilty of two of the three counts.
Cedric’s statement continued. “I’m surprised none of you wrote a letter on Danny Mastersons behalf since your corny ass singer showed up to support him in the prelims,” he wrote. “Remember Emily? Remember how your fellow scientologist goon squad surrounded one of the Jane Doe’s when she was trying to leave the elevators? The court sheriffs had to escort her away from your awful cult… How do you reconcile the homophobia found in the teachings of [L. Ron Hubbard’s] book Dianetics?”
Without using any names, Emily addressed the accusations toward her in a statement shared to her Instagram Stories on Friday to “clear the air about something that happened a while back.”
“Several years ago, I was asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance, and went to one early hearing as an observer,” Emily explained. “Soon after, I realized I shouldn’t have. I always try to see the good in people and I misjudged him. I have never spoken with him since. Unimaginable details emerged and he was later found guilty.”
“To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes,” Emily added.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.
