Last Updated on 07/09/2024 by Arun jain
Linkin Park’s new frontwoman Emily Armstrong has responded to her previous endorsement of Danny Masterson.
Earlier this week, the rock band announced it was reuniting with Armstrong following the death of lead singer Chester Bennington in 2017.
But Armstrong’s signing drew almost immediate backlash from people who pointed to his alleged previous support for convicted rapist and actor Masterson.
Armstrong attended Masterson’s preliminary hearing in 2020, deadline informed.
Armstrong has now addressed the claims in a post shared on his Instagram Stories.
Without naming Masterson directly, she wrote: “Hi, I’m Emily. I’m new to many of you, and I wanted to clear the air about something that happened a while ago.”
“Several years ago, I was asked to support someone I considered a friend in court, and went to a preliminary hearing as an observer,” she continued.
“Soon, I realized I shouldn’t be. I always try to see the good in people, and I misjudged it. I have never spoken to him since then,” he continued. “Unbelievable details emerged and he was later found guilty.”
She added: “To be as clear as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I sympathize with the victims of these crimes.”
Masterson, best known for his role in the sitcom “That 70’s Show”. Sentenced to 30 years to life in 2023 After being found guilty of two counts of rape.
These incidents took place between 2001 and 2003 when he was at the peak of his fame.
Prosecutors said Masterson used his position in the Church of Scientology to try to silence the allegations.
Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and his wife Chrissy Carnell Bixler, who is one of several women to accuse Masterson of sexual assault, were among those who called out Armstrong.
Bixler-Zavala reposted a comment she had previously made on an Instagram page for Armstrong’s longtime band Dead Sara on her Instagram Stories.
“Do your fans know about your friend Danny Masterson? Your rapist friend,” the comment read.
Both Bixler-Zavala and Carnell Bixler are also former Scientologists Rolling Stone.
Armstrong isn’t the only celebrity who has faced backlash over the Masterson case.
Masterson’s former costars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis Encountered a Flow of criticism It turns out they sent letters of support to the judge at Masterson’s trial to try to get a lighter sentence following his conviction.
Kutcher and Kunis later apologized for their letters in A Video posted on Instagram.
Kutcher said the letters were “intended to be read to the judge and not to undermine the victims’ testimony or re-traumatize them in any way.”
Post New Linkin Park singer Emily Armstrong responds to backlash over support for convicted rapist Danny Masterson: ‘I misjudged it’ appeared first Business Insider.