Emily Armstrong, the new lead singer of Linkin Park, has unfollowed Danny Masterson on Instagram amid growing controversy over her past connection to the convicted actor.
The band, known for its anthemic rock hits, announced the addition of the singer on Thursday, September 5, marking the next chapter in Linkin Park’s journey after the tragic loss of singer Chester Bennington.
While fans were initially excited about the band’s return after a long hiatus, Emily’s past ties to Danny and her involvement with the Church of Scientology quickly overshadowed the celebration.
Emily, the co-founder of the alt-rock band Dead Sara, faced backlash when fans discovered her previous association with Danny, who was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women in the early 2000s.
Linkin Park announced its grand return with Emily Armstrong on board as the new co-vocalist, marking a new era for the band after Chester Bennington’s tragic death
With the That ’70s Show star being convicted of sexual assault, Emily’s support of him during a court hearing did not go unnoticed by Linkin Park‘s fans.
She responded to the recent backlash without naming Danny, but she said she “misjudged” someone she considered “a friend.”
“Hi, I’m Emily. I’m new to so many of you, and I wanted to clear the air about something that happened a while back,” she wrote in her Instagram Story posted on Friday, September 6.
“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,” she went on to say. “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.”
Emily faced controversy due to her past association with Danny Masterson, a convicted rapist and Scientologist
“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,” she added.
Much of the backlash Emily faced in the last few days was also related to her Scientology history, but she did not respond to remarks about her association with the church.
Former Scientologists Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and his wife, Chrissie Carnell-Bixler—one of several women to accuse Danny of sexual assault—were among those who criticized Emily for her ties to the actor and convicted rapist, who is also a Scientologist.
The convicted actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women in the early 2000s
“Do your fans know about your friend Danny Masterson? Your rapist friend,” Cedric wrote in a re-surfaced comment posted on Dead Sara’s Instagram page last year.
“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 said.
“Remember Emily?” he continued. “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 [church founder L. Ron Hubbard’s] book Dianetics?”
After immense criticism, Emily stopped following the That ’70s Show star on Instagram
Linkin Park fans weren’t too happy to see Emily becoming a part of the Grammy-winning rockers, with one saying, “cant support linkin park with a scientologist and masterson friend.”
“Are you still a Scientologist? A lot of fans are asking for a statement on this,” another said.
One felt she was lying about having “misjudged” Danny.
“The details of what danny did to his victims were known looooong before the trial. Youre trying to claim you didnt know until after? Such an obvious lie,” the commenter said.
Until at least Friday, Emily was following Danny and his ex-wife, Bijou Phillips, on Instagram. But she is currently not following the actor at the center of the sexual assault scandal. On the other hand, the disgraced star is on the list of people following the singer.
Some Linkin Park fans refused to support Emily’s inclusion in the iconic rock band
