American shock rock star Marilyn Manson’s fall from grace has been as dramatic as his meteoric rise to fame.
Now a new Channel 4 documentary series takes a closer look at the allegations of abuse against him which emerged in 2021 and saw him dropped by his manager, his agent and his record company.
Manson has consistently denied sexually assaulting or abusing anyone, claiming his “intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners”.
Marilyn Manson: Behind the Mask is a three-part documentary series, produced by Lighbox and financed by Channel 4 and Fifth Season, which airs this week at 10pm on Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 January.
Suzanne Lavery, from Lightbox, said: “Marilyn Manson: Behind the Mask tells the definitive story of the controversy surrounding the star, charting his career from its early days through to his being dropped by his manager, agent and record label as a result of the allegations made against him.
“In first hand testimony, we hear intimate accounts from his accusers, as well as those who robustly refute their allegations.
“The series asks timely questions about how the music industry draws the line between rock’n’roll excess and transgressive behaviour and examines whether Manson’s constructed persona reflects the reality of the human being behind the performer, and what the future holds for the freedom of expression and the right to shock.”
We take a look the allegations as they emerged and how Manson, real name Brian Warner, has responded.
Marilyn Manson performing at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Michigan in August this year (Photo: Scott Legato/Getty)Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood named Manson as her alleged abuser in an Instagram post, which has since been deleted.
She said she was “here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives”.
She wrote: “The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson.”
Manson and Wood began a relationship in 2007, when she was 18 and Manson was 36.
They were engaged in January 2010 but called it off seven months later.
After her allegations were made public other women came forward to say they had also been abused by Manson.
Manson responded on social media, writing: “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality.
“My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners.
“Regardless of how – and why – others are now choosing to misinterpret the past, that is the truth.”
Woods released further details about her alleged abuse and in March 2022, Manson filed for defamation.
He claimed her accusations of sexual abuse against him were a “malicious falsehood” and this was an “organised attack”.
By November last year, Manson had dropped his defamation lawsuit and paid Wood’s legal fees.
A representative for Woods said: “Marilyn Manson — whose real name is Brian Warner — filed a lawsuit against Ms Wood as a publicity stunt to try to undermine the credibility of his many accusers and revive his faltering career.
“But his attempt to silence and intimidate Ms Wood failed.
“As the trial court correctly found, Warner’s claims were meritless.
“Warner’s decision to finally abandon his lawsuit and pay Ms Wood her full fee award of almost $327,000 only confirms as much.”
While Manson’s lawyer said: “After four years of fighting a battle where he was able to tell the truth, Brian is pleased to dismiss his still-pending claims and appeal in order to close the door on this chapter of his life.”
8 February 2021 – Ellie Rowsell
Ellie Rowsell from the band Wolf Alice took to X, then Twitter, in solidarity with Wood.
She recounted what happened when she had met Manson backstage at a festival.
She wrote: “I met Marilyn backstage at a festival a few years ago.
“After his compliments towards my band became more and more hyperbolic I became suspicious of his behaviour.
“I was shocked to look down and see he was filming up my skirt with a GoPro.”
Manson is not reported to have responded to this allegation at the time.
Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco alleged during their relationship that he abused her.
She told New York magazine that he assaulted her without consent in a music video shoot, cut her with a knife and once chased her with an axe.
Bianco filed a lawsuit against Manson on 30 April, later amended in July, accusing him of sexually abusing her.
Manson denied these claims in a statement via his lawyer Howard E King.
It read: “These claims are provably false.
“To be clear, this suit was only filed after my client refused to be shaken down by Ms Bianco and her lawyer and give in to their outrageous financial demands based on conduct that simply never occurred.
“We will vigorously contest these allegations in court and are confident that we will prevail.”
Manson filed to dismiss Bianco’s lawsuit in July 2021.
Bianco and Manson reached an out of court settlement in January 2023.
However, Bianco later called for criminal charges against Manson in October 2024.
5 May 2021 – Ashley Morgan Smithline
Former model Ashely Morgan Smithline accused Manson of sexually assaulting her, cutting her and locking her in a room in an article for People.
She claimed: “I survived a monster.”
A spokesperson for Manson denied Smithline’s allegations.
In a statement published by NME, they stated: “There are so many falsehoods with her claims that we wouldn’t know where to begin to answer them.”
She filed a federal lawsuit against Manson alleging violent sexual abuse.
The lawsuit was dismissed in January 2023 after her attorney, Jay Ellwanger, withdrew from the case and the following month Smithline recanted her allegations.
Manson’s former personal assistant Ashely Walters filed a complaint against him with the Superior Court of Los Angeles County.
She alleged sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual battery, and infliction of emotional distress against him.
Walters’s lawsuit was dismissed in May 2022 but was reinstated in December 2023 following an appeal to the California Courts of Appeal.
The case is ongoing and is reported to reach a trial date in June this year.
28 May 2021 – Jane Doe
An anonymous ex-girlfriend of Manson, known as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit against the rock star.
She accused him of “degrading acts of sexual exploitation, manipulation, and psychological abuse.”
In September the same year, a Californian judge dismissed the Doe lawsuit because the two-year statute of limitations had passed.
She was given 20 days to amend and refile her complaint, which she did.
A week before it was due to go to trial in September 2023, Manson reached a settlement with the anonymous ex-girlfriend.
18 August 2021 – Videographer
Manson was accused of spitting and blowing snot on a female videographer during a 2019 concert.
He initially pleaded not guilty in 2021.
However, he changed his plea to no contest in September 2023. The charge of spitting was dropped. He was fined and sentenced to community service.
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