Jaime Bennington, son of late Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, has once again sparked controversy by accusing Mike Shinoda of dishonestly shaping the band’s legacy and exploiting its fanbase.
In a series of Instagram stories, Jaime called out Shinoda, calling him a clown and accusing him of using Linkin Park’s history for personal gain. “We’re gonna clown on Mike because the guy’s a clown. Not only does he do his whole ‘Post Traumatic’ thing and continue to work at a very high level as the Web3 development community leader, not only does he develop his own personal creative community with the Linkin Park fans that he knows he had and planned to take advantage of, not only did he workshop Linkin Park in secret with new band members for years including nepo baby Emily Armstrong, sorry, Scientology princess Emily Armstrong, but also when he came back he said, ‘Be a part of something. Linkin Park’s back, be a part of something.'”
He also criticized Shinoda for launching a Linkin Park campaign during International Suicide Prevention Month, claiming Shinoda failed to honor Chester in the process. “He did it during international suicide prevention month and he did not mention Chester once.”
Accusations of Silence and Erasure
Jaime also alleged that Shinoda blocked him and silenced his comments about the alleged malpractice within Linkin Park and its management, even claiming that Shinoda allowed the Church of Scientology to threaten him on his and Armstrong’s behalf. “He then allowed the church of Scientology to threaten violence on me on his and Emily’s behalf and he did nothing about it. Then he backhanded me on stage of Kia Forum. Then he also happened to just not only watch me but watch me on social media and silent me and block me for talking the truth about Kyle Christner and Linkin Park malpractice and asking where Rob Bourdon is and all these things, which we still don’t know where Rob is, hope he’s safe.”
According to him, Shinoda had tried to erase Chester from the band’s history. He pointed to Shinoda’s statement about Linkin Park always being Xero— the band’s original name before Chester joined— as an example of Shinoda’s efforts to rewrite the band’s past and erase Chester’s contribution. “He also lied about everything. He has participated in the diabolical destruction of the Linkin Park fanbase. Erased Chester from everything. He didn’t just not talk about Chester, he erased Chester from every aspect of the band and claimed that Linkin Park is actually Xero and that’s why he’s allowed to do.”
The Aftermath and Ongoing Tensions
Jaime also accused Shinoda of turning Linkin Park into a new entity with Armstrong and Colin, while continuing to use the band’s name for branding purposes. “Mike Shinoda literally claims now that Linkin Park has always been Xero and in reality, they created a brand new band with Emily Armstrong and Colin and they’re calling it Linkin Park because they know independent bands don’t do well. So they’re just gonna go by Linkin Park. They’ve gotten all these brand deals and they’ve got all these chart-topping achievements. It’s a total sh*tfest.”
He finished off by sharing his frustration over those who dismiss his claims. “And it’s not just me. So anybody out there who’s still saying ‘Oh Jaime’s just a hater,’ you’re ignorant and you’re choosing to be that way and that’s your choice. I have no patience for you. But for those of you who see, you see that not only is this happening, but it’s been happening since Chester died. And Mike and his family and the guys in Linkin Park has been there for the fun of it.”
Jaime’s remarks come after previous accusations against Linkin Park for replacing his father with Emily Armstrong in the band’s new lineup. Although Shinoda has not directly responded to these latest accusations, he has addressed Jaime’s previous criticisms by suggesting that the band was simply starting a ‘new chapter’ while respecting its past.
