As soon as Linkin Park revealed that Emily Armstrong would be their new lead singer, a flood of criticism came up about her past connections to the Church of Scientology and her support for convicted rapist and actor Danny Masterson. On September 6, Armstrong finally responded to the comments.
“Hi, I’m Emily,” she wrote in an Instagram story. “I’m new to so many of you, and I wanted 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. 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,” she ended her statement.
Armstrong’s statement came after Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the husband of one of Danny Masterson’s accusers, Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, criticized her for supporting Masterson in a recently resurfaced comment.
Bixler-Zavala wrote: “Do your fans know about your friend Danny Masterson? Your rapist friend.”
“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 added. “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 [church founder L. Ron Hubbard’s] book Dianetics?”
Even though Masterson wasn’t found guilty of Carnell-Bixler’s accusations, he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison last September after being convicted of two out of three forcible rape charges.
Linkin Park announced their comeback on Thursday night with a performance at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. It was their first show together since the tribute concert for Chester Bennington in October 2017. The new lineup with Armstrong and new drummer Colin Brittain will kick off a six-city international tour this month before dropping their new album, ‘From Zero,’ in November.
