Slipknot guitarist Jim Root recently responded to fans’ boycott threats over Marilyn Manson joining the band’s upcoming 2027 stadium tour, addressing the backlash in a series of comments on Instagram.
Root had shared a video from the studio confirming that the band is working on a new album, which prompted fans to express their concerns about the tour lineup.
When a fan expressed disappointment about Marilyn Manson being on the tour and asked about the band’s decision-making process, Root clarified his role in the tour’s logistics.
“We’ve never had an A&R guy over our shoulders suggesting this or that,” Root said. “I did meet the head of Warner on a tour of the offices in NYC once. He brought up ‘bringing in outside writers’ and I just said… ‘No. That’s not what we do’ and that was the end of it. TESF was disjointed and a mess. Some good stuff came from it.”
Root went on to explain how external factors affected their previous work and addressed his lack of involvement in booking the tour.
“But overall Covid and the state of the world made that a very hard process for us,” Root continued. “Among other circumstances. I stay out of the logistics of touring and all that. I concentrate on writing and being a guitarist… so forgive my ignorance about who we do shows with.”
He further noted that other coordinators handle those details, while he prefers to focus on his own musical influences.
“There are other people with much bigger brains than I that coordinate all that and I honestly don’t keep up with new bands or new music etc,” Root added. “I’m stuck listening to the same music my parents listened to when I was forming myself as a little human. And I purposely don’t listen to or pay attention to what’s “trending” or what’s happening at them moment as to not get influenced by anything. If one is a part of the family they will come along for the journey that started 26+ years ago… even before I was a part of the story. If not. Cya and with that said… I’m late for the studio. TTYL.”
The exchange came days after Slipknot announced the biggest tour of its career, and it sits against a longer backdrop that includes the band’s recent studio history and Manson’s ongoing legal disputes.
Slipknot’s 2027 “(sic)est Stadium Tour” is the band’s largest run to date and opens on July 3, 2027, at London’s Wembley Stadium, marking the group’s first-ever stadium tour. Marilyn Manson, Lorna Shore and Hatebreed are billed for the opening date, which is the band’s only UK and European headline show of the run. Manson and Hatebreed rejoin the trek in South America in September, alongside local support acts.
The tour features 11 different openers across select dates, including Bring Me the Horizon, Lamb of God, Motionless in White, Lorna Shore, Loathe, Acid Bath, Polyphia, Kublai Khan TX and Vended. Bring Me the Horizon opens all North American dates, while the run will stop at venues such as Citi Field, Soldier Field, Fenway Park and SoFi Stadium.
Manson, born Brian Warner, is the main source of the fan pushback. He has faced long-running abuse allegations and civil lawsuits, including claims made by Evan Rachel Wood. In 2025, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said it would not file charges because it could not prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt. Several related civil cases have continued through the courts since then.
Root’s remarks about the band’s last record also tie into the current studio sessions. Root has described Slipknot’s 2022 album The End, So Far as “disjointed and a mess,” while adding that some good material came out of those sessions. The album drew a mixed and at times polarizing reaction from fans and critics, and a 2027 release for the new record is expected, with the band planning to support it with the stadium tour.
