Evan Rachel Wood Responds To Marilyn Manson's Appearance At Kanye's Show
Months after Evan Rachel Wood publicly shared that she’d been abused by Marilyn Manson, Kanye West brought him out on stage — and she responded flawlessly
Content warning: This article discusses sexual abuse of a teenager.
Kanye West has a long and storied history of aligning himself with controversial figures, like the time he publicly supported Donald Trump and claimed that slavery was a choice, as well as the time he called convicted rapist Bill Cosby innocent, so on and so forth. In the rollout for his new album, he continued his longtime tradition of supporting trash men, bringing out homophobic rapper DaBaby and alleged abuser and sex trafficker Marilyn Manson on stage in Chicago last Thursday.
In preparation for the release of his Donda album, DaBaby and Manson joined West to perform “Jail Pt. 2,” apparently proving that publicly supporting abusers is still his M.O. Naturally, fans weren’t happy by the cameo appearance, and neither was Manson’s ex, Evan Rachel Wood, who has testified to his physical and emotional abuse as recently as March of this year.
Wood first publicly named Manson as her abuser back in February, though she’d been open about experiencing intimate partner violence at the hands of an ex for years, even testifying before Congress in favor of the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights in 2018. She dated the musician when she was 18 and he was 36, detailing the horrific abuse she alleges she suffered during their relationship.
As of last month, Manson has been accused of sexual and physical abuse by at least 15 women including Wood, Game of Thrones star Esmé Bianco, Manson’s former personal assistant, and others, reports BBC News. So for West to bring Manson out on stage as some provocative public statement is beyond gross — but Wood responded perfectly.
Variety reports that the True Blood star hopped on stage Saturday night for an impromptu performance at Hollywood’s Bourbon Room, taking the opportunity to perform an acoustic version of the ’90s classic “You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals. She began by telling the audience, “I’ve been saving this but it seems like the appropriate time,” and at the end of the song when her ex is name-checked, she threw up a middle finger while singing his name.
In her caption, she paid tribute to her “fellow survivors who got slapped in the face this week,” adding, “I love you. Don’t give up.” You get what you give, indeed, and in Manson’s case, here’s hoping he gets what he deserves — sooner rather than later, please.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org.
