A day that will live on in infamy, the world at large was shocked upon the news of Chester Bennington’s death. Bennington was an icon as the lead singer of the hard rock group, Linkin Park, and sometime-actor.
The musician died on July 20, 2017, by suicide. At the time of his death, Linkin Park immediately canceled all tour dates out of respect for their late bandmate. After a seven-year hiatus, they decided to continue, and enlisted Emily Armstrong to take over in the capacity of lead singer. Co-founding the band Dead Sara in the mid-aughts, Armstrong was an acceptable replacement for Bennington. Her original band was supposedly influenced by L7 and Nirvana, which have aesthetic comparisons to Linkin Park. However, the celebration for the resurgence of Linkin Park was short-lived after Armstrong’s controversies were uncovered.
What did Emily Armstrong do?
The controversy surrounding Armstrong starts with her affiliation with the Church of Scientology. The religion of celebrities such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta alike, the church has been the source of heated discourse. Scientology was the subject of the harrowing documentary Going Clear, adapted from the book of the same name. Founded by con artist and sci-fi novelist L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology has only become more extreme since his death.
Ex-Scientoligists have repeatedly aired claims of abuse, all overseen by the current head of the church, David Miscavige. That isn’t to mention the mysterious disappearance of Miscavige’s wife, Shelley, who hasn’t been seen for the past two decades. Though Armstrong was raised in the church, that is not the extent of the concerns surrounding her. Fans were quick to note that Armstrong was one of the celebrities in support of fellow Scientologist Danny Masterson during his highly publicized sexual assault trial.
Many victims came forward to accuse the That ’70s Show actor of drugging and abusing them. Masterson only went to trial in 2023, but these allegations have been common knowledge for years. Because many of the victims were Scientologists, they were bound by contracts that the church compelled them to sign. Finally, Masterson was convicted for his crimes and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Along with co-stars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis writing letters in support of Masterson, Armstrong also showed her support. According to Billboard.com, she attended the trial on Masterson’s side. His conviction was a win for the #MeToo movement, throwing Armstrong in an unforgiving light.
Bennington’s son Jamie was quick to address the issue with Armonstong’s involvement on Instagram (via Rolling Stone). He addressed Linkin Park band member Mike Shinoda, airing grievances about having hired Armstrong, and disrespecting his father during suicide prevention month.
“We trusted you to be the bigger better person. To be the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re just senile and tone deaf. Insane.”
If this was the end of the story, these assertions would be pretty cut and dry. However, Armstrong addressed this controversy on her Instagram stories (via BBC.com), adding to this complicated story.
“Hi, I’m Emily. 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 realised 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.”
There is no question as to whom Armstong is referring in her post. Masterson’s trial was the biggest story in Hollywood true crime for a long while. The new singer for Linkin Park’s story just goes to show not everything is black and white. No matter what side of the issue you land on, Bennington’s legacy will have an asterisk next to it for a long time.