Marilyn Manson’s ex-wife Dita Von Teese has come to his defense after several women have accused him of abuse, saying in a statement Thursday that their accusations don’t “match” her experience during their 7-year relationship. Although she didn’t refer directly to the allegations nor mention his accusers with any specificity, Von Teese did offer broadly phrased support for abuse victims.
“I have been processing the news that broke Monday regarding Marylin Manson. To those who have expressed your concerns of my well-being, I appreciate your kindness,” she wrote.
“Please know that the details made public do not match my personal experience during our 7 years together as a couple. Had they, I would not have married him in December 2005. I left 12 months later due to infidelity and drug abuse,” Von Teese continued.
“Abuse of any kind has no place in any relationship. I urge those of you who have incurred abuse to take steps to heal and the strength to fully realize yourself,” she continued, adding that this would be her only statement on the matter.
Manson was accused by his ex-fiancee, “Westworld” actress Evan Rachel Wood, of “grooming” her as a teenager and “horrifically” abusing her during their relationship. Wood, who is now 33, met Manson when she was 18 and he was 36.
“I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Monday. “I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander or blackmail. I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.”
Following her post, four other women also came forward to detail accusations against Manson.
In a statement on Monday, Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, denied the accusations, which he called “horrible distortions of reality.”
“Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality,” he wrote. “My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”
Since then, Manson has been dropped by CAA, his label Loma Vista Recordings and from appearances on several shows.