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Marilyn Manson loses agent and TV roles over Evan Rachel Wood abuse allegations

By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 3 February 2021

Marilyn Manson has been dropped by his talent agency CAA, and has had acting roles cut from two TV shows, in the ongoing fallout from actor Evan Rachel Wood’s accusations of abuse against the musician.

Following rumours that CAA was considering cutting ties with Manson, it was confirmed that he had been removed from the agency’s roster by The Hollywood Reporter yesterday evening. The company represented Manson in multiple areas.

Meanwhile, US TV channel Starz said that Manson’s recurring character in the show ‘American Gods’ would be cut, and an upcoming episode in which he was set to appear would not air until he had been edited out. AMC’s horror streaming service Shudder also announced that it would not air an upcoming episode of its series ‘Creepshow’ in which Manson appears.

This follows Wood’s decision on Monday to name Manson as the abuser who she has spoken about but not named on numerous previous occasions since 2016. In a social media post, she said that he had “started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years”. Several other women then came forward with similar allegations after Wood went public.

Soon after Wood’s post, Manson was dropped by his label Loma Vista Recordings, with his profile and all releases removed from its website.

Responding to the allegations against him, Manson said in a statement on Monday: “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality. 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”.

Yesterday, another of Manson’s former partners, actor Rose McGowan – who has been at the forefront of the #MeToo movement – offered a statement in solidarity with Wood, saying: “I am profoundly sorry to those who have suffered the abuse and mental torture of Marilyn Manson”

“I stand with Evan Rachel Wood and all of those who have or will come forward”, she added. “And please don’t pull out the ‘why did they take so much time to come forward?’ question that shames victims/survivors – it’s what stops others from coming forward. And to all of those who have covered for monsters, shame on you. Rise and say no more”.

McGowan’s statement is particularly significant because her name was brought up in defence of Manson by his publicist in a statement to Metal Hammer last year.

The statement was made after Manson abruptly ended an interview with the magazine when Wood’s name was brought up. It read: “Rose is one of the bravest and most outspoken figureheads of the #MeToo movement. Manson remains friends with McGowan and she talks very fondly of their three a half years together”.

It remains to be seen if Manson loses any further business partners as a result of Wood’s statement, or if he will take action to attempt to clear his name.