We’ve been waiting for this moment.
On Monday Evan Rachel Wood took the atom bomb in her back pocket and dropped it — finally confirming the long-simmering rumor that the horribly abusive ex she’s described in the past but never named was indeed Marilyn Manson. And she didn’t do it alone. Four other women came with her to tell their stories of abuse by the Dope Show singer in the Vanity Fair exposé.
And more would follow.
Related: Stylist Claims Marilyn Manson Held A Gun To Her Head!
Shortly after Evan’s revelation, Manson’s ex-fiancée Rose McGowan came out in support of the Westworld star. Despite making it clear she had never suffered abuse at the hands of the shock rocker, she declared her full belief in the women. (For what it’s worth, Manson himself has denied the allegations, calling them “horrible distortions of reality.”)
That just left one woman we desperately needed to hear from. Dita Von Teese, the ex who actually went through with it and married Marilyn, real name Brian Warner.
And two days later she broke her silence, taking to Instagram to write:
“I have been processing the news that broke Monday regarding Marilyn Manson. To those who have expressed your concerns of my well-being, I appreciate your kindness.”
There has indeed been a lot of speculation about whether she was another victim of abuse — not just because abusers follow patterns but because of past comments about the relationship being quite vague about the “something bad” which caused her to leave. So she got down to brass tacks. Did Manson abuse her? No. She says:
“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.”
Fair enough. She then makes it clear exactly why she left Marilyn just a year after walking down the aisle:
“I left 12 months later due to infidelity and drug abuse.”
Well, it sounds like earlier interpretations of her public comments had it right. Common assumption at the time was that Manson had cheated on DVT with the 19-year-old Evan — and it sounds like that’s exactly what happened. Inneresting.
As for the drugs, we understand that’s why Rose left as well. Though she never mentioned cheating.
So what does Dita think about the abuse claims? Well, she didn’t come out with a statement explicitly saying she believed them like Rose did… but she doesn’t go full Trump and call them all liars either. She says respectfully:
“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 ends her post by making it clear she does not intend to answer any further questions about it, writing:
“This is my sole statement on this matter. Thank you for respecting this request.”
Hmm. Is this enough? Did she successfully thread the PR needle of not saying anything offensive… but not supportive either? Should people expect anything more from a woman describing her ex-husband?
Let us know what you think in the comments (below):
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[Image via Tina Paul/Nikki Nelson/WENN/Avalon.]