[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Evan Rachel Wood is making a big request from YouTube amid her ongoing battle against ex Marilyn Manson!
One day after her HBO documentary Phoenix Rising premiered, in which she describes the abuse she allegedly endured while coupled up with the musician, the actress took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday to re-share a petition calling for YouTube to remove the singer’s music video for his 2007 song Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand).
Related: Evan Rachel Wood Responds To Kanye West Inviting Marilyn Manson Onstage
Earlier this year, Evan slammed the video claiming that she was “essentially raped on camera” while filming it. Having heard these accusations, those behind the Change.org petition argued:
“Survivors and allies need to come together to remove things like this. This should not still be allowed on YouTube, or circulating anywhere for that matter. Evan has re-victimized herself over and over again to create change and a statute of limitations in the state of California, and doesn’t deserve a constant reminder of her sexual assault on the internet. “
The petition went on to state the many guidelines they believe the video violates, writing:
“1. Pornography or depicting sexual acts, genitals, or fetishes for the purpose of sexual gratification on any surface (such as video, text, audio, images)
2. Nudity or partial nudity for the purpose of sexual gratification
3. Non-consensual sex acts or unwanted sexualization
4. Violent, graphic, or humiliating fetish content where the purpose is sexual gratification”
As we’ve reported, in Wood’s candid docuseries she details the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-fiancé, born Brian Warner. They began dating when she was just 18 and he was 37. They were together for three years, including an engagement, before splitting in 2010. The Frozen II voice actress first called him out for abuse by name in February 2021. Sharing her story with HBO this year, she alleged of the music video:
“We had discussed a simulated sex scene. But once the cameras were rolling, he started penetrating me for real. I had never agreed to that … It was complete chaos and I did not feel safe. No one was looking after me.”
She was just 19 at the time of this incident. The alleged rape left her feeling “disgusting,” she continued:
“I felt disgusting and like I had done something shameful, and I could tell that the crew was very uncomfortable and nobody knew what to do. I was coerced into a commercial sex act under false pretenses. That’s when the first crime was committed against me, and I was essentially raped on camera.”
Despite these harrowing accusations, Jack Malon, a spokesperson for YouTube, has acknowledged the petition, but made it clear that the company is not planning to remove the video at this time, explaining:
“We’re monitoring the situation closely and will take appropriate action if we determine there is a breach of our creator responsibility guidelines.”
YouTube’s community guidelines and terms of service make it clear they can strip a user of monetization or terminate their channel for good if their behavior “harms” others. According to the site, the video could be removed if a relevant conviction, confession, or legal ruling comes to be.
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Just ahead of Phoenix Rising‘s release, Manson filed a defamation lawsuit against the 34-year-old. Calling out the rape allegations, his attorney Howard King said in a statement via E! News:
“Of all the false claims that Evan Rachel Wood has made about Brian Warner, her imaginative retelling of the making of the ‘Heart-Shaped Glasses’ music video 15 years ago is the most brazen and easiest to disprove, because there were multiple witnesses. Evan was not only fully coherent and engaged during the three-day shoot but also heavily involved in weeks of pre-production planning and days of post-production editing of the final cut. The simulated sex scene took several hours to shoot with multiple takes using different angles and several long breaks in between camera setups. Brian did not have sex with Evan on that set, and she knows that is the truth.”
Following the Westworld alum’s accusations, though, Rolling Stone interviewed an anonymous crew member who was on the set for that music video. They stood up for the leading lady, arguing:
“I do believe that there were some moments of actual intercourse.”
Wow. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like YouTube will be changing their mind anytime soon, but if you’d like to add pressure to the cause, consider signing your name on the petition HERE.
Reactions, Perezcious readers? Do you think the content should be taken down?
[Image via Drew Barrymore/YouTube & WENN/Instar]