Actress Evan Rachel Wood hits back at allegations that she manipulated Marilyn Manson’s accuser Ashley Morgan Smithline to lie about sexual assault — files correspondence to backup claims.
Marilyn Manson has been embroiled in several sexual assault scandals since 2019. The whole saga started when actress Evan Rachel Wood stepped up to accuse the singer of sexual abuse amongst other weighty allegations.
Evan Rachel Wood and Marilyn Manson dated on and off for 4½ years. The two began dating in mid-2006 — when Wood was 18 and Manson was 37.
Wood’s revelations sparked a media storm and led to more than a dozen women coming out to accuse Manson of sexual impropriety. Some of these women include “Game of Thrones” star Esmé Bianco and Ashley Morgan Smithline.
Bianco sued Manson in April 2021 over claims of rape and verbal and physical abuse from as far back as 2007. However, the two reached a settlement in January with Bianco eager to move on with her life and career.
Evan Rachel Wood, Marilyn Manson’s Relationship Timeline https://t.co/gRilLhiTXw
— Sahu News (@TheSahuNews) February 28, 2023
Marilyn Manson’s Accuser Ashley Morgan Smithline
In May 2021, Smithline made the headlines when she claimed she had been sexually, physically, and emotionally abused by Mason while they were dating.
During an explosive PEOPLE interview, Marilyn Manson’s accuser detailed how the rocker raped, bit, and whipped her during their relationship.
However, earlier this month, Smithline rescinded all her allegations against Manson. In a shocking twist of events, she claimed Wood had pressured her to make the accusations.
Now, Wood has fired back by filing her own court documents where she refuted Smithline’s claim. Wood also presented evidence showing that Smithline was pressured by Manson’s attorneys to withdraw her suit and claim it was made up.
Wood‘s court documents consisted of three years of correspondence between her and Smithline. It included a voicemail that Smithline sent to her friend where she expressed fear that Manson’s attorneys were coming after her. She also voiced concern over being treated as “the weakest link.”
The filing also included several Instagram screenshots showing comments from 2019. There were also reported text messages, direct messages, and voicemails where Smithline appears to discuss her experiences with Manson.
It has been a torrid few years for everyone involved in this saga and this new twist has just added another dimension. Only time will tell how the Marilyn Manson sexual assault debacle will end.