The Dark Side of Marilyn Manson

Written by Vic Ness

Marilyn Manson was always widely known as a strange and dark guy, but how dark does it really get?

Marilyn Manson is an American singer from Ohio, 56 years old as of today. His parents, Hugh Warner and Barbara Wyer, and he had a rocky and complicated relationship, Marilyn has stated how his father was abusive, which could’ve definitely influenced the way he is today and the actions he made during youth, along with his mother. His mother insisted that he was “sick”; she wasn’t abusive, but often made him feel guilty. Today, he stated that they are both very supportive of him and his career.

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Disclaimer: This article includes sensitive topics such as self harm, sexual assault, rape, human trafficking, abuse, and drug use. The information provided on this article is for general informational purposes only. All information is provided in good faith; however, the author assumes no responsibility regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, or completeness of any information on this site.

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Speaking of the actions he made during his youth, Marilyn had a lot of instances with drug use, he says he looks down on drug abuse but advocates for drug use. While he was making The Anarchist, he and his band-mates began doing cocaine, getting so high that they became paranoid and inefficient. Also, he once stole human bones, crushed them up and smoked them, he also had issues with overuse of pills. Along with these slightly immoral ways of feeling something, he also took up self harm. He would often shove sewing needles under his fingernails, he said it was to “test his pain threshold because his emotional one had been crossed.” I believe his use of drugs when upset had a part in these harmful coping mechanisms.

Marilyn Manson on The Eye of Photography Magazine

To add onto his own drug usage, he allegedly forced others such as Ashley Walters, who sued him in 2021 for sexual assault and sexual discrimination, to take cocaine to keep her awake. He faced 4 major lawsuits for sexual assault, along with over a dozen women coming forward about unpleasant experiences with Marilyn Manson. The other 3 lawsuits were from Evan Rachel Wood, Esme Bianco, and Ashley Morgan. These 4 women sued Marilyn for a total of sexual assault, grooming, psychological abuse, sexual battery, abuse, sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, and unlawful imprisonment. 

Most people call it all lies, saying Evan lied to varnish his career and boost hers. Allegedly, she forced everyone to make stories about Marilyn, though it’ll probably never be proven what actually happened. Ashley Morgan stated that Evan Rachel Wood pressured her into making the accusations, but Marilyn was said to blackmail others by Ashley Walters, so we may never truly know.

He had an investigation done and it was closed due to a lack of evidence, and all of the cases were closed, but Evan stands her ground to this day. Marilyn sued Evan for defamation after, ultimately deciding to drop it entirely and paid Evan $327,000 in legal fees.