Chester Bennington‘s son has claimed that Linkin Park fans have been “aggressive” towards him since he criticised the new version of the band.
Last Thursday (September 5) saw the group announce their comeback during a live-streamed event – where they debuted Emily Armstrong, formerly of Dead Sara, as their new singer.
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This followed weeks of speculation after Linkin Park posted a mysterious countdown with fans. Their surprise return included a performance of a new song called ‘The Emptiness Machine’ and some classic hits, as well as the announcement of a new album called ‘From Zero’ and details of a world tour.
Armstrong has joined the line-up as a replacement for former frontman Bennington, who died by suicide in 2017.
The initial response to the new configuration of Linkin Park was largely positive among fellow artists and fans alike. However, controversy soon arose after it emerged that Armstrong seemingly had ties to Scientology and convicted rapist Danny Masterson. This was brought to light after a message sent to the singer by The Mars Volta and former At The Drive-In frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala recirculated.
Bennington’s son Jaime, 28, later hit out at comments made by Mike Shinoda. The latter explained that fans may need “time to wrap their heads around” the band reforming with Armstrong. He also said that those who “disrespect” him due to the decision will “lose my respect in return”.
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Jaime responded: “Hey Mike! People aren’t having a difficult time wrapping their head around the prospect of Linkin Park reinventing itself. They are having a hard time wrapping their head around how you: Hired your friend of many years @emilyarmstrong to replace @chesterbe knowing Emily’s history in the church and her history as an ally to @dannymasterson.”
Additionally, he accused Shinoda of “quietly eras[ing] my father’s life and legacy in real time […] during international suicide prevention month” and “refus[ing] to acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily, without so much as a clarifying statement on the variety of victims that make up your core fan base”.
Jaime expanded on in thoughts in a series of posts on Instagram Stories. “We trusted you to be the bigger better person,” he said. “To be the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re just senile and tone deaf.”
Now, Bennington’s son has said some Linkin Park fans have been “cruel, unusual and aggressive” towards him in the wake of his remarks (via Billboard).
Jaime spoke about wanting to attend the group’s comeback show in Los Angeles tonight (September 11), despite him having taken issue with Armstrong’s involvement. However, he claimed that Linkin Park hadn’t offered him a ticket.
“I haven’t heard anything back from the band themselves, which is not unexpected,” he said in the footage. “They didn’t come to me with this announcement, they didn’t ask me how I felt.
“There are a lot of people who do not like me. There are a lot of people saying some real awful shit right now to me. To be honest, I don’t think I’d feel safe going to the show under general admission […] I don’t know who would take it upon themselves to respond to me in an aggressive manner. The audience themselves could actually be unsafe for me.”
Jaime explained: “I want to go [to the show]. There are reasons that I might not be allowed into the venue, which I can’t talk about right now, but unless I’m told explicitly, ‘You can’t go for this reason’, I do want to go.
“So many of these Linkin Park fans who will be attending have been cruel, unusual and aggressive. You’re telling me to kill myself, you’re telling me that I’m awful, you’re telling me that my father doesn’t appreciate me […] What are you talking about? You didn’t give a fuck when he died. If you did, you would understand what the problem is. You would understand why this is all wrong.”
In another post shared by Bixler-Zavala last week, he wrote: “I fucking told you.” His wife, Chrissie Carnell Bixler, had accused Masterson of raping her while they were in a relationship, having testified in 2022. She previously issued a separate civil lawsuit against him.
Armstrong subsequently issued a statement, writing: “I wanted to clear the air about something that happened a while back. Several years ago, I was asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance, and went to one early hearing as an observer. Soon after, I realised I shouldn’t have.
“I always try to see the good in people, and I misjudged him. I have never spoken with him since. Unimaginable details emerged and he was later found guilty. To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathise with the victims of these crimes.”
Armstrong recently spoke about the process of joining Linkin Park, and what it meant to follow in the footsteps of Bennington. “I took myself out of the equation and I just looked at it as what could be a good fit?” she said. “And I held onto that question for a bit as I was going in and singing and stuff.
“That’s when the thoughts would trickle being like, ‘I mean, this would be really fun. This could work’. And then it’s like, oh my God, holy shit. When you start to have that moment, it’s like, whoa…”
It has also been confirmed that drummer Colin Brittain has joined Linkin Park, following the departure of founding member Rob Bourdon.
Founding guitarist Brad Delson later announced that he wouldn’t be playing with the band on their upcoming tour, but would continue to work with them behind-the-scenes – including participating in the creation of new music.