The son of Chester BenningtonJaime, criticized Mike Shinoda after the return of Linkin Park with the new vocalist Emily Armstrongaccusing him of “betraying the trust” of fans.
The comments come after Linkin Park announced their comeback via a livestreamed event last Thursday (September 5), featuring the debut of ex-Dead member Sara Armstrong as their new singer.
The revelation came after weeks of speculation after the band shared a mysterious countdown with fans. Their surprise return saw them perform a new song called ‘The Emptiness Machine’ and some Linkin Park classics, announce a new album ‘From Zero’ and share details of a short world tour.
Armstrong joins the lineup in place of late vocalist Chester Bennington, who died in 2017. Initially, reception was largely positive among artists and fans, but controversy soon arose after it emerged that the singer apparently had ties to Scientology and convicted rapist Danny Masterson. This came to light after a message was sent to Armstrong by The Mars Volta singer and former At The Drive-In frontman, Cedric Bixler-Zavalarecirculated over the weekend.
His wife, Chrissie Carnell Bixlerhad accused Masterson of raping her while they were in a relationship, having testified in 2022. She previously filed a separate civil lawsuit against him and took to Instagram on September 7 to share screenshots highlighting the Armstrong’s ties to Masterson.
Jaime Bennington’s message against Mike Shinoda and the return of Linkin Park
Jaime Bennington, the son of the late leader, has taken to social media to share his thoughts on reform with Armstrong and criticize Shinoda for “betray” Linkin Park fans with the decision.
Last night (September 8), Bennington shared on Instagram Stories a screenshot of recent comments made by Shinoda in which the founding member referred to how fans might need “time to digest” the band’s return with Armstrong. In the comments, Shinoda also said that those who “disrespect” him due to the decision will “lose my respect in return.”
“Hey Mike! People aren’t having a hard time accepting the prospect of Linkin Park reinventing themselves,” Bennington wrote. “They’re having a hard time accepting how: You hired your longtime friend @emilyarmstrong to replace @chesterbe knowing Emily’s history in the church and her history as an ally of @dannymasterson.”
He continued, also accusing Shinoda of “quietly erasing my father’s life and legacy in real time […] during international suicide prevention month” and “refusing to acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily, without even a clarifying statement about the variety of victims that make up her core fan base.”
Bennington’s strongest statement came when he said that this is not simply a shock that people need to process and understand, but something that betrayed the trust placed in him by decades of fans and fellow human beings, including himself.
“What you’ve done is not something people have to get used to, it’s not a shock that people have to process and understand. You have betrayed the trust placed in you by decades of fans and supportive human beings, myself included. We trusted you to be a better person. To be the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. You’re senile and deaf now. Crazy. At this point I’d be willing to bet that all you know is disrespect. You didn’t fool me!”
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
