It didn’t take long for even the most casual of Linkin Park fans to find some serious dirt on the band’s new vocalist, Emily Armstrong. And unfortunately, it’s worse than anyone could have possibly imagined. If you want to talk about a band that fumbled the bag here, this certainly qualifies.
It appears the band did a poor job of vetting and scrutinizing the new vocalist, who reportedly has ties to both Scientology and convicted rapist Danny Masterson. Former At The Drive-In vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala made the original post in 2023. For Cedric, the situation is very personal as members of Scientology harassed him and caused both himself and his loved ones great suffering.
This looks good, the only thing Emily Armstrong is a lifelong Scientologist, being born into the religion. She appeared in court to testify in defense of Danny Masterson, who was later convicted of felony rape. We do not know if she is still affiliated with the church of Scientology and the band has yet to release a statement.
Musically, the reactions were mixed, but anyone with ties to either of these things is someone who’s extremely problematic. There’s no doubt that there could have been dozens of other vocalists without this kind of apparent baggage weighing them down.
Neither the band nor Emily have made any kind of statements, as it’s been just under 24 hours since she was even revealed as Linkin Park’s new vocalist. Still, with this alleged story out in the open and gaining steam on social media, it’s apparent that there will have to be a statement made. Whether that happens sooner rather than later is anyone’s guess at this point, but judging just by the reactions on social media, it’s clear that they’ll have to say something.
The news is especially troubling when you consider that The band’s late vocalist, Chester Bennington, was a victim of both abuse and sexual abuse growing up. A band this size, presumably with almost all the resources you could possibly imagine, apparently didn’t scrutinize Emily Armstrong enough. Even worse, Linkin Park’s music has always provided a beacon of hope to those who are bullied or generally dealing with situations where they’ve been abused or neglected. It’s also a slap in the face to Linkin Park fans who have experienced these things, especially when you consider the statements made by Cedric. Only time will tell what transpires of this, though.
