Over the last twenty-four hours, following the return of Linkin Park and the announcement of Emily Armstrong as their new co-vocalist alongside Mike Shinoda, the public discourse has been rife with screenshots, details, and articles covering Armstrong's past support of former That '70s Show actor Danny Masterson during his rape trial, for which he was ultimately sentenced to 30 years.
Armstrong has now responded to these rapidly circulating criticisms of her support of Masterson--including prominent challenges from Cedric Bixler-Zavala (of At The Drive-In and the Mars Volta) and his wife, Chrissy Carnell-Bixler, who was one of Masterson's victims. See her statement, posted to her Instagram Story, below:
“Hi, I’m Emily. I’m new to so many of you, and I wanted to clear the air about something that happened a while back. Sever 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 realized 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 empathize with the victims of these crimes.”
Here is Chrissie Carnell-Bixler's Statement, posted to her Instagram earlier today, prior to Anderson speaking out.
Cedric Bixler-Zavala's post was the first to circulate widely. Here it is below:
