Chester Bennington’s Son Slams Linkin Park For Replacing His Late Dad With Emily Armstrong

11 September 2024, 12:08

By Sam Prance

Linkin Park's new lead singer Emily Armstrong has been criticised over her ties to scientology and Danny Masterson.

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Chester Bennington’s son Jamie Bennington has called out Linkin Park for replacing his father with singer Emily Armstrong.

Last week (Sep 5), Linkin Park surprised fans with their first concert since their hiatus following Chester Bennington's tragic death in 2017. In the show, the band played their classic hits alongside new music. They also performed with new band member Emily Armstrong. In place of Chester, Emily now sings co-lead vocals opposite original band member Mike Shinoda.

Emily's role in the band has divided fans. While some are excited to have Linkin Park back, Emily has faced backlash over her ties to Scientology and her previous support of convicted rapist Danny Masterson.

Now, Chester Bennington’s son Jamie Bennington has spoken out about the lineup change and Emily has released a statement of her own.

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Emily Armstrong and Cedric Bixler-Zavala at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre 44th Anniversary Gala. Picture: Ava Clithero/CoS via Getty Images

Taking to Instagram stories (Sep 9), Jamie criticised Mike for bring back Linkin Park with Emily in place of his father.

He wrote: "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: 1) 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."

Jaime Bennington also claimed that Mike was "quietly eras[ing] [his] father’s life and legacy in real time and took aim at him for “refus[ing] to acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily" and "betraying the trust" of Linkin Park's fanbase.

In a separate post, Jamie called Mike "senile and tone deaf".

Jamie Bennington calls out Mike Shionda over Emily Armstrong joining Linkin Park. Picture: @thepicturepiecesarchive via Instagram

While Linkin Park are yet to address the backlash themselves, Emily has addressed her past in a statement on her Instagram stories. On September 6th, Emily wrote: "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 realized I shouldn’t have."

She added: "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."

Emily Armstrong releases a statement addressing her past support of Danny Masterson. Picture: @emilyarmstrong via Instagram

It's unclear if Jamie has since spoken to Mike or the rest of the band. However, Jamie has said that fans have been sending him hate over his comments. On Instagram, he said: "You’re coming over to my posts and my livestreams and telling me to kill myself, that I’m awful, that my father doesn’t appreciate me. What are you talking about?"

Jamie then added that he's considering going to the band's 11th September show for closure but is unsure if he will be safe among Linkin Park fans. He said: "The audience themselves could be unsafe for me…"