Chester Bennington’s Son Rips Linkin Park’s Decision to Reform
Chester Bennington’s son, Jaime, has sounded off on Linkin Park’s decision to reform with new singer Emily Armstrong.
On Monday (September 9), Jaime took to his Instagram Story to share his anger and disappointment about the situation and specifically addressed his frustrations to Mike Shinoda. Jaime began, “Hey Mike! (I’d mention you, but you restricted my interactions with you because you don’t like what I have to say. So, this will have to do.) People aren’t having a difficult time wrapping their head around the prospect of Linkin Park reinventing itself. They are have 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 [of Scientology] and her history as an ally to @dannymasterson is what it is.”
Armstrong’s ties to the Church of Scientology and actor Danny Masterson received a lot of backlash following the announcement of her being revealed as the new singer for Linkin Park. On September 6, Armstrong issued a state via her Instagram Stories saying, “I’m new to so many of you, and 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 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.”
Jaime also accused Shinoda and Linkin Park of erasing his father’s “life and legacy” and noted the rebooting of the band came during Suicide Prevention Month. (Chester Bennington died by suicide in July 2017 at age 41.)
Jaime added, “You have betrayed the trust loaned to you by decades of fans and supporting human beings, including myself. We trusted you to be the bigger, better person. To be the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now, you’re just senile and tone-deaf. Insane.”
As of publishing, neither Shinoda nor Linkin Park has responded to Jaime Bennington’s statement.
Linkin Park’s new album, FROM ZERO, is due out on November 15. It’s their first new album since 2017’s One More Light. The album is available for pre-order/pre-save via Warner Records.
