When Chester Bennington passed away in 2017, he left behind six children. His eldest, Jaime, has criticized Linkin Park’s recent decision to reunite with new singer Emily Armstrong. Jaime accused Mike Shinoda of betraying Linkin Park fans by hiring Armstrong.
To recap, Linkin Park recently announced their reunion with Armstrong as a new co-lead singer. It is to be noted that Armstrong has a connection with Danny Masterson, who known for his roles in That ’70s Show and The Ranch. He was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in September 2023.
He was convicted of two out of three charges of forcible rape. The charges were linked to incidents that occurred between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood Hills home. In 2020, Emily Armstrong attended one of Masterson’s court hearings, which seemed to show her support for him.
Mike Shinoda addressed the backlash and said that if someone disrespects him, he will lose respect for them in return. He understands that it might take time for people to adjust to certain situations, and he’s okay with that as long as they are respectful. But if they’re disrespectful, he won’t respect them back.
He also mentioned that it’s normal for people to need time to deal with their feelings. Seeing him and Em together stirred up a lot of mixed emotions for their crew and management, bringing both happiness and sadness.
“Disrespect me, and lose my respect in return.”
Many people will take time to wrap their heads around us with her. If people are respectfully not there yet, I’m totally fine with that. But disrespect me, and you will lose my respect in return.”
I understand this. We need to give space for everyone who is shocked and processing. It is difficult. Seeing me and Em together, shoulder to shoulder, brought up so many feelings for people in our crew and management. Happy and sad at the same time! So complex!”
Jaime Bennington shared his frustration on Instagram about Mike Shinoda hiring Emily Armstrong as the new singer for Linkin Park. He was upset because Armstrong has a past connection with Danny Masterson, who was convicted of rape.
Jaime criticized Shinoda for not considering Armstrong’s background and how it might affect Chester Bennington’s legacy. He felt that Shinoda’s decision ignored the impact on Chester’s fans and family, especially during a time meant for raising awareness about suicide prevention.
Jaime also said Shinoda didn’t address these concerns or explain why Armstrong was chosen. He felt that Shinoda’s actions disrespected Chester and the people affected by Masterson’s actions.
“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: 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.”
“Quietly eras[ing] my father’s life and legacy in real time […] during international suicide prevention month” and “refus[ing] to acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily, without so much as a clarifying statement on the variety of victims that make up your core fan base”.
. Have refused to acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily without so much as a clarifying statement on the variety of victims that make up YOUR CORE FAN BASE. NO acknowledgment of: the way you groom you fan base, @chesterbe, Chester’s kids or family, my falling out with your wife @ANNASHINODA (who cannot be mentioned either), @dannymasterson victims, or even Emily’s intimidation of those victims. And the list goes on. And on. And on.
“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. At this point, I would wager that all you LP guys know is disrespect. You didn’t trick me!!”
https://x.com/cockknot/status/1833164067902726409?s=46&t=MeYLTapzMduvkZEdyyUDmA
