Marilyn Manson has split with his longtime bassist and guitarist Jeordie White after the musician, also known as Twiggy Ramirez, was accused of rape.
“I have decided to part ways with Jeordie White as a member of Marilyn Manson,” Manson wrote on Twitter. “He will be replaced for the upcoming tour. I wish him well.” On Instagram, Manson added, “This is a sad day.”
White’s departure from the band comes after Jessicka Addams, singer of the band Jack Off Jill, accused him of rape and abuse in an October 20th Facebook post. Addams detailed what she claims was a tumultuous relationship with White, which began in the early Nineties when she was 18. Over time, according to Addams, White’s temper grew worse and his violence towards her escalated from emotional abuse and fat-shaming into physical attacks.
Addams claimed that White raped her when he returned home on a break from tour while Manson was opening for Nine Inch Nails. “I knew at that point that Jeordie had not been faithful on tour, including being with women whom I to this day respect and considered my musical contemporaries,” Addams said. “All this led to an argument I never saw coming. He forced me on to the floor with his hand around my neck. I said NO. I said NO. I said it so loud enough, that Addams’ roommate Pete came rushing in from the other room to get him off of me. But I had been raped. I had been raped by somebody I thought I loved.”
In her post, Addams spoke about the feelings of “guilt and shame” that followed her in the aftermath of the alleged attack, especially as she continued to move in the same circles as White (Jack Off Jill toured with Manson in 1999). She said these feelings were exacerbated when her record label warned her not to go public with her story because Jack Off Jill could be “blackballed by concert promoters, radio programmers, and other bands and their managers… The label blatantly feared the big machine behind Marilyn Manson would use their power to destroy not only Jack Off Jill, but my name, Jessicka, as well. The pressure and guilt of the inevitable repercussions of my rape story affecting my band’s livelihood, happiness and success kept me silent for years.”
Addams did not immediately return a request for comment. White has yet to publicly respond to Addams’ allegations and attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.
In recent years, Addams noted that she began referencing the alleged rape in interviews and on social media. She closed her post with a message of empowerment, writing that women “must stand up for each other. It’s the only way we can confront and combat men who think they hold power over us. I am thankful to know that there are men out there who do not share this gross ideology and stand with us. This is an intersectional uphill battle for women and the men who are scared for their reputation with other men to defend us.”
White first left Marilyn Manson in 2003, but rejoined in 2008 to record the band’s seventh album The High End of Low. Manson’s next scheduled concert is a set at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest November 5th in Devore, California. A European tour in support of his new album, Heaven Upside Down, will follow with a North American leg scheduled for next year. It is unclear who will replace White.
