Evan Rachel Wood responds to Marilyn Manson’s feature on Donda

On Sunday (August 29), Kanye West – now legally called Ye – finally dropped his tenth studio album, Donda, after months of delays. Ahead of the record’s release, Ye held a third listening event in Chicago, following two previous parties in Atlanta in July and early August. At the final event, West controversially brought out DaBaby – who went on a homophobic rant last month – and Marilyn Manson – who’s been accused of sexual abuse by five women. Both also contributed vocals to the album, featuring on its 24th track, “Jail, Pt. 2”.

Now, Evan Rachel Wood – who alleges that she suffered years-long abuse at the hands of Manson, her former partner – has seemingly responded to his collaboration with West. “For my fellow survivors who got slapped in the face this week,” she wrote on Instagram. “I love you. Don’t give up.” The caption appeared alongside a video of Wood singing New Radicals’ 1998 track “You Get What You Give”.

After first sharing her story in 2016, Wood officially named Manson as her abuser in February, claiming that he “started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years”. She said she was “brainwashed and manipulated into submission”, but is now “done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail”.

That same day, four other women came forward, making similar accusations of abuse against Manson, including violence and harassment, sexual and verbal abuse, and allegations that Manson forced his partners to take drugs.

Manson responded to the allegations on Instagram, writing: “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality. My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how – and why – others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”

In light of the accusations, Manson was dropped by his record label, Loma Vista Recordings, which was “effective immediately”.

Reviewing Donda for The Independent, journalist Roisin O’Connor gave the album zero stars, writing that “Marilyn Manson’s inexcusable presence leaves a sour taste that no amount of gospel can cleanse”. O’Connor describes Manson’s appearance on “Jail, Pt. 2”, in which he joins West on the refrain, “Guess I’m going to jail tonight”, as “a moment so flagrantly mocking it brings bile to my throat”.

She continued: “West is evidently surrounded by a team who are too scared or too exhausted to say ‘no’, but it speaks volumes of society’s apathy towards rape survivors that Universal would release this album with Manson on it.”

Watch Wood’s performance of “You Get What You Give” above, and rewatch her testimony of Manson’s abuse below – and then seriously consider not streaming, downloading, or buying Donda.