Is Marilyn Manson Still Cancelled?

Guitars, Music
May 21, 2025

By Keith Nallawalla

As a teen at the start of the new millennium, I experimented with a wide range of music, starting with gangsta rap for a year or two, but then I heard Marilyn Manson’s Mechanical Animals at my friend Matt’s house, and it completely changed my direction in musical taste forever.

Marilyn Manson got me into industrial bands like Nine Inch Nails, the band that helped shoot Manson to stardom and even EBM bands like Apoptygma Berzerk, who covered his song Coma White. I’ve even seen him live a couple of times in Melbourne and own all his old albums and DVDs up until his greatest hits album.

As I got older, I found his performances degrade in quality, and so did his new music. His old tracks are still nostalgic to me, but as an adult, being a “fan” of his felt a little cheesy and juvenile and I grew away from his music and stopped following him altogether, though I did relisten to his autobiography Long Hard Road Out of Hell (1998) a few years ago on Audible, as I recalled the book being an amazing read when I was a teenager. That book was wild, and talked about a lot of messed-up stuff that he’d done both on and off-stage.

Mansion Cancellation

When the initial wave of sexual abuse allegations emerged in 2021, I wasn’t at all surprised. He’d been pretty open about what he was like as a person, and whilst I appreciated his music and thought his music videos and stuff were cool, I knew he certainly wasn’t going to be the best guy to hang around in real life.

While he faced serious accusations from multiple women, including actress Evan Rachel Wood (I was a big Westworld fan at the time), recent developments have seen a decline in legal actions against him, and he has resumed his music career. I have mixed feelings about what I believe to be true or not in these stories, but I guess I’m glad that all my old photos of me wearing t-shirts with him on them aren’t quite as cringeworthy as I felt they were for a time.

Recent Legal Developments

In January 2025, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office announced that it would not pursue criminal charges against Manson due to insufficient evidence and the expiration of the statute of limitations for some claims. This decision was after a four-year investigation into allegations of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

A big factor here was that one of Manson’s accusers, Ashley Morgan Smithline, retracted her previous allegations in a sworn statement, claiming she had been pressured by Evan Rachel Wood and others into making false accusations. However, it’s important to note that other accusers have maintained their claims, and Manson continues to deny all allegations.

Career Resurgence = Uncancelled?

Despite the controversies, Manson seems to have recovered better than most cancelled celebrities, making a return to the music scene. In late 2024, he released a new album titled One Assassination Under God, Chapter 1 and embarked on a world tour to promote it. The tour includes performances across North and South America, Europe, and Asia, marking his first major tour since 2019, right before COVID killed most major events and then, of course, the allegations against him that made him untourable until now.

Manson has also been featured in prominent music festivals, such as Rock Fest 2025 and Arizona Bike Week, indicating a level of industry support and public interest in his work, though it is unlikely he will ever be as popular as he once was.

Public and Industry Response

The response to Manson’s return has been mixed. While some fans and industry figures have welcomed his comeback, others have expressed concern and disappointment, particularly given the unresolved nature of some allegations. Evan Rachel Wood and other accusers have continued to speak out, emphasising the importance of believing survivors and advocating for systemic change.

Conclusion

Marilyn Manson’s situation is a prime example of how complicated things get surrounding public figures accused of serious misconduct. While legal proceedings have not resulted in convictions, and he has resumed his career, public opinion remains divided. He has certainly lost some fans along the way.

Part of me is glad that he hasn’t been convicted of anything, as it sucks whenever one of your childhood heroes (or antiheroes?) turns out to be a terrible person. But what makes this case different to me is that Manson was always a terrible person, and that’s his whole schtick. He wrote a book about it decades ago. But times have changed, and the fact that he’s been called out for such acts does not surprise me at all. The other part of me believes that where there is smoke, there is fire and that he’s been very lucky to get out of this with his career somewhat intact.