Rose McGowan has shown her support for Evan Rachel Wood in the wake of Wood’s abuse allegations against her ex-fiancé Marilyn Manson. Posting on Twitter on Monday, McGowan said she was proud of Wood and the others who have come forward against him and clarifying the misconception that while he was not abusive towards her when they dated, that doesn’t mean he cannot be accused of abuse in other relationships.
Manson has denied the claims made against him, stating on Instagram that ‘my intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners.’ In 2019, his team also denied similar allegations when Evan first spoke about her experience of an abusive relationship. At the time, they used the fact that his other exes, McGowan and ex-wife Dita Von Teese, 'remained friends' with Manson to dispute rumours that Evan was talking about him.
'Manson remains friends with McGowan and she talks very fondly of their three a half years together,' the PR team told Metal Hammer. 'Manson’s ex-wife Dita Von Teese... remains good friends with Manson. Quoting from a Female First article published in 2018, "Dita admits she has been ‘lucky’ to avoid any abusive episodes in the entertainment industry in her career."'
However, McGowan has since posted a video online disputing the idea that just because Manson was not abusive to her, does not mean he could not have been to Wood - as she claims.
‘I am profoundly sad today, and disgusted. But I am mostly proud, proud of Evan Rachel Wood and the others who have come forward against Marilyn Manson my ex. When he was with me he was not like that, but that has no bearing on whether he was like that with others before or after.’
Maintaining that she supports anyone who makes claims against an alleged abuser, she explained that it can take a lot of time for women to come forward because of the impact abuse can have on their lives. She also called out those who were around Manson when Wood says the alleged abuse took place.
‘I’m also here to say to the Hollywood cult leaders that have employed him and sanctioned him, Interscope records and Sony was with him during the Evan period, you know you are accomplices,’ she said. ‘All the PR managers, agents, lawyers, the Hollywood cult must be stopped. ‘
Her statement has been well-received by fans, and re-posted on Wood’s social media. Because, in situations like this is it painfully rare to see people so close to an alleged abuser come forward supporting the accuser in such a public way – particularly in Hollywood.
So often when allegations like this are made against a man, a powerful one at that, his friends, colleagues and former acquaintances rally around them and are used in efforts to invalidate the story of the accuser. Women who had past relationships with the man in question will be brought into court cases, used as character references for why an alleged abuser cannot be guilty, simply because he was not abusive towards her specifically.
Abusers can be appear harmless and charming to some, while terrorising the lives of others.
But as McGowan says, that is completely irrelevant. We know from the harrowing stories of victims and the extensive work of activists that abusers can be appear harmless and charming to some, while terrorising the lives of others. Hiding their abuse is part of the game to them, not only because they choose their victims purposefully but because it boosts their reputation in the eyes of others if there is someone else to vouch for them should they ever get called out.
Whether or not Wood's allegations are proven in a court of law - which, to be clear, has not yet happened and Manson denies her claims - McGowan making this statement is an important moment in that narrative. Whether Manson is found guilty of abuse or not, her decision to support Wood is an integral demonstration of how women who come forward with abuse allegations should be supported wholeheartedly. It takes so much strength to do so, and until we believe women without reservation – as McGowan is doing here – those who abuse will continue to get away with hurting women, upheld by the very people and systems that should be preventing them that access in the first place.
Read More:
Evan Rachel Wood Has Accused Marilyn Manson Of Abusing Her Throughout Their Three Year Relationship
Evan Rachel Wood Shares Domestic Abuse Story With Hashtag #IAmNotOk