Sharon Osbourne Chimes in on Marilyn Manson Abuse Allegations
Sharon Osbourne is the latest high-profile figure in the metal world to chime in on the wave of abuse allegations against Marilyn Manson this week.
Sharon’s comment isn’t the full-throated rebuke offered by some of her peers — Wes Borland and Trent Reznor, among them — simply stating that her relationship with Manson was business only, and she had no knowledge of what went on in his personal life.
Manson appeared on a handful of episodes of the Osbournes’ eponymously titled early ’00s reality show and performed at several incarnations of the long-running festival tour Ozzfest. He was also slated to open some North American dates of Ozzy’s farewell tour, which has been postponed several times due to Ozzy’s health issues and the pandemic.
As such, Sharon claims she’s been flooded in recent days with questions and accusations about her relationship with Manson. Speaking on yesterday’s (February 3) episode of her daytime TV show, The Talk, Sharon — who of course is married to and manages Ozzy, and as such has worked with a number of metal and hard rock artists over the years — said:
“I’ve known Marilyn for 25 years. [I’ve] worked with him for many, many years, and, obviously, I would not know what goes on in his bedroom; neither do I want to. But as far as people who’ve been going on all my socials, calling me names and things and putting up pictures of Marilyn and I, you know, there’s something called a working relationship, and that’s what I’ve had with Marilyn for many years. I know nothing about his sexual preferences or the way he treats women. I know how he treats an older woman, which is me, and he’s always been respectful.”
On Monday, February 1, Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood wrote a post on Instagram in which she said that Manson, her former fiancée, “horrifically abused me for years.” While she has implied in the past that Manson abused her, this was the first time she explicitly mentioned his name. Since then, there’s been an avalanche of similar accusations from other women.
Manson calls the accusations “horrible distortions of reality.”
Since the allegations against Manson emerged on Monday, Manson’s former fianceé, the actor and Me Too Movement leader, Rose McGowan, has expressed support for the victims. Another of his exes, Dita Von Teese, said that Manson never abused her.
Meanwhile, TMZ reports that Manson’s home “was swarming with cops” last night (February 3) after a friend contacted authorities to say they couldn’t reach the singer and were concerned for his well-being. You can view photos of police outside Manson’s home here.
Shortly after Wood’s story broke, Manson’s label, Loma Vista, promptly dropped the singer and scrubbed their website of his likeness and merchandise. He has since been fired from acting roles on the TV shows American Gods and Creepshow, and his agency, CAA, has severed ties with him as well.
