Dita Von Teese Says Marilyn Manson Never Abused Her; Police “Swarm” Shock Rocker’s House

Marilyn Manson’s ex-wife, burlesque star Dita Von Teese, has released a statement regarding the recent allegations of abuse leveled against her former husband.

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.”

In her statement, Von Teese (born Heather Renée Sweet) says that “the details made public do not match my personal experience during our 7 years together as a couple.” She does not, however, offer a full-throated defense of the shock rocker, asserting that “Abuse of any kind has no place in any relationship.” She also reiterates that she left Manson a year after their 2005 marriage “due to infidelity and drug abuse.”

You can read Von Teese’s entire statement below.

Since the allegations against Manson emerged on Monday, at least three people who have known the singer closely have made statements of support for his victims:

• His former fianceé, the actor and Me Too Movement leader Rose McGowan.
• Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland, who played in Manson’s band from 2008-2009.
• Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, who was something of a mentor to Manson early in his career: he released Manson’s first five albums on his label, Nothing Records. Two of those albums, 1994’s Portrait of an American Family and 1996’s Antichrist Superstar, credit Reznor as a producer; he also has co-songwriting credits on three Antichrist tracks (“Little Horn,” “Deformography,” and “The Reflecting God“). Reznor and Manson had a falling out after the release of Antichrist, leading Reznor to pen the diss track “Starfuckers, Inc.” for NIN’s 1999 release, The Fragile. The two later made up, leading to Manson appearing in the “Starfuckers” video. By 2009, they were once again no longer on good terms, with Reznor asserting that “drugs and alcohol now rule [Manson’s] life.”

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:

“Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they received a call Wednesday for a welfare check by someone who said they hadn’t heard from the singer and were worried something may have happened to him.

“We’re told several officers hit the Hollywood Hills home and made several attempts to get Manson to come and speak with them to no avail. At one point, an LAPD helicopter circled overhead, shining a spotlight onto the property.

“Our sources say Manson never answered, but after some time, cops were able to get in touch with a rep for the singer who said everything was fine, and that Manson simply didn’t want to come out … cops left shortly after.”

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.