Refusing to hold back his true thoughts, Chester Bennington’s son Jaime Bennington slammed Linkin Park bandmate Mike Shinoda for replacing the late singer.
Shinoda and the rest of the Linkin Park bandmates returned to the stage with new singer Emily Armstrong seven years after Chester passed away after committing suicide. He was 41 years old.
Although many Linkin Parks are optimistic and giving the new singer a chance, Jaime called out his late father’s former bandmates for the decision.
“People aren’t having a difficult time wrapping their heads around the prospect of Linkin Park reinventing itself,” Jaime stated to Shinoda in his Instagram Story on Sunday, Sept. 8. “They’re having a hard time wrapping their head around how you: 1). hired your friend of many years @emilyarmstrong to replace [Chester].”
Chester Bennington’s son then called out the new Linkin Park bandmate for her alleged history with the Church of Scientology as well as her former support for Scientologist Danny Masterson during his rape trial.
Jaime went on to accuse Linkin Park of refusing to acknowledge the “impact of hiring someone like Emily.”
He also said that the bandmates “quietly erased [his] father’s life and legacy in real time” when they announced Armstrong as the new lead vocalist during Suicide Prevention Month.
“You have betrayed the trust loaned to you by decades of fans and supporting human beings including myself,” Chester Bennington’s son then stated directly to Shinoda. “We trusted you to be the bigger better person. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re just senile and tone deaf. Insane.”
Chester joined Linkin Park in 1999 just before the release of their debut album Hybrid Theory in 2000, followed by the group’s highly successful Meteora (2003).
Linkin Park’s New Vocalist Previously Spoke Out About Her Previous Support For Danny Masterson
After receiving backlash for her previous support for convicted rapist, Danny Masterson, Emily Armstrong released a statement about the situation.
“I always try to see the good in people and I misjudged him,” she said about Masterson. The singer did not share who she was referring to. “I have never spoken with him since. Unimaginable details emerged and he was later found guilty.”
She continued by adding, “To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathise with the victims of these crimes.”
Shinoda recently spoke about Armstrong joining Linkin Park by stating, “Emily was always going to be able to hit the notes and scream the parts. It’ll be a question of, ‘How does it land with people?’ And I don’t know how it will. But I know that, when I hear it, I love it.”
Linkin Park’s original drummer Rob Bourdon also made the decision to step away from the group.