EXCLUSIVE: Marilyn Manson 'Rape' Documentary Director Slams Showbiz Bosses for Protecting Abusive Artists — As Long As They're Making Cash
The director of a bombshell documentary about the rise to fame of Marilyn Manson has lashed out at money-mad record firms.
Jan. 17 2025, Published 9:43 a.m. ET
The director of a bombshell documentary about the rise to fame of Marilyn Manson and the allegations of sexual abuse surrounding him has lashed out at money-mad record firms.
Karen McGann, who made Marilyn Manson: Unmasked, slammed firms for protecting stars while they are still raking in cash, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The filmmaker said: "People are always protected when they're making money and that’s one of the hypocrisies, sometimes, of the entertainment industry.
"We've seen that with Harvey Weinstein. In the last few years, people have been asking: 'Is there going to be a #MeToo for the music industry?'"
Karen McGann criticized record labels for shielding stars like Manson while profiting from their fame.
The filmmaker added: "Since we made the Manson documentary, all the allegations against Diddy have come out. Maybe the music industry's #MeToo will happen.”
Her docuseries on Manson was announced with a press release explaining that it will "unravel the shocking story of one of rock music’s most polarising figures," including "the chilling abuse allegations" that have "engulfed" his career.
In 2021, Manson's actress ex-partner Evan Rachel Wood, accused the musician – born Brian Warner – of grooming, abuse and manipulation.
Then in 2022, she also claimed Warner "essentially raped" her "on-camera" when they filmed the music video for his 2007 song Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand.)
Evan Rachel Wood's allegations against Manson led to more claims, including a lawsuit from Esme Bianco.
After Wood's initial statement, a number of other women made allegations against the musician.
These included Game Of Thrones actor Esme Bianco, who filed a lawsuit alleging sexual assault, physical abuse and human trafficking.
Warner, 56, strongly denied the allegations, which he described as "horrible distortions of reality".
The singer countersued Wood for defamation and emotional distress. He dropped the lawsuit last November and agreed to pay her $327,000 in attorney fees.
Warner and Bianco reached an out-of-court settlement in January 2023. Manson has since gone on to release an album.
The director of 'Marilyn Manson: Unmasked' believes the music industry could face its own #MeToo reckoning.
McGann added: "Manson is a fascinating subject in that he is the architect of his own mythology. So there is an opinion that maybe this is just a construct and then there are others that tell you, 'This is hiding in plain sight'.
"The guiding principle for us, when we were making the documentary, was: 'Did he say it? Yes, he did'. We’ll show it to you and then you as the audience can make up your own mind."
And McGann said of claims of a similar nature against Jay-Z, Russell Brand and Sean 'Diddy' Combs: "I think there was something about the culture being kind of consciously provocative at that time that a lot of us invested in.
"It's a question of asking: are there people who hide in plain sight and take advantage of that to play out their own values and desires?"
McGann connected Manson's mythology to a culture that also propped up figures such as Jay-Z, Russell Brand and Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
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One lawsuit included a claim against Manson’s former label Interscope and its now-defunct subsidiary Nothing Records for "protecting, promoting, and profiteering from" his alleged conduct.
McGann added: "It does raise knotty questions for record companies because I think when you bring an artist to the public, there are bigger ideological questions about companies who are profiting from artists who have allegations against them and whose work is provocative in that way.
"Should they be responsible or not? It will be interesting to see if that's going to gain traction. If that claim goes to court, that's major."
