Billy Corgan has been defending his friendship with Marilyn Manson, despite the numerous allegations of sexual assault and domestic abuse his ex-partner and others have accused him of.
The Smashing Pumpkins mainman, and now podcaster, was appearing on another podcast, the New York Times’ Popcast, when he was asked about his relationship with Manson. “I think that ultimately, as a Christian person… you have to stand by your friends,” he maintained. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t have an opinion, and that doesn’t mean you’re not critical.”
He continued: “In his case – and I’m not here to adjudicate it – the DA looked at the case for five years. In some cases, I knew personal things behind the scenes that are not in the public sphere. I personally didn’t feel that he was guilty of the things he was being charged with, and ultimately, the fact that the DA didn’t pursue it.”
“But, I wasn’t there,” he added. “I can’t be there for everything. But it’s one of those things where I don’t want the world to tell me who my friends are and who I should associate with. That’s politically, socially, and in Brian’s case, we have a relationship that goes back close to 30 years.”
Indeed they do. Corgan and Manson (real name Brian Warner) go back decades. The lead Pumpkin gave Manson his very first guitar. In 2015 they co-headlined the End Times tour, and more recently, Corgan was among a number of prominent faces at Manson’s 56th birthday party in Los Angeles last year.
There’s also the little matter of a family connection. Manson’s wife’s twin sister is married to Pumpkins' guitarist James Iha. As Corgan said in the NYT Popcast interview, Manson is “basically a part of our family”.
Corgan is not the first established name in the rock world not to shun Manson post-abuse allegations. Slipknot received a fair amount of criticism after they announced that he would be supporting them on their 2027 tour.
Manson has been accused of sexual assault and verbal, physical and psychological abuse by his former assistant Ashley Walters – the civil case is set to be heard next year. His one-time fiancée, Rachel Wood, also accused him of abuse during their relationship, as have several other women, as detailed in the 2025 Channel Four documentary Marilyn Manson: Unmasked.
It should be noted that Manson continues to deny all the allegations.
