Billy Corgan defends longtime friendship with Marilyn Manson amid sexual abuse allegations

Kathleen PerriconeFri, October 23, 2026 at 8:37 PM UTC

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Billy Corgan and Marilyn Manson at SiriusXM’s Town Hall on Aug. 6, 2015Credit: Timothy Hiatt/GettyKey Points -

Billy Corgan is defending his longtime friendship with Marilyn Manson amid sexual abuse allegations.

“I personally didn’t feel he was guilty of the things he was being charged with,” said the Smashing Pumpkins frontman.

After a four-year investigation, the Los Angeles District Attorney declined to file criminal charges against Manson in 2025.

Billy Corgan is disarming the public perception of Marilyn Manson.

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman defended his longtime friendship with Manson (real name Brian Warner), who was accused of sexual assault and domestic violence by a number of women, including ex-girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood, in 2021. After a four-year investigation, the Los Angeles District Attorney declined to file criminal charges.

“As a Christian person, you have to stand by your friends, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have an opinion, and that doesn’t mean you’re not critical,” Corgan said in a new interview on Popcast with Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli of The New York Times. “I personally didn’t feel he was guilty of the things he was being charged with, and ultimately the fact that the D.A. didn’t pursue.”

A lawyer for Manson did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment.

The relationship between Corgan and Manson goes back nearly 30 years, as the two were topping the rock charts in the 1990s with hits like “1979” and “The Beautiful People,” respectively.

For that reason, “I don’t want the world to tell me who my friends are and who I should associate with,” insisted Corgan.

Manson is actually more like family: The rocker’s wife, Lindsay Usich, has an identical twin sister, Ashley, who’s married to Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha.

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“Anyone in that situation struggles with the accusations, the seriousness of the accusations. But again, I also knew the inside baseball of the case,” revealed Corgan, who is married with three young children. “I knew certain people who were involved. And so you make those evaluations.”

The singer-guitarist continued, “If he’s guilty or anybody in that situation is guilty, they should go to jail. I’m not saying I have any moral supremacy here. I’m saying it’s a case-by-case basis. This kind of witch mob thing bothers me.”

Manson seemingly approved of Corgan’s statement, as the rocker “liked” Popcast’s video on Instagram.

Marilyn Manson performs in Charlotte, N.C. on Aug. 24, 2026Credit: Jeff Hahne/Getty

In 2021, Evan Rachel Wood accused Manson of grooming her as a teenager (they met when she was 18) and claimed he “horrifically abused” her for years during their romantic relationship from 2007 to 2010. Manson responded by suing the Westworld actress for defamation in 2022, but he dropped the lawsuit in 2024 and agreed to cover her legal fees.

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Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced in January 2025 that his office would not pursue criminal charges against Manson, claiming the statute of limitations had run out on the domestic violence allegations, and that prosecutors did not believe they could prove charges of sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt.

“We recognize and applaud the courage and resilience of the women who came forward to make reports and share their experiences, and we thank them for their cooperation and patience with the investigation,” said the D.A.’s statement. “While we are unable to bring charges in this matter, we recognize that the strong advocacy of the women involved has helped bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.”

on Entertainment Weekly

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