Daisy Phillipson
Kat Von D has come under fire after announcing a new project with Marilyn Manson.
Manson – real name Brian Hugh Warner – has been the subject of numerous allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence made by numerous women.
Initially, the singer's ex-girlfriend, Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood, spoke out and claimed she had been 'horrifically abused' by Manson in a now-deleted Instagram post shared in 2021.
Wood, who dated the singer for three years when she was 19 and he was 38, went into further detail about the abuse allegations in her recent docuseries Phoenix Rising.
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Following her 2021 post, a number of other women came forward, with some filing lawsuits against Manson including Game of Thrones actor Esmé Bianco.
The now 53-year-old musician has continually denied the allegations, previously describing Wood's claims as 'horrible distortions of reality'.
He later hit back by filing a lawsuit against Wood, alleging she and another woman used 'false pretences including a phoney letter from the FBI to convince other women to come forward'.
In September, police confirmed that they concluded a 19-month investigation into sexual assault and domestic violence allegations against the rocker dating from 2009 to 2011.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department passed on details of the case to the Attorney’s Office, and prosecutors will now decide whether to file criminal charges.
In spite of everything that has unfolded in recent months, one person who is sticking by the singer is Katherine von Drachenberg, aka Kat Von D.
The 40-year-old tattoo artist recently took to Instagram to share a photo of her with Manson, alongside the caption: "My dear @marilynmanson came by the studio – we’re working on a beautiful, special project we have coming up for you!"
She's since received a strong reaction to the news, with many people criticising the star for standing by him.
As said by one: "Yet another 'we should believe all women unless the attacker is my friend'. You lost big points with me on this one."
Another wrote: "Very unexpected coming from you. He very clearly did the things he's accused of, he was very clearly proud of it until he got publicly caught. Unfollowing. Good luck with your conscience."
Amid the backlash, Kat defended herself in a lengthier comment on the same post.
"I know first hand what it feels like to have society come to wildly incorrect conclusions about me, and having that spread out into the world - leaving people believing things that couldn’t be further from the truth about me," she said.
"Having seen evidence against the accusations against my friend, I can’t in good faith just blindly burn someone at the stake just because 'everyone says I should'.
"I can think for myself, and I hope you can, too. Innocent until proven guilty should ring very true to us, especially after this last year.
"So perhaps before spewing criticism and possible gossip (even though i know it comes from a good place) it might be a good idea to keep it to yourself until you have all information.
"Feel free to read the actual court documents on the link in Manson’s bio."
Despite the explanation, commenters have continued to share their disappointment, with one writing: "Innocent until proven guilty? You must've missed like all the clear evidence against him I guess... what a disappointment.
"Believe the victims when they finally have the courage to speak up," said another. "'Innocent until proven guilty' doesn't help in this situation."
UNILAD has contacted a rep for Kat Von D for comment.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org