«You betrayed the fans»
"People have a hard time accepting the idea of Linkin Park reinventing themselves. They have a hard time accepting the fact that you hired your old friend Emily Armstrong even though you know her history in Scientology."
After the criticisms of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and the accusations of Chrissie Carnell Bixler , those of Jaime Bennington have arrived. The son of Chester Bennington, historic singer of Linkin Park who committed suicide in July 2017, has criticized Mike Shinoda for choosing Emily Armstrong as singer despite knowing of her affiliation with Scientology and her (alleged) role in the defense in court of actor Danny Masterson, also a member of the church convicted of rape.
Shinoda criticized those who struggle to understand the “new” Linkin Park. Jaime Bennington responded in a series of Instagram stories: “Hey Mike! People have no problem accepting the idea of Linkin Park reinventing themselves. They have a hard time accepting the fact that you hired your old friend Emily Armstrong to replace Chester despite knowing Emily’s history in the church and her support for Danny Masterson.”
Not only that, Shinoda allegedly “erased my father’s life and legacy” during “World Suicide Prevention Month” by refusing to “acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily without issuing a clarifying statement about the many victims that make up your fan base.”
In doing so, Shinoda would have betrayed the very essence of Linkin Park, the trust of the fans and the Bennington family. "You've just gotten older or maybe you've become insensitive." All of this is accompanied by a "I would tag you, but you blocked the interactions because you don't like what I say" and the doubt that Shinoda lied (or was simply wrong) in remembering in an interview when he met Emily Armstrong, whether in 2019 or 2017. "Who knows who introduced you two," he writes sibylline.