Jaime Bennington Claims Linkin Park Fans Have Been “Aggressive” Towards Him Since Criticizing Emily Armstrong

Earlier this month Jaime Bennington, son of former late Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington, expressed his dissatisfaction with Emily Armstrong being hired as the new vocalist for the rock band. This criticism was caused by claims of Armstong’s alleged ties to Scientology and her alleged support for Danny Masterson, a convicted rapist who’s currently serving 30 years in prison.

Bennington took to Instagram to call out specifically Mike Shinoda, co-founder of Linkin Park, about this decision. On his Instagram stories, he claimed Shinoda is “quietly eras[ing] my father’s life and legacy in real time […] during international suicide prevention month.” 

Bennington says Linkin Park fans “have been cruel, unusual and aggressive” towards him, claiming they have told him to commit suicide. He voices how the fans aren’t understanding the significant measures of the situation in a statement from NME: “You’re telling me to kill myself, you’re telling me that I’m awful, you’re telling me that my father doesn’t appreciate me […] What are you talking about? You didn’t give a fuck when he died. If you did, you would understand what the problem is. You would understand why this is all wrong.”

He also voices how he would feel unsafe going to a Linkin Park concert, such as their LA comeback show tonight, due to these threats by fans. “To be honest, I don’t think I’d feel safe going to the show under general admission […] I don’t know who would take it upon themselves to respond to me in an aggressive manner. The audience themselves could actually be unsafe for me.”