Chester Bennington’s Son Jaime Calls Out Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda For Betraying Fans & Replacing Late Father With Emily Armstrong

Armando Tinoco
·2 min read

Jaime Bennington, the son of the late Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington, is calling out the band for their decision to hire Emily Armstrong.

The band reunited with Armstrong as the new lead singer following Chester Bennington’s death in 2017. Jaime Bennington took to social media to air his grievances about the decision to replace his late father with Armstrong.

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“Hey Mike! People aren’t having a difficult time wrapping their head around the prospect of Linkin Park reinventing itself,” Jaime Bennington wrote on his Instagram Stories. “They are having a hard time wrapping their head around how you: Hired your friend of many years @emilyarmstrong to replace @chesterbe knowing Emily’s history in the church and her history as an ally to @dannymasterson.”

Jaime Bennington was referring to Armstrong’s ties to Scientology and her support of Danny Masterson amid his sexual assault trial. In a statement she shared online, Armstrong recently came out to address her past support of Masterson.

“Several years ago, I was asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance, and went to one early hearing as an observer,” she explained on Instagram. “Soon after, I realized I shouldn’t have. I always try to see the good in people and I misjudged him. I have never spoken with him since. Unimaginable details emerged and he was later found guilty.”

She continued, “To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes.”

Jaime Bennington also accused Shinoda of “Quietly eras[ing] my father’s life and legacy in real time […] during international suicide prevention month” and “refus[ing] to acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily, without so much as a clarifying statement on the variety of victims that make up your core fan base.”

In another message, Jaime Bennington said Shinoda “betrayed the trust loaned to you by decades of fans and supporting human beings including myself. We trusted you to be the bigger better person. To be the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re just senile and tone deaf.”

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