Billy Corgan Stands by Marilyn Manson, Rejects Outside Pressure
WHO:
Deadline - Evan Rachel Wood was among the women who accused Marilyn Manson of sexual abuse and domestic violence.
Billboard - Billy Corgan, frontman of the Smashing Pumpkins, said he stood by Marilyn Manson, whose name is Brian Warner.
Stereogum - Corgan said his relationship with Manson goes back close to 30 years and that he knew Manson’s parents.
Stereogum - Corgan said Manson’s wife, Lindsay Usich, is the twin of Ashley, who is married to Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha.
Stereogum - New York Times Popcast host Jon Caramanica asked Corgan about his friendship with Manson and compared Corgan’s public persona to Kanye West; Times reporter and Popcast co-host Joe Coscarelli also participated.
Stereogum - The articles describe women as having accused Manson of sexual assault; Corgan said he personally did not believe Manson was guilty of the charges.
WHAT:
Stereogum - Corgan said he knew people involved in Manson’s case and had personal knowledge of details that were not public.
Stereogum - Corgan said he believed the accusations were serious and that he had evaluated them before deciding he had made the right determination.
Stereogum - Corgan said he went on Alex Jones’ InfoWars before Kanye West did.
Stereogum - Corgan said the word he most associated with the 1990s was “authenticity,” and criticized what he saw as upper-middle-class East Coast critics defining it.
Stereogum - Corgan said critics used him as a “vision of mockery,” gave the Smashing Pumpkins “horrible reviews” in the 1990s, and turned what he stood for into a negative.
Billboard - Corgan said, “I don’t want the world to tell me who my friends are,” and said he personally did not feel Manson was guilty.
Stereogum - Corgan said a district attorney reviewed Manson’s case for five years and did not pursue it. He said he was not there for everything and was not trying to adjudicate the case.
Stereogum - Corgan said, “If he’s guilty, or if anyone in that situation is guilty, they should go to jail.”
Stereogum - Corgan said Manson appeared at his birthday party and they posed for photographs together.
Stereogum - Corgan discussed similarities between his approach to public controversy and Kanye West’s, describing it as a “cognitive dissonance game” that makes people decide whether an artist is a genius or an idiot.
Stereogum - Corgan criticized what he called the “hipster writer class” and the “Pitchfork generation,” arguing that critics shifted attention from alternative music toward pop and treated him and the Smashing Pumpkins negatively.
Stereogum - Corgan said Smashing Pumpkins songs had gained attention on TikTok; the band was touring arenas to mark the 30th anniversary of *Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness*, and reunited with producer Butch Vig to record “Black Stars” for an upcoming *Hunger Games* movie. Olivia Rodrigo performed with the band at Lollapalooza.
WHERE:
Stereogum - Corgan said that while the band was making *Mellon Collie*, Kanye West worked at a Gap one block away.
Stereogum - Corgan said he and West were both in Chicago during the making of *Mellon Collie*; West was working at the Gap one block away.
Stereogum - The discussion took place on the New York Times’ Popcast.
WHEN:
Stereogum - Corgan said his relationship with Manson began close to 30 years earlier and that the district attorney reviewed the case for five years.
Stereogum - The article describes the band’s arena tour as celebrating the 30th anniversary of *Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness*.
WHY:
Stereogum - Corgan argued that critics favored Rihanna as an alternative star over Siouxsie Sioux, which he said betrayed alternative music’s ethos.
Stereogum - Corgan said he stood by friends, while maintaining that he could hold opinions and be critical; he also cited personal knowledge of people and circumstances behind the case.
Stereogum - Corgan said Manson was “basically a part of our family” because of the family and personal relationships connecting them.
HOW:
Stereogum - Corgan said he reached his own judgment based on his personal knowledge of the case and the fact that the district attorney did not pursue it.
(UPDATED October 24, 2026 04:06 UTC)
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan says he stands by Marilyn Manson, despite accusations of sexual abuse and domestic violence, including allegations made by Evan Rachel Wood. Speaking on the New York Times’ Popcast, Corgan said he personally did not believe Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, was guilty, while stressing that serious accusations should be investigated and anyone guilty should go to jail. Corgan said he knows people involved and has personal knowledge of details that have not been made public, but was not trying to decide the case himself. He also cited a district attorney’s review, which he said lasted five years and did not lead to charges. Corgan described his relationship with Manson as nearly 30 years old and said Manson is close to his family. He also reflected on critics’ treatment of the band and its place in alternative music.
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(UPDATED October 23, 2026 20:13 UTC)
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan says he stands by Marilyn Manson, despite women accusing the musician, whose name is Brian Warner, of sexual assault. Speaking on the New York Times’ Popcast, Corgan said he personally did not believe Manson was guilty, while stressing he wasn’t present for everything and wasn’t trying to judge the case. Corgan said a district attorney reviewed it for five years and did not pursue it, adding that anyone found guilty should go to jail. He said his friendship with Manson stretches back nearly 30 years, and described him as practically part of the family. Corgan also noted that Manson’s wife is the twin of Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha’s wife. Manson attended Corgan’s birthday party, where they posed for photos.