Evan Rachel Wood says she ‘accepted her powerlessness as she suffered abuse’ by former fiancé Marilyn Manson and recalls feeling like she ‘deserved it’

Evan Rachel Wood has recalled ‘accepting her powerlessness as’ she claims she ‘suffered abuse’ by her former fiancé Marilyn Manson. 

Speaking in a new interview the actress, 38, said that she ‘carried so much guilt and confusion’ surrounding his treatment of her that she began to feel like she ‘deserved’ it. 

Evan first spoke out against the singer in 2021, accusing him of sexual assault and emotional abuse during the time they were in a relationship from 2006 until 2010. She was unable to press charges. 

Manson, real name Brian Hugh Warner, strongly denied the accusations and later filed a lawsuit against the actress, claiming she had engaged in a ‘conspiracy’ to smear him as ‘a rapist and abuser’ in an effort to sabotage his career. 

However, in 2024 he dropped all litigation against against Evan and said he would cover her $327,000 legal bill following a judge’s order to do so, sources told TMZ.

Evan, who was 18-years-old when she first met the then 37-year-old Marilyn, said he made her ‘feel seen’ before he began to ‘exploit her loneliness.’

Evan Rachel Wood has recalled ‘accepting her powerlessness as’ she claims she ‘suffered abuse’ by her former fiancé Marilyn Manson  

Speaking in a new interview the actress, 38, said that she ‘carried so much guilt and confusion’ surrounding his treatment of her that she began to feel like she ‘deserved’ it (pictured in 2007)

She told The Times: ‘I thought I was the only human who experienced this, and I carried so much guilt and confusion about my response to the abuse. 

‘I accepted my powerlessness and felt I deserved it somehow.’

Evan recalled how Marilyn’s ‘circle operated like a cult’ making it ‘twice as hard to leave and twice as scary to speak out.’ 

She told of how her experience highlights the struggle with speaking out, likening it to the Epstein Files as the ‘evidence was not enough.’ 

‘Every survivor I know was like, yeah, welcome to the party. Now you’re seeing what we have seen,’ she added. 

Daily Mail has contacted Marilyn Manson’s representative for comment. 

In November 2024, Manson’s lawyer Howard King told TMZ: ‘After 4 years of fighting a battle where he was able to tell the truth, Brian is pleased to dismiss his still-pending claims and appeal in order to close the door on this chapter of his life.’

Evan’s legal team of Michael Kump, Shawn Holley and Katherine Kleindienst told Rolling Stone in a statement that Manson attempted to reach a settlement with her amid the time of his appeal filed in August.

Her lawyers said that the singer made an offer – which the actress declined – in which she would have had to release a joint statement and keep all terms of the deal classified, in exchange for him paying for a percentage of the suit.

She told The Times: ‘I thought I was the only human who experienced this, and I carried so much guilt and confusion about my response to the abuse’ (pictured in 2022)

Ultimately, Evan’s legal team said Manson covered all of her bills related to the litigation, and dropped his lawsuit.

Manson’s lawsuit in the first place was ‘a publicity stunt to try to undermine the credibility of his many accusers and revive his faltering career,’ a rep for Wood said in a statement to the outlet. ‘But his attempt to silence and intimidate Ms. Wood failed.

‘As the trial court correctly found, Warner’s claims were meritless. Warner’s decision to finally abandon his lawsuit and pay Ms. Wood her full fee award of almost $327,000 only confirms as much.’

Manson in March of 2022 filed the suit against the Westworld actress prior to the release of her HBO documentary Phoenix Rising: Don’t Fall.

In the two-part doc, Wood said the musician sexually assaulted and emotionally abused her during the time they were in a relationship from 2006 until 2010.

Manson subsequently faced allegations of abuse from more than 12 women, including Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco and his former personal assistant Ashley Walters after the documentary aired in March of 2022.

In January, an LA judge reopened a sexual assault case against him under a new law enabling old sexual assault cases to be heard in court.

The lawsuit, filed in May 2021 by former assistant Ashley, had been dismissed in December because it exceeded the statute of limitations, a maximum time period for initiating legal proceedings after the related events took place.

The lawsuit was accepted by the same Los Angeles Superior Court judge who had dismissed it the month before. ‘I looked at this closely,’ Judge Steve Cochran said at a hearing on Monday, according to media reports. ‘I do think the statute revives the claim.’

Walters alleges that the rocker sexually assaulted her when she worked for his Manson Records between 2010-2011.

She also claims that Manson boasted about raping women and even showed her a video in which he was abusing a minor girl.

Manson’s lawyer Howard King said the lawsuit would fail.

‘While Ms. Walters made several now-irrelevant claims about so-called workplace harassment, she has no pending claims for sexual assault as defined in the penal code, as would be required under the new law, nor is she permitted under the ruling to add new claims,’ King said in a statement .

‘The undeniable fact is that Mr. Warner never committed any sexual assault,’ he added.

One of those cases, alleging sexual assault and domestic violence, was dismissed in January 2025, again because it fell outside of the statute of limitations.

In her May 2021 lawsuit, Walters accused Manson of using his ‘position of power, celebrity and connections’ to ‘exploit and victimize’ her while being employed by him from August 2010 to October 2011.

Walters originally claimed the abuse started in 2010 at a photo shoot after he contacted her over MySpace and said he liked her photography.

The singer allegedly pinned her to a bed, bit her ear, and forced her hand down his underwear. She said she moved away from him and left the shoot feeling ‘confused and fear[ful].’

Afterward, she claimed the singer bombarded her with messages and offered her extra pay to stay. Throughout the next year, he allegedly threw dishes at her, threatened suicide and pushed her into a wall during drunken rages, Rolling Stone reported.

He reportedly took Walters to an awards show in 2010, and allegedly pushed her onto the lap of an actor and said he could ‘have her,’ according to the lawsuit.

‘The actor proceeded to kiss Walters and keep her on his lap,’ the lawsuit said.

Among other allegations, she claimed Manson forced her to stand for 12 hours and take pictures of him and made her take cocaine to stay awake; whipped her and others, telling them they could ‘take it;’ and threw hatchets when he was angry.

She also said she watched him throw a prop skull at his then-fiancee Wood so hard it left a welt, Rolling Stone reported.  

Walters said she ‘fully understood’ her abuse after entering therapy, learning that Manson’s alleged behavior caused her to ‘near-immediately repress’ the memories. 

Manson has repeatedly denied Walters’ allegations.The singer and his attorneys claimed her case is in violation of the two-year statute of limitations, as the alleged abuse occurred between 2010 and 2011.

However, Walters has argued that her case is within its timeframe as it falls within the ‘delayed discovery’ rule that allows plaintiffs, in some cases, to start their time limit after comprehending their loss and injury.