In the aftermath of Linkin Park’s reunion introduced, Chester Bennington’s eldest son, Jaime, has come out in opposition of the band’s collection of Emily Armstrong as their new vocalist.

Using his Instagram account, Bennington has referred to as out the band for failing to acknowledge Armstrong’s historical past with the Church of Scientology and jailed actor Danny Masterson whereas additionally accusing the group of quietly erasing his father’s legacy.

Armstrong addressed the backlash in a press release over the weekend, “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. 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 said in response to her earlier look at Masterson’s trial. She added, “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.

Social media response after Bennington’s post has been swift, with Jaime sharing threats he’s received as a result of speaking his mind. But despite the threats, he’s sought to secure tickets to catch the band’s Los Angeles show.

What We Need to Remember

Chester Bennington was a significant part of Linkin Park. His death was something the band took years to come to terms with and the thought of continuing the group without him never took full formation in the public eye until 2024.

Mike Shinoda has stated in interviews that the initial idea was just to get the living members working together again creatively without the intent that it had to be Linkin Park. Though Armstrong was one of several musicians they had worked with prior, it wasn’t until after the pandemic that they revisited the idea and began to see the potential of her under the Linkin Park banner.

Bennington, like many of Linkin Park’s fans, have a right to be critical of the selection. His opposition has been noted and he’s voiced his desire to see the new lineup live to get a sense of closure. Seeing the band move on after the death of your father can not be easy and should be treated with some sympathy and Bennington’s reaction to the new lineup could be a way of grieving and coming to terms with the passage of time. That said, everyone reacts differently and so far Jaimie has been the lone member of the family speaking out against the reunion, while Chester’s widow Talinda appears to have granted her support.

Having a negative view of the reunion lineup and voicing that opinion should not be met with threats of physical violence. That’s something the Linkin Park fan community has not been based on over the years.

What Did Jaime Bennington Say About Linkin Park?

In recent years, Bennington has actively shared numerous conspiracies pertaining to Linkin Park and the death of his father.

Bennington’s entry point into the reunion conversation came when he addressed Mike Shinoda’s quotes given online when speaking about Emily Armstrong’s addition to the band. He screenshot Shinoda’s conversation, in which he stated,“Many people will take time to wrap their heads around us with her. If people are respectfully not there yet, I’m totally fine with that. But disrespect me, and you will lose my respect in return.”

In response to those comments, Bennington stated in a posting directed at Shinoda, “People aren’t having a tough time wrapping their head across the prospect of Linkin Park reinventing itself. They are having a tough time wrapping their head round the way you: 1) Hired your FRIEND OF MANY YEARS @emilyarmstrong to interchange @chesterbe figuring out Emily’s historical past within the church and her historical past as an ally to @dannymasterson is what it’s.”

“2) Quietly erased my father’s life and legacy in actual time not solely throughout a band interview meant to clear the air about sure components of Linkin Park’s historical past and future, however throughout International Suicide Prevention Month.”

“3) Have refused to acknowledge the impression of hiring somebody like Emily with out a lot as a clarifying assertion on the number of victims that make up YOUR CORE FAN BASE. No acknowledgement of the way in which you groom your fan base, @chesterbe, Chester’s children or household, my falling out along with your spouse @ANNASHINODA (who can’t be talked about both), @dannymasterson victims, and even Emily’s intimidation of these victims. And the checklist goes on. And on. And on. And…”

Bennington did not make it clear why he believes these alleged “victims” are a part of Linkin Park’s core fan base or what exactly they have been victims of. He also does not offer details about what he means by grooming fans nor Chester and his family. They appear to be unfounded as no evidence of such accusations has been presented.

The latter point reiterates some of the conjecture introduced by At the Drive In vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and his wife Chrissie who have both been critical of Armstrong’s ties to the Church of Scientology and jailed actor Danny Masterson.

Within the comments, Bennington stated that Shinoda had “restricted my interactions with you since you don’t love what I’ve to say. So this should do.”

He went on to add, “What you have completed isn’t one thing for folks to ACCLIMATE to. It’s not a SHOCK that persons are simply going to need to take time, course of and perceive. You have betrayed the belief loaned to you by a long time of followers and supporting human being together with myself. We trusted you to be the larger higher individual, to be the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you are simply senile and tone deaf. Insane.”

He continued, “At this level, I’d wager that every one you LP guys know is disrespect. You did not trick me!! I heard you slip on the finish of your @zanelowe interview #2. This album HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS SINCE AT LEAST 2019. Possibly 2017.”

It should be noted that Shinoda has stated in interviews that Linkin Park’s members first started getting back together with the idea to create music without the expectation that it would be Linkin Park. They invited several guests and had different singers they checked out. While Armstrong was among those who initially joined those sessions, Shinoda has stated it wasn’t until after she returned after the pandemic that he began to envision Armstrong as a co-vocalist that could fit under the Linkin Park banner.

Elsewhere within the message, he commented, “I do know your sample. I noticed what you probably did.” Bennington signed off with the message, “Disrespect us. Go forward. Disrespect me!”

What Happened After?

Upon the announcement of Armstrong’s addition, the singer posted on social media a photo of herself alongside Shinoda onstage on her Instagram. While the post was met with a number of positive responses from fellow peers in the image and even received a heart emoji from Chester Bennington’s widow Talinda, Jaime Bennington posted in the comments, “I don’t assist.”

Despite his opposition to the band’s addition of Armstrong, Bennington revealed his intent to attend the band’s Los Angeles show. He revealed in posts that he had reached out to the group’s official Instagram and had tried other channels, but that he had not been acknowledged.

Eventually he posted a message online that read, “I can be attending the 9/11 present. For now with tickets purchased by a supporter. Still ready on @linkinpark and MGMT to acknowledge me. While attending the present please don’t harass me or my associate. Respectfully we’re attending for closure. For acknowledgement.”

The Bennington Backlash

As Bennington has continued to document matters following his initial condemnation of the band’s choice for a new vocalist, he’s shared that he’s received a significant amount of hate and even threats as a result of voicing his opinion.

In his Instagram stories, he’s posted several chat discussions that have showcased some of the threats he’s received. He also tagged several members of Linkin Park in a video in which he describes the threat he’s under going to the show.

“Something critical is happening and I have to say it, I have to doc it for my security,” says Bennington. “Remember that man I posted about who stated he is gonna come discover me on the Linkin Park present and provides me a bit ‘love’ on Mike’s behalf? And I stated, ‘No you are not.’ Well any person I do know determined to face up for me which I actually respect and this man let free some extra data that could possibly be true, could possibly be false. He claims that he has dropped $4,000, that he and his buddies can come to the present and hunt me down and beat the dwelling shit out of me. He says that he is doing this on behalf of ‘Emily and associates.’ So I’ll be posting these receipts.”

What Fans Are Saying

As you might expect, Bennington’s comments have caused a bit of confusion. Fans of the band appear to be taking sides. Some have accused Bennington of spreading conspiracy theories concerning his father. Others have credited Bennington for speaking out against Linkin Park’s selection and shining a light on Armstrong’s history. There are also others who have called for a stop to the hate and threats against Bennington.

READ MORE: The Reason Linkin Park Didn’t Change Their Name for Reunion

One fan summed up likely what many feel in stating, “This complete Linkin Park controversy is as soon as once more making me want that I didn’t know a lot about sure folks, whether or not it is Emily Armstrong or Jaime Bennington. This complete factor seems like a fever dream.” See some of the online commentary below.