Billy Corgan has explained why he has stood by his longtime friend Marilyn Manson despite the sexual misconduct and domestic violence allegations made against the shock rocker over the years. Speaking on the New York Times’ Popcast podcast, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman said he “personally didn’t feel that he was guilty” — and that he refuses to let the public dictate his friendships.
Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, has always denied the allegations. Corgan’s comments have reignited debate about loyalty, accountability and where the line falls between the two.
What Billy Corgan Said About Marilyn Manson on Popcast
Asked why he remained friends with Manson despite the allegations, Corgan framed it as a matter of faith and personal judgment. “I think that ultimately, as a Christian person… you have to stand by your friends,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t have an opinion, and that doesn’t mean you’re not critical.”
Corgan said he knew “personal things behind the scenes that are not in the public sphere” and that this private knowledge shaped his view. “I personally didn’t feel that he was guilty of the things he was being charged with,” he said, adding that the fact prosecutors did not pursue charges was “commensurate with the person that I knew.”
He was careful to add his own limits, though: “I wasn’t there” and “I can’t be there for everything.” His bottom line was about autonomy: “I don’t want the world to tell me who my friends are and who I should associate with.”
The Allegations and the DA’s Decision
The allegations against Manson surfaced widely in 2021, when his former fiancée Evan Rachel Wood publicly identified him as her abuser. More than a dozen women subsequently made allegations against him, which he has denied. Several civil cases followed, with some resolved or withdrawn and other litigation still ongoing.
In January 2025, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office announced that no criminal charges would be filed against Manson after a four-year investigation, citing statute-of-limitations issues and insufficient evidence to prove charges beyond a reasonable doubt. That decision was not a judicial ruling on the truth of the allegations.
Corgan and Manson go back close to 30 years — they toured together in 2015 on the co-headlining End Times Tour, and Corgan was spotted at Manson’s birthday gathering last year. For Corgan, that history, not the headlines, is what his friendship rests on. For his critics, the question remains whether private loyalty should ever outweigh public allegations.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
