Linkin Park’s new singer addresses Danny Masterson’s backlash

Armstrong attended one of Masterson’s preliminary hearings in 2020, Deadline reported.

Armstrong has now addressed the claims in a post he shared on Instagram Stories.

Without naming Masterson directly, she wrote: “Hi, I’m Emily. I’m new to a lot of you and wanted to vent about something that happened a while ago.”

“A few years ago I was asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance and I attended an early hearing as an observer,” she continued.

“Shortly after that I realized I shouldn’t have. I always try to see the good in people and I misjudged him. I’ve never spoken to him since,” she continued. “Unimaginable details emerged and he was later found guilty.”

She added: “Let me be as clear as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women and I empathize with the victims of these crimes.”

Masterson, best known for his role on the sitcom “That 70’s Show,” was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in 2023 after being found guilty of two counts of rape.

The incidents happened between 2001 and 2003, when he was at the height of his fame.

Prosecutors said Masterson used his position in the Church of Scientology to try to silence the allegations.

Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and his wife Chrissie Carnell Bixler, who is one of several women who have accused Masterson of sexual assault, were among those who called out Armstrong.

Bixler-Zavala posted on Instagram Stories a comment she previously left on the Instagram page for Dead Sara, Armstrong’s longtime band.

“Do your fans know about your friend Danny Masterson? Your rapist friend,” the comment reads.

Bixler-Zavala and Carnell Bixler are also former Scientologists, according to Rolling Stone.

Armstrong isn’t the only celebrity to face backlash over the Masterson case.

Masterson’s former co-stars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have faced a barrage of criticism after it emerged they sent letters of support to the judge in Masterson’s trial to try to get him a lighter sentence following his conviction its.

Kutcher and Kunis later apologized for their letters in a video posted to Instagram.

Kutcher said the letters “were intended for the judge to read and not undermine the victims’ testimony or re-traumatize them in any way.”