Marilyn Manson has sparked outrage after announcing he is heading back to Australia for the first time in 12 years.
The controversial artist, whose real name is Brian Warner, announced on Wednesday that he will bring his headline tour Down Under in February 2027, and is scheduled to perform in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney.
There has since been a wave of online backlash, with critics pointing to his long-running s*xual assault lawsuit in the United States.
Manson is currently embroiled in a civil lawsuit brought by his former personal assistant Ashley Walters, who has accused him of s*xual assault, physical and emotional abuse.
The case was revived earlier this year after a judge reversed a previous dismissal, allowing Walters to pursue her claims under a new California law that reopened the window for certain older sexual assault cases.
In August, a Los Angeles judge set a jury trial date for November 15, 2027, meaning the legal battle could continue well beyond Manson’s planned Australian tour.
The allegations against Manson have not been proven in court, and he has denied wrongdoing.
His Australian announcement has reignited debate over whether the musician should be welcomed back to local stages.
Among those speaking out against the tour is Australian journalist and victim advocate Sherele Moody, who delivered a scathing response to the announcement.
“Somehow, this man is allowed into Australia,” Moody wrote, criticising the venues and ticketing companies involved in the tour and went on to say that Manson “should be banned from touring in Australia.”
Her post was met with an outpouring of support, with one user admitting they had been a huge Manson fan as a teenager but could no longer support his work given the allegations against him.
“I was a huge fan of Manson when I was much younger (16-18) but no way should people support his work,” they wrote.
Manson is no stranger to controversy, with multiple women making allegations of abuse against him in recent years.
In February 2021, his former fiancée, actress Evan Rachel Wood, publicly identified him as her alleged abuser, prompting a wave of further allegations from other women.
Marilyn Manson vehemently denied the allegations and later sued Wood for defamation, accusing her of conspiring to damage his reputation.
About The Author
