Billy Corgan remains steadfast in his relationship with close friend and longtime colleague Marilyn Manson, despite a series of sexual misconduct and domestic violence lawsuits that have been filed against Manson throughout the years. When asked about the friendship on a recent episode of the New York Times’ “Popcast” podcast, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman responded that he “personally didn’t feel that he was guilty” and that he doesn’t appreciate the world telling him “who I should associate with.”
“As a Christian person, you have to stand by your friends, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have an opinion, and that doesn’t mean you’re not critical,” said Corgan. “I personally didn’t feel that he was guilty of the things he was being charged with, and ultimately, the fact that the DA didn’t pursue… the person that I knew and the way it all kind of went down, even though it was an elongated process, was commensurate with the person that I knew.”
He continued: “I don’t want the world to tell me who my friends are and who I should associate with. That’s politically or socially. In Brian’s case, we have a relationship that goes back close to 30 years.” Corgan noted that Manson’s wife, Lindsay Usich, is the twin sister of Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha’s wife. “So Manson’s basically a part of our family,” he added.
“Anybody in that situation struggles with the accusations, the seriousness of the accusations. But again, I also knew the inside baseball of the case. I knew certain people who were involved, and so you make those evaluations. If he’s guilty, or anybody in that situation is guilty, they should go to jail. I’m not saying I have any moral supremacy here. I’m saying it’s a case-by-case basis. This kind of witch mob thing bothers me.”
In 2021, actress Evan Rachel Wood alleged that Manson “horrifically abused” her while in a relationship. She gave a statement to Vanity Fair, and a story in the magazine also featured statements from three other women who accused Manson of abuse. Manson was subsequently dropped from his record label, manager and CAA. In 2022, Manson sued Wood for defamation, though in 2024 he dropped the lawsuit and was ordered to pay her legal fees.
“Game of Thrones” actress Esmé Blanco also accused Manson of sexual abuse and filed a federal lawsuit accusing him of rape and other acts of sexual violence. At the time, she was one of more than a dozen other women who also made allegations against Manson.
In 2025, the Los Angeles County District Attorney ruled that Manson would not be prosecuted over allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence. Years prior, in 2018, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute sexual assault cases leveled against Manson because of the expired statute of limitations.