‘He thought he could pull a Johnny Depp’: Marilyn Manson tried taking a page from Hollywood pal’s playbook, only to forget one game-changing detail

His on-off relationship with actress, model, and musician Evan Rachel Wood between 2007 and 2010 resulted in an engagement. However, in February 2021, it came to light that Manson had been abusive to her, as well.

The Westworld star took to social media to accuse Manson of “horrific” abuse, as well as alleging he had started grooming her back when she was a teenager. Wood’s bravery in speaking out prompted other women to report similar allegations.

However, Manson fervently denied the allegations, calling them “horrible distortions of reality,” and, in turn, filed a lawsuit against Wood in response in March 2022. The singer cited defamation and emotional distress as his justification for that action.

The case echoed that of John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard, when actor Johnny Depp — a friend of Manson’s — as plaintiff, filed a defamation complaint against the defendant and his ex-wife Amber Heard, claiming $50 million in damages after Heard accused him of abuse, of which he was controversially cleared. In that instance, the jury unanimously found that Heard defamed Depp and awarded him $5 million in punitive damages and $10 million in compensatory damages.

However, unlike Depp, Manson’s attempts to legally clear his name failed spectacularly. According to Deadline, the singer has dropped his long-running lawsuit against Wood and has agreed to pay her somewhere in the region of $327,000 in attorneys’ fees.

A statement by a representative of Wood, obtained by Rolling Stone, said, “Marilyn Manson – whose real name is Brian Warner – filed a lawsuit against Ms Wood as a publicity stunt to try to undermine the credibility of his many accs and revive his faltering career. But his attempt to silence and intimidate Ms Wood failed.” The statement continued, “As the trial court correctly found, Warner’s claims were meritless. Warner’s decision to finally abandon his lawsuit and pay Ms Wood her full fee award of almost $327,000 only confirms as much.”

That failure could be because Manson forgot an important detail when he filed his lawsuit — he didn’t receive anything like the on TikTok, social media, or in public that many people believe ultimately helped Depp win his defamation case against Heard.

That lack of has since been emphatically reflected in the online response to the news of Manson’s defamation lawsuit failing. s of X have almost unanimously posted their pleasure at the outcome, expressing disdain for him and how pleased they are for Wood and women everywhere. Some examples can be found below.

In a world in which women feel it’s increasingly difficult to speak out due to the sad victim-blaming culture that’s developed in recent times, it’s refreshing not only to see a high-profile victim come out on top but also that she has near-unanimous of people on social media.

We hope Evan Rachel Wood can now move on positively with her life and wish her all the best in the future.