Jaime Bennington, the son of late Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington, has spoken out against the musical group’s founder Mike Shinoda placing singer Emily Armstrong in the band.

 

CHESTER BENNINGTON’s son Jaime Bennington has now taken aim at LAMB OF GOD’s Mark Morton while discussing LINKIN PARK’s previously unreleased track “Friendly Fire,” saying in a new interview with Cheap Heat Productions Podcast:

“I’m like, ‘Wait a second.’ If this was recorded in 2017 then let me look back here – and there’s Chester’s tweets from April of 2017. He said he was with Mark Morton. Who’s Mark Morton? … You find out he’s from Lamb of God and then all of a sudden you find ‘Cross-Off’ on his ‘Anesthetic’ album from 2019 and you’re like, ‘What? Hold on a second, Chester wrote that in 2017.’ It didn’t come out when he died, it came out two years after.

“Then ‘Friendly Fire’ was recorded at the same time, and that wasn’t released until 2024 in promotion of the greatest hits album for Linkin Park ‘Paper Cuts.’

“It’s like, ‘Wait a second, that’s so strange. Now I need to ask questions. Why is it that these two songs that very clearly explain Chester’s situation at the time, which very clearly states he was not in a good space, that he was not at the best that he could possibly be, that he was drowning in his sorrows, and then also being manipulated by the industry he was in at the very end of his tenure?’

“It’s interesting. Why was that released across such a wide amount of time, and why did nobody take accountability for it? Linkin Park still hasn’t, but also I’ve tagged Mark Morton in my observations of this before and he hasn’t even responded to me and I asked, ‘Where’s the accountability?’

The son of Chester – who died via suicide at the age of 41 on July 20, 2017 – said on his Instagram Stories Sunday that he was opposed to Armstrong, 38, taking his late father’s place in the ensemble, more than seven years after his tragic passing.

 

Jaime, 28, said that he found problematic Armstrong’s ties with Scientology, and past support of actor Danny Masterson, who was convicted of rape and sentenced to at least 30 years in prison.

‘People aren’t having a difficult time wrapping their heads around the prospect of Linkin Park reinventing itself,’ Jaime said Sunday, according to Page Six.

He added: ‘They’re having a hard time wrapping their head around how you: 1). hired your friend of many years @emilyarmstrong to replace [Chester].’

 

 

Jaime Bennington, 28, the son of late Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington, has spoken out against the musical group’s founder Mike Shinoda, 47, placing singer Emily Armstrong, 38, in the band

 

Shinoda and Armstrong pictured onstage in LA earlier this month

Jaime said that the musical group ‘has refused to acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily,’ who has since said that she ‘misjudged’ the Masterson situation and believed she had been ‘supporting a friend.’

Jaime said that that Shinoda, 47, mistimed the announcement of Armstrong joining the band in September, which is Suicide Prevention Month.

Jaime said Shinoda and his associates ‘quietly erased [his] father’s life and legacy in real time’ and had ‘betrayed the trust loaned to you by decades of fans and supporting human beings including myself.’

He added, ‘We trusted you to be the bigger better person … because you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re just senile and tone deaf. Insane.’

Armstrong, who once fronted the group Dead Sara, said on Instagram Stories Sunday said that she ‘shouldn’t have’ supported Masterson by attending one of his court hearings.

‘I always try to see the good in people and I misjudged him,’ she said. ‘I have never spoken with him since.

‘Unimaginable details emerged as he was later found guilty. To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes.’

The band on Thursday revealed they were reforming with Armstrong in the lead vocalist spot, with Colin Brittain replacing Rob Bourdon as drummer, saying the latter ‘decided to step away’ from the group, the AP reported.

Chester Bennington – who died via suicide at the age of 41 on July 20, 2017 – was pictured in NYC on February 21, 2017

 

Jaime said Shinoda and his associates ‘quietly erased [his] father’s life and legacy in real time’ and had ‘betrayed the trust loaned to you by decades of fans and supporting human beings including myself’

 

The group recently put out a track titled The Emptiness Machine, which is from their upcoming album Zero, set to come out November 15

 

Armstrong, who once fronted the group Dead Sara, said on Instagram Stories Sunday said that she ‘shouldn’t have’ supported Masterson by attending one of his court hearings

The group recently put out a track titled The Emptiness Machine, which is from their upcoming album Zero, set to come out November 15.

Linkin Park achieved huge commercial and critical success beginning in the early 2000s with hits such as One Step Closer, In the End and Crawling, the latter of which earned the band a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2002.

The band would go on to capture another Grammy in 2006 for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for Numb/Encore, a collaboration with Jay-Z.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text ‘988’ to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to 988lifeline.org.