Marilyn Manson performs at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago in 2018. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
The shock rocker has renounced Christianity in the past and is facing lawsuits alleging sexual assault and abuse.
One of the celebrity guests at Ye’s Sunday Service sparked controversy over the Halloween weekend: Marilyn Manson, who is currently facing several lawsuits alleging sexual, emotional and physical abuse.
The hourlong service kicked off with the choir singing Ye’s “No Child Left Behind” off his “Donda” album as members dressed in all white stood in a circle with Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), Justin Bieber, Roddy Rich and Manson in the middle.
Midway through Sunday Service, Ye and Manson flanked Bieber as he led a prayer.
“Thank you for your forgiveness, thank you for your Holy Spirit that dwells in us, thank you for your majesty,” Bieber said as Ye and Manson bowed their heads. “God thank you for your people … wrap us with your love, show us who you are … thank you Jesus.”
He continued: “We cast out any demonic activity that would try to steal our peace today, or steal our joy.”
Manson holds an honorary priesthood in San Francisco’s First Church of Satan. While his actual role in the Church of Satan has been disputed over a number of years, it’s undeniable that Manson’s career has had a strong anti-Christian lean. Once, while speaking at the MTV VMAs, he referred to Christianity as “oppressive” and “fascism.”
This isn’t Manson’s first time accompanying Ye during one of his events. He made a surprise appearance at Ye’s controversial “Donda” listening party at Soldier Field in August which also included DaBaby, who has faced backlash for spewing homophobic comments, on a song that originally featured Jay-Z. Manson is also given a songwriting credit for Ye’s song “Jail pt 2.”
Manson’s presence at Ye’s Sunday Service comes amid allegations of sexual assault and abuse levied against the artist.
In June, Ashley Morgan Smithline became the fourth person to file a lawsuit against Manson. Smithline is among more than a dozen women who have alleged abuse committed by Manson. Three others, including “Game of Thrones” actress Esme Bianco, Manson’s former personal assistant Ashley Walters and a woman who has chosen to remain anonymous, have brought lawsuits against the shock rocker.
And in February, “Westworld” actress and Manson’s ex-fiancee Evan Rachel Wood claimed the musician “horrifically abused me for years.”
Sunday Service is a weekly worship event that started in January 2019. It brings together a group of attendees — with celebs including Paris Jackson, Courtney Love, Rick Rubin, Kid Cudi, Busy Philipps and Diplo in the audience — to watch Ye lead a choir and perform new compositions of his old and new hits. Ye sings, often standing in front of a keyboard, as the guest vocalists provide backup in gospel rearrangements of his songs.
Read more at usatoday.com
