In 2024, Linkin Park emerged from a seven-year hiatus, following the death of their longtime vocalist Chester Bennington, with a new direction and a new co-frontwoman, Emily Armstrong. The joy was short-lived, however, as there was soon backlash around Armstrong’s inclusion, which she now says she was “a little bit naive about.”
Armstrong joined Linkin Park from The Dead Sara, an L.A.-based rock band she helped to form in the early 2000s. It was her past ties with the Church of Scientology, however, that led to the biggest controversy, as some noted that she’d previously expressed support for Danny Masterson, who was convicted on multiple rape charges and sentenced to prison after multiple women accused him of assault and claimed that church leadership attempted to cover it up.
Notably, Bennington’s family even joined in the mob of torchbearers speaking out against Armstrong joining Linkin Park, with both his mother, Susan Eubanks, and son, Jaime Bennington, criticizing the decision.
Now, in an interview with The Guardian, Armstrong weighed in on the backlash, saying, “I was a little bit naive about it, to be honest.” She then added, “But I’m old enough to know the difference between real life and the internet.”
Linkin Park founding co-vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mike Shinoda chimed in and offered his take, surmising that some fans maybe did not like the idea of a woman in the band because they were “used to Linkin Park being six guys and the voice of a guy leading this song.”
“There were people who lashed out at Emily, and it was really because she wasn’t a guy,” Shinoda continued. “They were just so uncomfortable with what it was that they chose a ton of things to complain about. They’re pointing in 10 different directions, saying: ‘This is why I’m mad, this is why the band sucks.’”
Linkin Park is currently in the middle of a big 2025 world tour, which picks back up at the end of July. Find ticket links below:
7/29 Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY (+ PVRIS)
8/1 TD Garden Boston, MA (+ PVRIS)
8/3 Prudential Center Newark, NJ (+ PVRIS)
8/6 Bell Centre Montreal, QC (+ PVRIS)
8/8 Scotiabank Arena Toronto, ON (+ PVRIS)
8/11 United Center Chicago, IL (+ PVRIS)
8/14 Little Caesars Arena Detroit, MI (+ PVRIS)
8/16 Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA (+ Jean Dawson)
8/19 PPG Paints Arena Pittsburgh, PA (+ Jean Dawson)
8/21 Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN (+ Jean Dawson)
8/23 Enterprise Center St. Louis, MO (+ Jean Dawson)
8/25 Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, WI (+ Jean Dawson)
8/27 Target Center Minneapolis, MN (+ Jean Dawson)
8/29 CHI Health Center Omaha, NE (+ Jean Dawson)
8/31 T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO (+ Jean Dawson)
9/3 Ball Arena Denver, CO (+ Jean Dawson)
9/6 Footprint Center Phoenix, AZ (+ Jean Dawson)
9/13 Intuit Dome Los Angeles, CA (+ Queens Of The Stone Age & JPEGMAFIA)
9/15 SAP Center San Jose, CA (+ JPEGMAFIA)
9/17 Golden 1 Center Sacramento, CA (+ JPEGMAFIA)
9/19 Moda Center Portland, OR (+ JPEGMAFIA)
9/21 Rogers Arena Vancouver, BC (+ JPEGMAFIA)
9/24 Climate Pledge Arena Seattle, WA (+ JPEGMAFIA)
10/26 Venue TBA Bogota, CO
10/29 Venue TBA Lima, PE
11/1 Venue TBA Buenos Aires, AR
11/5 Venue TBA Santiago, CL
11/8 Venue TBA Rio de Janeiro, BR
11/10 Venue TBA São Paulo, BR
11/13 Venue TBA Brasilia, BR
11/15 Venue TBA Porto Alegre, BR
The post Linkin Park’s New Vocalist Emily Armstrong Says She Was a ‘Little Bit Naive’ About Backlash to Her Joining the Band appeared first on VICE.
