Billy Corgan Defends Marilyn Manson Friendship: 'I Didn't Feel He Was Guilty'

Billy Corgan has publicly stood by Marilyn Manson despite years of sexual abuse and domestic violence allegations, telling the New York Times' "Popcast" podcast that he "personally didn't feel that he was guilty."

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman said he makes such judgments case by case. "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," Corgan said. "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."

What does Corgan's loyalty rest on?

His reasoning combines personal knowledge, religion and family ties. Corgan said he knew "the inside baseball of the case" and "certain people who were involved, and so you make those evaluations." He also disclosed 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 said.

He was explicit about the limits of his own judgment: "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."

What happened in the allegations?

The record Corgan is responding to is substantial:

• In 2021, actress Evan Rachel Wood alleged Manson "horrifically abused" her during their relationship, in a statement to Vanity Fair. Three other women accused Manson of abuse in the same story.
• Manson was dropped by his record label, manager and CAA after the allegations surfaced.
• In 2022, Manson sued Wood for defamation. He dropped the suit in 2024 and was ordered to pay her legal fees.
• "Game of Thrones" actress Esmé Blanco filed a federal lawsuit accusing Manson of rape and other acts of sexual violence. She was one of more than a dozen women making allegations against him.
• In 2025, the Los Angeles County District Attorney ruled Manson would not be prosecuted over allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence.
• In 2018, the LA District Attorney's office had already declined to prosecute sexual assault cases against Manson because the statute of limitations had expired.

What does this change for Manson's standing?

Legally, the 2025 DA decision closed the criminal path; Corgan's comments do not alter that. What they do is reassert a high-profile defense at a moment when the civil record — a withdrawn defamation suit, attorney fees owed to Wood, multiple pending accounts — remains unresolved. Corgan's stance leans on prosecutorial inaction rather than exoneration, and that distinction is the one readers should keep in view.