What you should know about the controversy

Getting the band back together is no easy task – Linkin Park knows that.

Seven years after the death of frontman Chester Bennington, the band announced on September 5 that it was starting over. Changes included singer Emily Armstrong sharing co-vocal duties with Mike Shinoda. The new band performed a live concert that day. An album and tour – beginning September 11 in Inglewood, California – were also announced.

Although mixed reactions were to be expected – it's no easy task to replace a beloved lead singer whose suicide rocked the band's fan base and led to their hiatus – one thing after another has happened since the announcement. Most notably, Armstrong was criticized for her support of Danny Masterson during the actor's rape trial, which she was forced to speak out about, and Bennington's son criticized the band for replacing his father with Armstrong.

What's new?

Shortly after the band's reshuffle was announced – which also included news that a new drummer, Colin Brittain, would replace Rob Bourdon – Armstrong's support for convicted rapist Masterson was almost immediately echoed by Mars Volta's Cedric Bixler-Zavala, whose wife Chrissie Carnell-Bixler was one of the women who accused Masterson of sexual assault.

Armstrong took to Instagram on September 6 to “clear the air.”

“A few years ago, I was asked to assist someone I considered a friend in court and attended one of the first hearings as an observer,” she wrote in part. “Soon afterward, I realized I shouldn't have done that. I always try to see the good in people and I misjudged him. I have never spoken to him since. Unimaginable details came to light and he was later found guilty.”

Armstrong did not address Bixler-Zavala's claims that she was affiliated with Scientology. Masterson's victims alleged the controversial organization covered up the actor's crimes, which the church denied.

On September 9, Jaime Bennington, one of Chester's six children, accused Linkin Park – and in particular the “senile and insensitive” Shinoda – of “not thoroughly vetting” Armstrong.

“You hired your longtime friend Emily Armstrong to replace Chester… despite knowing Emily's past in the church and her past as an ally of Danny Masterson,” Jaime wrote on Instagram.

Jaime accused Shinoda of ignoring the impact of Armstrong's hiring on Linkin Park fans who have experienced sexual violence. Chester was sexually abused as a child, which he said affected his mental health.

“You delete quietly[d] “They are portraying my father's life and legacy in real time… during International Suicide Prevention Month, and they refuse to acknowledge the impact that the hiring of someone like Emily has without even making a clarifying statement about the diversity of victims that make up their core fan base,” he wrote.

In another message, Jaime claimed that Shinoda had “betrayed the trust that decades of fans and supporters, including myself, have placed in you. We trusted that you were the bigger, better person. That you were the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you are just senile and insensitive.”

Jaime seems to be the family's only voice – so far. On Instagram, he said he's been criticized by other family members, including his mother, Elka Brand, for voicing his opinion. Linkin Park remains a business for the family, as they inherited Chester's music licenses, which took some time to sort out.

Although Jaime had said he would go to the September 11 show to have some sort of “closure” with the band, his messages to management and Shinoda were ignored, he claimed.

Shinoda has not yet made a public statement, but behind the scenes things seem to be chaotic. On the day of the reunion announcement, the band also announced that Bourdon had left the group. Shinoda told Billboard that his bandmate had expressed that he wanted to distance himself from Linkin Park and later “didn't show up” for planned things, such as the Hybrid theory Re-release in 2020 and Paper cuts Release in April.

Bourdon is not the only band member who will be missing from the stage. During the live performance, fans noticed that lead guitarist Brad Delson had been replaced by Alex Feder. Delson has since issued a statement explaining that he will not be touring with the group. He will continue to make music with the band, but Feder will replace him for the tour.

For those keeping track: The remaining original members of the band are Shinoda, bassist Dave Farrell and DJ Joe Hahn, who are still on tour.

What did the band say?

In an interview with Chicago radio station Q101 on Sept. 6, Shinoda said the reformation was organic and not something they had hoped for. After taking a break to mourn Chester, they decided to get back together, record music and see what happened. In 2019, Armstrong came into the studio and recorded some stuff, and it all evolved from there. It wasn't until last year that they asked her to join the band.

“The idea of ​​auditioning people or [saying]'Hey, let's get the band back together' wasn't the beginning,” Shinoda said. “That's so clumsy and [an] unattractive approach.”

He discussed why they decided to use the name Linkin Park rather than start a new band.

“In the middle of the process, we were open to things like, maybe the lineup is kind of a fluid lineup. Maybe there are multiple singers. Maybe it's a different name. Things like that,” he explained. “Then when the music came into focus, we thought, 'This is the most Linkin Park-y album we can make. It's so Linkin Park that we'd be idiots to call it anything else.' Because that would be a misrepresentation. It would be silly. And when people hear more of the album, they'll understand that.”

Shinoda also said he hates headlines suggesting Armstrong is following in Chester's footsteps.

“I understand that she fills a gap in the visual lineup of the band,” he said. “But I also think Chester is unique. He's just Chester. And Emily is unique too. She's just Emily. When I hear her sing, she doesn't sound like him to me. She sounds like her – and I like that.”

Armstrong, for her part, told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 that she would “love to make Chester proud by singing his songs.”

The eighth studio album by Linkin Park, From zerowhich is due out on November 15, is intended to be a nod to their roots, when the band was still called Xero. It will be “energetic” and have “a lot of guitars,” Shinoda told Q101.

What happens next?

Despite the controversy, the band is moving forward with its six tour dates this fall, which begin Wednesday in Los Angeles.

While the Los Angeles and New York shows reportedly sold out quickly, tickets for both shows are still available through Ticketmaster as of press time. Tickets for the international shows – in London, Hamburg, Seoul and Bogota – go on sale September 13. The band will tour more extensively in 2025 following the release of the new album.

The group released their new single “The Emptiness Machine” from their upcoming album on September 5, and it debuted at number 24 on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.

The reunion has also boosted sales and streams of all of Linkin Park's music. Billboard reported that the day after the big announcement, on-demand streams of the band's entire catalog officially reached 11.8 million plays in the U.S. That was a 71% increase from the day before. Interest continued over the weekend.

The new single itself was also successful. Of the 11.8 million streams, 2.8 million were for “The Emptiness Machine”. This was followed by the band's song “Numb” – their second studio album. Meteorawhich came out in 2003, was the most streamed song.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call 911, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-8255, or text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.