Evan Rachel Wood and Marilyn Manson’s Relationship Timeline

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Evan Rachel Wood and Marilyn Manson's Relationship Timeline

Evan Rachel Wood and Marilyn Manson caught the public's attention early on in their relationship — and haven't stopped making headlines in the years since they split. The duo went public with their romance in January 2007, when Wood was 19 and Manson was 36. The "Wrapped in Plastic" rocker was previously married to Dita Von Teese from November 2005 until they finalized their divorce in December 2007. Reflecting on her relationship with Manson in August 2015, Wood recalled facing intense scrutiny from the public surrounding his divorce. "People were cruel," the Westworld star told Net-a-Porter's The Edit. "You build immunity to that sort of thing, but I wasn't used to negative feedback, so it got to me. Then I got angry, and pushed away even more." Despite their ups and downs, Wood said at the time that she "wouldn't trade any of" her relationship with Manson, who proposed to her in Paris in January 2010. The former couple broke off their engagement less than one year later. "I appreciate everything he taught me. I just don't think we were right for each other," she told the outlet. Six years after her split from the "Dope Hat" artist, Wood revealed that she had been sexually assaulted twice — but did not identify her abusers. In an October 2017 YouTube video, as the #MeToo movement continued to gain traction, she defended her decision to keep the assaulters anonymous. [jwplayer p8OXS9uN-l3ahXupL] "People are wondering why more women didn’t come forward sooner, and why, in a lot of these cases, one woman will come out or multiple women will come out and then the floodgates will open," she explained at the time. "They do not feel safe enough to do so, period. And I am guilty of this as well because I have not named my abusers. ... To start that process is an emotionally draining, financially draining, really everything draining thing to do and to go through, and I want to do [it] when I’m ready." Two years later, Wood made headlines once more when she detailed her experience in a past abusive relationship. "I was emaciated, severely depressed, and could barely stand. ... 2 years into my abusive relationship I resorted to self harm," she wrote in a series of emotional Instagram posts in March 2019. "When my abuser would threaten or attack me, I cut my wrist as a way to disarm him. It only made the abuse stop temporarily. At that point, I was desperate to stop the relentless abuse and I was too terrified to leave." In February 2021, the True Blood alum accused Manson of grooming and abusing her throughout their relationship. Her claims caused four more women to come forward with allegations of their own against the Ohio native. "The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson," she wrote via Instagram. "He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission. ... I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent." Scroll down to relive Wood and Manson's rocky relationship timeline.

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2006

The duo met at a party at Los Angeles' famed Chateau Marmont in 2006 before making their relationship public the following year. 

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May 2007

Wood starred in Manson's racy music video for his 2007 single "Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)," which faced plenty of backlash at the time for its NSFW imagery. "At the end of the video, we're kissing and it's raining blood — and for me, that was one of the most romantic moments of my entire life," Wood told GQ months after the video's premiere. 

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December 2007

Manson previously married Von Teese in November 2005 but she filed for divorce one year later, citing "irreconcilable differences." In December 2007, their divorce was finalized. 

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January 2010

After dating on and off for three years, the "No Reflection" artist proposed to Wood onstage in Paris. 

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August 2010

The former pair ended their engagement after just eight months. Wood went on to marry Jamie Bell in October 2012. They called it quits less than a year after welcoming their son in July 2013. Manson, for his part, quietly got married to photographer Lindsay Usich in 2020. 

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August 2015

"I thought I was in love," the Strange Magic actress said of her relationship with Manson while speaking with Net-a-Porter's The Edit five years after her split. "I wasn't doing it to prove a point or be rebellious. I wanted to break a mold for sure — I knew I was edgier, more alternative, and weird. And [Marilyn] was just what I needed, because I felt really free with him. And that freedom was attractive. ... I wouldn't trade any of [our relationship]. I appreciate everything he taught me. I just don't think we were right for each other." 

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November 2016

During an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the Emmy nominee spoke candidly about her controversial romance with Manson, who's nearly 20 years her senior. "I met somebody that promised freedom and expression and no judgments," she recalled. "And I was craving danger and excitement. "I looked at my mother one day and said, 'Mom, I'm gonna get on this tour bus for eight months and see the world and have a crazy journey and find myself, and if people aren't OK with that, I'm sorry, but I can't live my life for other people.'" 

Wood reflected on being "demonized" in the public eye while she was dating the Grammy-nominated artist. "Most teenagers are searching for identity, and I was thrown into a situation where I was supposed to have that already figured out," she told the outlet. "Then you're demonized for figuring it out and getting messy. People would call me a whore when I walked down the street, and you can't not be hurt by that." 

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March 2019

In a series of vulnerable Instagram posts, Wood opened up about being "weakened by an abusive relationship" and the extreme emotional tolls of her experience, adding #IAmNotOK. "2 years into my abusive relationship I resorted to self harm," she wrote alongside a graphic photo of scratch marks on her arm. "When my abuser would threaten or attack me, I cut my wrist as a way to disarm him. It only made the abuse stop temporarily. At that point, I was desperate to stop the relentless abuse and I was too terrified to leave." 

Wood previously discussed her two sexual assaults in November 2016 but did not reveal the identity of her abusers at the time. 

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November 2020

Manson ended an interview with Metal Hammer in September 2020 after being asked to respond to Wood's past claims about her experience in abusive relationships. Two months later, the Lost Highway actor's team vehemently denied the allegations, noting in a statement at the time that "Manson has never shied away from public comment – equally he does not have to make 'the same comment twice.'" 

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February 2021

After years of speaking out about her experiences with abuse, Wood came forward with more detailed accusations against Manson via Instagram in February 2021. "The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson," she wrote at the time, adding that she was "done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail" as a result of coming forward with her story. "He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission. ... I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent." 

After her claims made headlines, four more women made similar accusations against Manson. 

If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.

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January 2022

Wood continued to outline the abuse she allegedly faced while with Manson in her 2022 Sundance documentary Phoenix Rising – Part I: Don't Fall and claimed that she was "essentially raped" by the singer while filming the music video for "Heart-Shaped Glasses" in 2007.

"It was a really traumatizing experience filming the video," she said. "I didn't know how to advocate for myself or know how to say no because I had been conditioned and trained to never talk back, to just soldier through. I felt disgusting and like I had done something shameful. And I could tell that the crew was very uncomfortable, and nobody knew what to do. I was coerced into a commercial sex act under false pretenses."

Manson's attorney Howard King later denied Wood's allegations in a statement to Us Weekly. “Of all the false claims that Evan Rachel Wood has made about Brian Warner, her imaginative retelling of the making of the 'Heart-Shaped Glasses' music video 15 years ago is the most brazen and easiest to disprove, because there were multiple witnesses," the lawyer said. “Evan was not only fully coherent and engaged during the three-day shoot but also heavily involved in weeks of pre-production planning and days of post-production editing of the final cut. The simulated sex scene took several hours to shoot with multiple takes using different angles and several long breaks in between camera setups. Brian did not have sex with Evan on that set, and she knows that is the truth."

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March 2022

During an appearance on The View, Wood claimed that Manson was "grooming" her since the day they met. "He approached me under the guise of work, false promises, and that is part of the grooming process," she alleged. "He was grooming me from the second he said hello."

Earlier in the month, the musician filed a lawsuit against Wood for defamation, emotional distress and "impersonation over the internet." The actress responded to the suit in her View appearance, claiming that she isn't "scared" about the outcome of her ex's legal action. “I am very confident that I have the truth on my side and that the truth will come out,” she said. “This is clearly timed before the documentary. ... I’m not doing this to clear my name. I’m doing this to protect people. I’m doing this to sound the alarm that there is a dangerous person out there and I don’t want anybody getting near him. So, people can think whatever they want about me. I have to let the legal process run its course, and I’m steady as a rock.”

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February 2023

After Ashley Morgan Smithline retracted her allegations against Manson, Wood denied Smith's claim that the actress "manipulated" her into accusing their mutual ex of rape. “I never pressured or manipulated Ashley Morgan Smithline to make any accusations against [Manson], and I certainly never pressured or manipulated her to make accusations that were not true,” Wood said in a declaration filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court on February 27. The True Blood alum added that the only time she met Smithline in person was in October 2020 while filming her documentary, Phoenix Rising.

Manson's attorney responded to the filing in a statement to Page Six, saying: “It is unsurprising that Evan Rachel Wood is desperately fighting to keep Ashley Smithline’s testimony out of court — because she knows the truth will expose her plot to manipulate the women who trusted her in order to destroy Brian Warner. Brian Warner never abused anyone. Ashley Smithline has told the truth. It’s sadly predictable that Evan Rachel Wood — someone who has already filed a forged FBI letter under oath in other court proceedings — remains committed to not doing the same."