Billy Corgan defends Marilyn Manson: 'I didn't think he was guilty'

Billy Corgan considers Marilyn Manson to be "a part of our family".

During an interview for The New York Times' Popcast podcast on Thursday, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman was asked about his three-decade-long friendship with the rock musician.

In response, Corgan explained that as a "Christian person", he felt compelled to "stand by" the controversial artist, real name Brian Warner, when he was accused of misconduct and abuse by multiple women.

"But that doesn't mean you don't have an opinion, and that doesn't mean you're not critical. In his case, and I'm not here to adjudicate it, but the DA (District Attorney) looked at the case for five years," he began. "In some cases, I knew personal things behind the scenes that are not in the public sphere. 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 it."

Previously, Warner reached out-of-court settlements with several of his accusers, including actress Esmé Bianco, and dropped a long-running defamation lawsuit against former partner Evan Rachel Wood in November 2024.

Officers at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigated several abuse claims made against the 57-year-old, but in January 2025, they announced that no charges would be filed due to lack of evidence and a legal technicality.

The Beautiful People singer has always maintained his innocence, claiming that all of his sexual relationships have been consensual.

Accordingly, Corgan emphasised that he felt he made the "right determination" at the time.

"So, I think anybody in that situation struggles with... the seriousness of the accusations, but again, I also knew the inside baseball of the case. I knew certain people who are involved, and so you make those evaluations," the 59-year-old continued. "At the end of the day, I feel I made the right determination, but if things had come out... Like, people would ask me privately, 'Well, what happens if...' and I'd say, 'If he's guilty, or anybody in that situation is guilty, they should go to jail.'"

In addition, Corgan noted that Warner and Smashing Pumpkins guitarist, James Iha, are brothers-in-law.

"The other thing that people should know, and it may get lost in the gloss here, is Manson's wife Lindsay (Usich) is a twin," he added. "And her twin is Ashley (Usich), and Ashley's married to James Iha of the Pumpkins. So, Manson's basically a part of our family - there's a deeper set of relationships there."

Representatives for Warner have not yet responded to Corgan's comments.