Chester Bennington's son is angry at Mike Shinoda and nu Linkin Park

Jaime Bennington—the son of late Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, who died by suicide in 2017—is not happy about the band’s controversial reunion. In a series of Instagram Stories, Bennington accused the band’s founder, Mike Shinoda, of restricting Bennington’s ability to interact with him online because “you don’t like what I have to say.” He then went on to denounce the new lineup, primarily for adding Dead Sara singer Emily Armstrong, who has past connections to the Church Of Scientology and attended an early trial hearing in support of actor and convicted rapist Danny Masterson. (Armstrong recently apologized for attending the hearing, writing that she “always [tries] to see the good in people and I misjudged him.”)

In his post, Bennington criticized Shinoda for hiring Armstrong “knowing [her] history in the church,” and for “quietly eras[ing] my father’s life and legacy in real time… during International Suicide Prevention Month.” He also called out Shinoda for failing to make a statement on the whole controversy, apart from a Discord message following the announcement that read, “Many people will take time to wrap their heads around us with her. If people are respectfully not there yet, I’m totally fine with that. But disrespect me, and you will lose my respect in return.” In his response, Bennington wrote, “We trusted you to be the bigger better person… Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re just senile and tone deaf. Insane.”

Other members of the metal community—namely Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and his wife, Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, one of several women to accuse Masterson of sexual assault—have also expressed their profound disappointment that Shinoda would align himself and Linkin Park’s legacy with someone like Armstrong. Other people close to the band, however, have expressed their support for the group’s reunion. In her own Instagram story, Chester’s widow, Talinda Bennington, posted a photo of Shinoda and Armstrong with a heart emoji. Lead guitarist Brad Delson, who will take a more “behind-the-scenes” role instead of playing with the band for their upcoming tour, also expressed gratitude for Armstrong and new drummer Colin Brittain’s “talent, passion, and partnership,” throughout the transition in his own statement.