Celebrity tattoo artist and fashion mogul Kat Von D reacted to Linkin Park replacing their late frontman Chester Bennington with rocker Emily Armstrong by calling the move “a gimmick” and asking, “Is this a money grab?” before advising the group “Just change the name of the band and start a new band.”
“To be honest, I think it’s dumb,” Von D told podcast host and frontman of the punk rock band The Bronx Matt Caughthran during Thursday’s episode of The Sailor Jerry podcast.
The tattoo artist added that she knew Bennington, who died in 2017, and that having a woman replace him feels like “a gimmick” and “a money grab.”
“I knew Chester, and he was so awesome,” Von D said. “I don’t like it when bands reunite without a singer — like when The Doors came back with another singer, get out of here. It’s not Jim Morrison. Very few bands have been able to switch singers seamlessly.”
“This is a gimmick,” she added. “First of all, you’re having a girl replace a guy. That’s just strange to me.”
Von D also reacted to those who argue, “Oh, no, this is like, we’re paying homage,” saying, “Then you’re a cover band, and you’re doing karaoke.”
“At this point in time, I’m like, we have the technology to make a damn hologram. Make a hologram if you’re going to do it,” the fashion mogul asserted.
“If I was a hardcore Linkin Park fan, I would want to see the original singer. I don’t want to see some girl pretending like she’s doing a caricature of something,” she added.
“This isn’t cool. Is this a money grab?” Von D asked. “I question the sincerity of it. And if that offends Linkin Park fans, I’m sorry, but that’s just my personal take on it. I’m just like, ‘Just change the name of the band and start a new band, if you want to do that, and cover some songs.'”
Von D, however, is not alone in her assertions.
As Breitbart News reported, Linkin Park fans were furious after the band announced rocker Emily Armstrong as their new lead singer seven years after the tragic death of Bennington.
The decision to replace Bennington with Armstrong faced backlash for an array of reasons, including Armstrong’s previous support for convicted rapist Danny Masterson — especially given that Bennington himself was a victim of sexual assault.
Fans also reacted to video footage of Armstrong performing as Linkin Park’s new lead singer, expressing their dismay in the comment section, calling Linkin Park a “cover band” and demanding the group “start a new band.”
Watch Below:
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“This is a time when all those nostalgic bands are touring, like Blink-182, Green Day, Rancid, and it would’ve been cool to see Linkin Park again, but they should just let it go. Chester is irreplaceable,” a Linkin Park fan told Breitbart News last month.
“First, [Armstrong] is not the right person. Second, even if they did find someone who sounded just like him, it would feel wrong,” the fan added. “It’s like trying to hold onto your glory days when they’re gone. The iconic voice that made the band died. Now they just sound like a Linkin Park cover band.”
Watch Bennington performing with Linkin Park below:
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Bennington’s son Jaime Bennington also slammed the band’s co-founder and guitarist Mike Shinoda for replacing his father with Armstrong, declaring, “You have betrayed the trust” of your fans, and even accused Shinoda of “groom[ing]” Linkin Park’s “fan base, Chester Bennington,” and “Chester’s kids.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
