Chester Beninngton’s son Jaime Bennington has once again raised some questions about Mike Shinoda and the band’s legacy.
In a series of Instagram stories, Jaime claimed that Shinoda has been lying about the entirety of Linkin Park’s formation and creation.
Jaime didn’t hold back, calling Shinoda a ‘clown’ and accusing him of exploiting the band’s fanbase and history for personal gain. “We’re gonna clown on Mike because the guy’s a clown. Not only does he do his whole ‘Post Traumatic’ thing and continue to work at a very high level as the Web3 development community leader, not only does he develop his own personal creative community with the Linkin Park fans that he knows he had and planned to take advantage of, not only did he workshop Linkin Park in secret with new band members for years including nepo baby Emily Armstrong, sorry, Scientology princess Emily Armstrong, but also when he came back he said, ‘Be a part of something. Linkin Park’s back, be a part of something.’ He did it during international suicide prevention month and he did not mention Chester once.”
According to Jaime, Shinoda not only blocked him but also silenced him for speaking out about what he called the malpractice surrounding Linkin Park. “He then allowed the church of Scientology to threaten violence on me on his and Emily’s behalf and he did nothing about it. Then he backhanded me on stage of Kia Forum. Then he also happened to just not only watch me but watch me on social media and silent me and block me for talking the truth about Kyle Christner and Linkin Park malpractice and asking where Rob Bourdon is and all these things, which we still don’t know where Rob is, hope he’s safe.”
Jaime further claimed that Shinoda’s actions were part of a larger effort to erase Chester from the band’s history, including Shinoda’s statement that Linkin Park had always been Xero —the band’s original name before Chester joined. “He also lied about everything. He has participated in the diabolical destruction of the Linkin Park fanbase. Erased Chester from everything. He didn’t just not talk about Chester, he erased Chester from every aspect of the band and claimed that Linkin Park is actually Xero and that’s why he’s allowed to do.”
Jaime also said the issues within Linkin Park and its management have been ongoing since Chester’s death. “Mike Shinoda literally claims now that Linkin Park has always been Xero and in reality, they created a brand new band with Emily Armstrong and Colin and they’re calling it Linkin Park because they know independent bands don’t do well. So they’re just gonna go by Linkin Park.”
Jaime ended his rant by addressing critics dismissing his views. “They’ve gotten all these brand deals and they’ve got all these chart-topping achievements. It’s a total sh*tfest. And it’s not just me. So anybody out there who’s still saying ‘Oh Jaime’s just a hater,’ you’re ignorant and you’re choosing to be that way and that’s your choice. I have no patience for you. But for those of you who see, you see that not only is this happening, but it’s been happening since Chester died. And Mike and his family and the guys in Linkin Park has been there for the fun of it.”
Jaime Bennington previously criticized Linkin Park for replacing his father, Chester, with Emily Armstrong too. On Instagram, he accused Mike Shinoda of erasing Chester’s legacy by introducing a new lineup. Though Shinoda hasn’t responded to these recent claims, he addressed Jaime’s earlier words subtly during a live show, saying it’s about starting a new chapter and not erasing the past of the band.