'I don't think we thought about it more than four seconds,' Greg Nicotero said of the decision to remove Manson's episode.
Creepshow executive producer Greg Nicotero is explaining the decision to scrap Marilyn Manson's episode in the upcoming season of Shudder's horror anthology series amid abuse allegations made by his former fiancee, Evan Rachel Wood, and several other women.
"I found out about it the same time that everybody else did, that particular morning [on Feb. 1]. I don't think there wasn't a moment we didn't want to do the right thing and pull the episode," Nicotero said when asked by a reporter during Thursday's virtual Television Critics Association press tour about the conversations that were had behind the scenes.
The casting of Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, was announced back in October.
"I don't think we thought about it more than four seconds," Nicotero continued. "There were some great actors in that episode as well. We stand by this decision. We stand by the support that that showed."
Because of the change, there was some tweaking made to the season, including moving an episode up that features Molly Ringwald and is titled "Sibling Rivalry."
"It's a really, really fun and clever rite of passage, high school horror episode," he previewed. "It's really fun and really good. And we just had to keep going."
Wood claimed that Manson, whom she began dating in 2007 and got engaged to in 2010, groomed and abused her during their relationship, which began when she was 19 and he was 38.
"The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson. He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years," Wood claimed. "I was brainwashed and manipulated in submission."
"I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail," she continued. "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."
Manson responded to Wood's claims, denying allegations of abuse.
"Obviously my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy," he wrote. "But these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality."
"My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners," Manson continued. "Regardless of how - and why - others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth."
He has since been dropped by his label, Loma Vista Recordings, and Starz confirmed that he was removed from an episode of American Gods.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential.
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