Late Chester Bennington’s son, Jaime, recently accused Mike Shinoda of lying to fans about Linkin Park’s comeback with new singer Emily Armstrong. Posting on Instagram Stories, he claimed Shinoda had been planning the reunion since Chester’s death in 2017.
“During the Zach Sang Show interview, Mike Shinoda revealed that, as of April 2023, he was lying about the Linkin Park comeback,” Jaime wrote. “That, as of the ‘Already Over’ release in October 2023, Linkin Park was doing photoshoots and finalizing their album rollout. That Emily Armstrong made contact with Linkin Park in October of 2017, the week before the Hollywood Bowl Show. That, in 2019, he and Colin Brittain were looking for a new Linkin Park vocalist, and THAT is when he reached out to Emily Armstrong on his own.”
“Linkin Park reincorporated the same month I had my falling out with Anna Shinoda. THEY KNEW I WAS COMING. And they got ahead of it,” he added.
Following stories delved more into what allegedly happened, as Jaime said Armstrong reached out to the band a week before their tribute performance for Chester at the Hollywood Bowl “in hopes she would be permitted to perform.”
“Mike claims that Rob Bourdon was the one to introduce her to the band. Emily was not permitted to perform. The run of show was locked + rehearsals were in effect,” the statement continued.
“In 2019, looking for a new vocalist for Linkin Park, Mike Shinoda and Colin Brittain circled back to Emily. Following a 2-3 day creative session, Mike created a Dead Sara playlist and began the process of convincing Dave, Brad, and Joe that Emily was THE ONE. Eventually Joe agreed that Emily was a good choice and asked to have her track lead vocals over a number of tracks produced by Linkin Park. ‘Over Each Other’ was the demo that convinced the band she was THE ONE.”
“In August 2021, I had a falling out with my aunt and mentor Anna Shinoda. I told her I would be telling my story how I wanted, when I wanted, to who I wanted despite her encouragement that I either remain silent about my suffering or fictionalize my experiences when telling my story,” Jaime further claimed. “That same month Linkin Park reincorporated and began to build out their official comeback. Around this time ‘The Emptiness Machine’ was nearly a completed track. That means that Linkin Park and Mike Shinoda have been lying to you.”
He finally wrote, “The band has been retooling since 2017. And has planned to comeback in full since as 2021 following the release of the ‘Hybrid Theory’ 20th box set. That means that when I came back online in 2023, they were already in motion. They had every intention of shutting me down and making me invisible. My truth has no place at their table.”
Jaime Bennington publicly opposed a Linkin Park reunion along with the late vocalist’s mother, Susan, by saying Mike Shinoda was running the band undercover since their hiatus to erase his father’s legacy. Shinoda denied the claims and said they were only starting a new chapter into the future.
Linkin Park is now getting ready for a world tour supporting their latest release, ‘From Zero.’ The shows will start in Mexico City on January 31, 2025.