Note: This article discusses alleged sexual assault.
In the Amy Berg–directed documentary Phoenix Rising, which aired this week on HBO, Evan Rachel Wood alleged that she was “essentially raped on camera” by Marilyn Manson during the filming of the music video for his 2007 single “Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand).” On Wednesday (March 16) in an Instagram story, Wood shared a petition calling for YouTube to remove that video. The video is still available on the service, and according to a YouTube representative, it isn’t coming down at this time.
“We’re monitoring the situation closely and will take appropriate action if we determine there is a breach of our creator responsibility guidelines,” YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon said in a statement.
YouTube’s community guidelines and terms of service dictate that a user can have monetization suspended or their channel terminated if their behavior away from the platform “harms” YouTube users, their monetization or channel may be suspended. According to YouTube, a video could be removed in the event of a relevant conviction, confession, or legal ruling.
A confession appears unlikely from Manson, who recently sued Wood for defamation just prior to the televised premiere of Phoenix Rising. Manson’s attorney previously issued a statement denying Wood’s claims about the video.
Of all the false claims that Evan Rachel Wood has made about Brian Warner, her imaginative retelling of the making of the “Heart-Shaped Glasses” music video 15 years ago is the most brazen and easiest to disprove, because there were multiple witnesses. Evan was not only fully coherent and engaged during the three-day shoot but also heavily involved in weeks of pre-production planning and days of post-production editing of the final cut. The simulated sex scene took several hours to shoot with multiple takes using different angles and several long breaks in between camera setups. Brian did not have sex with Evan on that set, and she knows that is the truth.
Rolling Stone interviewed one crew member from the video shoot under the condition of anonymity, who corroborated Wood’s claim. “I do believe that there were some moments of actual intercourse.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault or domestic violence, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
http://thehotline.org
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
