Linkin Park frontwoman Emily Armstrong's 'hardcore' links to Scientology revealed in new documents

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The loss of Chester Bennington in 2017 left a void in the music world. But the surviving members of Linkin Park made the bold decision to continue the band's legacy, announcing a new tour with a fresh lead singer, Emily Armstrong.

While Armstrong was always going to draw skepticism due to her gender and her voice’s stark contrast to Chester’s, what truly sent shockwaves through the fanbase was the revelation of her deep involvement in the Church of Scientology.

Linkin Park’s new lead singer grew up in Scientology dorms for children of its most devoted followers before becoming a "hardcore" church member, claims new documents obtained by The Daily Beast

Emily Armstrong's 'hardcore' Scientology upbringing

The documents reveal that Armstrong grew up in the Cadet Org, a Scientology-run group for children of SEA Org members. Armstrong’s parents were allegedly high-ranking members of SEA Org, the group’s highest secretive inner circle.

Armstrong's mother Gail, is also a hardcore Scientologist, working in the church's "intelligence" unit as well as a senior consulting editor of the church's magazine, Freedom.

These new documents state that Gail also wrote speeches for Scientology leaders and edited an in-house publication that claimed Osama bin Laden was manipulated into committing the 9/11 attacks by “unknown” psychiatric methods and also blamed the Columbine High School massacre on anti-depressants.

Former Scientologist Mike Rinder previously revealed in great detail about Armstrong’s mother and her years of service to the organization - claims that former Scientologist Aaron Smith-Levin also made on his YouTube channel, 'Growing Up in Scientology', reports Vox.

Emily Armstrong's childhood dorm

While it is not mentioned in any certain terms, the Daily Beast claims to have pieced together the kind of upbringing Armstrong may have had in the dorm. 

They make these claims based on a memoir by ex-Scientologist Katherine Spallino, who was raised in the church at the same time as Armstrong. Spallino had recounted a part of her time in the Cadet Org in her book titled 'The Bad Cadet'.

Spallino’s memoir uses pseudonyms for the people she grew up with, but multiple former Scientologists who were raised at the same facilities told the Daily Beast that the person called “Ava” in the book is Armstrong.

The memoir states that children in their elementary school years were housed in a four-storey structure called the Anthony Building, which other former Scientologists have indentified as church property. 

Spallino recalls in her memoir how the children slept in three-tier bunk beds and “cockroaches were everywhere” in the bathroom.

Zoe Woodcraft, another Scientologist who lived at the Anthony Building as a child in the 1990s, said that “the carpets were old and smelly and there were a lot of cockroaches.”

“There was no proper bedding; not one of us had a complete sheet set, blanket and pillow,” Woodcraft added. 

During the day, the children were taken several blocks away to The Apollo Training Academy, a Scientology-run elementary school named after one of church founder L Ron Hubbard’s original Sea Org ships.

Spallino claims the children were trained to write “Knowledge Reports” about one another that described bad behavior. They were also sent, frequently, to the L Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition, Scientology’s Los Angeles museum dedicated to its founder. 

The children in these dorms had limited contact with their parents as Spallino indicates. Owing to the secrecy and high responsibility of being part of Sea Org, their parents were always busy and the children were tended to in groups by a caretaker and most, Spallino said, “only saw their moms on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.”

This claim was even mentioned by former Church members to The Los Angeles Times in 1990, where they stated that “youngsters have gone for days without a visit from their parents, who believe that their work for the group is transcendent.”

Armstrong, or “Ava”, arrived at the dorm when she was 11, writes Spallino. 

“I guess I don’t really want to be a cadet,” she recalled the young Armstrong saying. "I guess I just wanna play guitar.”

Spallino suggested she join the Sea Org’s in-house band, but Armstrong had her mind set on skateboarding. “I bet once Ava studied L. Ron Hubbard’s policy, she would change her mind,” she added.

Scientologists take on the cadets raised in the dorms

The Church of Scientology stated that it "stopped offering childcare services to Sea Org members" over 20 years ago, and that now, Sea Org members who wish to have children could resign if they wanted to. 

“There were parents at the time you refer to who chose to raise their children in the Sea Org,” said a spokesperson. “Some of those children became quite successful, even famous, a testament to the quality of their education and upbringing.”

The church told the Daily Beast that the public accounts of former Scientologists were “based on false assumptions, inaccurate and misleading information or outright false reports.”

After former Scientologist Leah Remini’s docu-show 'Scientology and the Aftermath' aired in 2017, Scientology set up a website to counter the claims made by former members about the Cadet Org.

One of those on the website was Adeline Armstrong, Emily’s older sister. “I have some of these fond memories of just cracking open a watermelon that we grew and sitting on a railroad tie and eating the big ole watermelon,” she said in one video. “It was fun.” 

Why are Linkin Park fans outraged over Emily Armstrong's Scientology ties?

Daily Beast reported that documents show Armstrong's strong ties to some of Scientology’s most extreme beliefs and has even been allegedly involved in attempts to intimidate a victim of actor Danny Masterson, a known figure in the church.

This revelation didn’t sit well with Linkin Park fans, many of whom associate the band's music with themes of rebellion against oppressive systems, mental health struggles, and personal liberation - ideas at odds with Scientology’s controversial practices.

It is unclear if Armstrong remains a member of the church.

Linkin Park’s management and record label both have not commented on whether Armstrong remains a Scientologist, and on her past in the church.

The Church of Scientology declined to state whether she is a member, citing privacy concerns.

Followers of the metal band have made their feelings about Armstrong clear on social media.

One TikTok user wrote, “I’m sorry but as soon as I heard she’s a Scientologist I can’t support her. That’s 110 percent a cult. Their money goes right back into the cult. I will avoid them now.”

Another fan wrote on TikTok, "The band should’ve broke up after Chester’s death instead of going on without him." Another opined, "Emily needs to step down! She is a strategic choice cos of that bl**dy Scientology evil cult!"

Another fan commented, “Finally, a legit reason why people dislike her instead of just "ew woman". extremely disappointment.”

One fan said, "I don’t think Chester would like that."

"Trust me i was fully on board with a female-fronted linkin park but this is just plainly disgusting," another comment read.

A follower contributed, "I'm feeling sick to my stomach cuz what would Chester think of this?? I'm all for separating the art from the artist, but in this case it is actually absolutely disrespectful to him...this is specifically the one thing that should not be tolerated by Linkin Park."

A comment underscored, "I wish I could unlearn this X(."

Another comment echoed, "Linkin Park has fallen…"

An individual elaborated further, saying, "This is so disappointing."

As per Distractify, some went as far as demanding Armstrong to step down, accusing her of being a “strategic choice” linked to Scientology’s influence.

Chester Bennington's son speaks out against Linkin Park's new choice of singer

Compounding the controversy is the vocal criticism from Chester Bennington’s own son, Jaime Bennington.

Since the announcement of Armstrong’s role in the band, Jaime has been outspoken about his displeasure, especially regarding the decision to replace his father.

He took to social media to express his disappointment, claiming the band had “neglected to address the concerns of their diverse fan base," as per BBC.

In the aftermath of Jaime’s comments, Armstrong took to social media herself, attempting to clear the air about her support for Danny Masterson during his court case.

“I was asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance and went to one early hearing as an observer. Soon after, I realized I shouldn’t have,” she wrote.

“To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes.”