Chester Bennington’s mother feels ‘betrayed’ by Linkin Park over reunion with new singer

Chester Bennington’s mother, Susan Eubanks, has slammed Linkin Park following their decision to reunite with a new vocalist, Emily Armstrong, without informing her.

Earlier this month, the band announced plans for a new album and tour with Armstrong as the lead singer. 

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Eubanks accused the band of trying to “erase the past” and revealed that they had previously promised to notify her if they ever decided to reunite. 

She shared her disappointment, “I feel betrayed.”

“They told me if they were ever going to do something, they would let me know. They didn’t let me know, and they probably knew that I [wasn’t] going to be very happy.”

She continued, “I’m very upset about it.”

“They didn’t tell me, and they probably knew I wouldn’t be happy. I’m very upset about it.”

Eubanks also revealed that she had previously been in discussions with songwriter and co-vocalist Mike Shinoda regarding the release of archival songs featuring Bennington’s vocals.

However, she was blindsided by the announcement of the band’s reunion.

“I found out about Emily Armstrong joining the band on Google,” she said.

“When I go to Google to look for something, the first thing that often pops up is Linkin Park.”

“And I saw that whole thing of, ‘We have an announcement.’ That whole week, they were at the top if you go enter anything into Google.”

It is not the first time Linkin Park has faced backlash, following the announcement of a new vocalist.

Earlier, Bennington’s son Jaime blasted Mike Shinoda for the decision and accused him of erasing his “father’s life legacy”.

Eubanks also remembered that Shinoda had once mentioned to Bennington that Linkin Park would sound better with a female vocalist.

Her son had told her that if he ever left the band, they would likely replace him with a woman.

She added, “I don’t think that there’s anybody in the world that has the same voice,” she said.

“And when I heard that, I was just so repelled that no, they’re trying to do exactly what Chester did, but they’re not succeeding at it.”

Linkin Park’s new studio album, “From Zero”, will debut on November 15, 2024.