Maynard James Keenan Responds To Rape Allegations
An Anonymous Fan Claimed They Were Raped By Keenan In 2000
Tool and A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan has responded to allegations of sexual assault made against him by a fan who posted a detailed account to Twitter last weekend.
Keenan took to Twitter to deny the claims, calling them “false” and saying that the anonymous user’s post “only does damage to the #metoo movement.” Keenan also explained why it took him several days to respond, saying his phone was turned off.
Many thanks to those of you who saw right through this despicable false claim that only does damage to the #metoo movement. And shame on those of you who perpetuate this destructive clickbait. As for my delayed but un-required response, I had my phone off. You should try it.
— Maynard J Keenan (@mjkeenan) June 28, 2018
Last Friday, a Twitter user, @IWas17HeWas36, claimed Keenan invited them backstage at an A Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails concert before forcing himself upon them. Warning: The following thread contains graphic details and may be disturbing to some readers.
Deep breath. I have to anonymously tell this story because I tried to tell it from my real account and couldn’t name him directly out of fear, so I deleted the tweets. Here goes: I was 17 and he was 36. 1/
— Iwas17HeWas36 (@IWas17HeWas36) June 23, 2018
Reddit users started a since-locked thread following the @IWas17HeWas36 post in which multiple users shared stories of women being invited backstage to meet Keenan, while male friends were told they were not welcome.
A Perfect Circle is currently on tour in Europe, with an appearance set for tonight, Thursday, June 28 at the Download Festival in Madrid, Spain. Keenan has teased that new material from Tool is on the way for 2019.
