Here’s What You Need To Know About The Current Megadeth Controversy
Bassist David Ellefson has left the band after disturbing allegations surfaced online.
Iconic metal band Megadeth have parted ways with their founding bassist David Ellefson after the musician was accused of grooming an underage fan, allegations that Ellefson denies.
— Content Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault. —
Mid-last month, sexually explicit videos of Ellefson were released on Twitter, along with screenshots of messages between the bassist and a second party. As the content began to spread online, Ellefson was also accused of an inappropriate relationship with the second party, supposedly a young fan.
Shortly afterwards, the rest of Megadeth released a statement in which they confirmed that Ellefson would no longer be part of the band.
“We are informing our fans that David Ellefson is no longer playing with MEGADETH and that we are officially parting ways with him,” reads the statement, posted to social media. “We do not take this decision lightly. While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward.”
Ellefson himself has also released a statement: in it, he denies the allegations, and claims to be seeking the support of the police.
“Recently, a very private video was illegally posted on the internet and false allegations were made against me,” Ellefson claimed. “The actions in the video were between two consenting adults and were recorded without my knowledge.
“I am working with Scottsdale Police Department in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted this video. Also, my lawyers are preparing a defamation lawsuit to be filed against this person. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
As Rolling Stone also reports, Ellefson has shared messages supposedly written by the second party, in which she alleges she was never underage and that the content was shared consensually.
“It was all consensual,” reads the statement that Ellefson shared. “I’m not a victim and I have not been groomed in the slightest as I was the one to initiate it.”
The veracity of this statement shared by Ellefson has yet to be confirmed.