Kanye West has sparked controversy by involving Marilyn Manson in his latest Sunday Service livestream event.
West, who recently legally changed his name to the mononym Ye, hosted the Halloween rooftop performance via the short-form social video platform Triller and the Fite TV app. The event showcased songs No Child Left Behind, Hurricane, Moon, and Come to Life from his tenth studio album, Donda, which came out in August.
Justin Bieber performed with the Sunday Service Choir, belting out songs from his catalogue, while Roddy Ricch joined the choir to perform Pure Souls. But Manson's inclusion in the event caused controversy, as the artist currently faces sexual assault allegations from several women, including his former partner Evan Rachel Wood. He has repeatedly denied the accusations, characterising them as "horrible distortions of reality".
During the event, all performers wore white and huddled together to pray, including Manson. The backlash to the event was swift, with one Twitter user calling it "too creepy even for Halloween".
This is the second time that Ye has included the embattled rocker in a live event - in August, Manson appeared at the Donda listening party at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Later, when the album was released, the 52-year-old was credited as a co-writer on the track Jail Pt. 2, which also features his vocals.
Wood joined in the backlash to Manson's inclusion in the event and the album, later sharing a video of her performing The New Radicals hit You Get What You Give with the caption, "For my fellow survivors who got slapped in the face this week. I love you. Don't give up."
