Megadeth issued a statement on Monday night (May 10) acknowledging reports that sexually explicit videos featuring longtime bassist David Ellefson and a woman who is not his wife leaked online over the weekend. While Billboard has not viewed the videos and a spokesperson for the band had not returned requests for additional comment at press time, the band responded to the news in a statement in which they appeared to distance themselves from Ellefson’s purported private activities.
“We are aware of the recent statements regarding David Ellefson, and are watching developments closely,” said the band in a post. “As it relates to creativity and business, we are all familiar with one another. However, there are clearly aspects of David’s private life that he has kept to himself. As this situation unfolds, it is important that all voices be heard clearly and respectfully. We look forward to the truth coming to light.”
Ellefson, 56, who has been married to wife Julie Foley since 1993, reportedly released a statement addressing the issue on his official Instagram page — which has since been made private. “As you may or not know, some private and personal conversations and interactions have surfaced online, released with ill intention by a third party who was not authorized to have them or share them,” he wrote, according to Blabbermouth.
“While certainly embarrassing, I want to address it as openly and honestly as possible. As much as it’s not something I’m proud of, these were private, adult interactions that were taken out of context and manipulated to inflict maximum damage to my reputation my career and family,” said Ellefson, who has two adult children with Foley. “The other party involved has made a statement which you can see below. I thank her for doing so and hope that this clarifies that the situation was not at all as presented.”
While the woman has not been named, Ellefson, who is also reportedly a Lutheran pastor, included a link to what he said was a statement from her in which she wrote, “I’m the girl people are talking about in the posts about David Ellefson right now and I just want to tell my side of the story because people are sharing misinformation and the situation is getting out of hand without the truth being out there”; the woman’s purported Instagram account, on which the statement appeared, appears to have been made private as well.
The woman confirmed that the video calls between them did take place, but that she was the one to initiate them and that she was never underage when they took place. “I was always a consenting adult,” she reportedly said. “Nothing inappropriate ever happened before that. It was all consensual, I’m not a victim and I have not been groomed in the slightest as I was the one to initiate it. I was just naive enough to record him and share it with a friend without his permission. In the end, it was all consensual and all online.”
She added that “a lot” of information about their relationship is being left out “by the people purposely trying to harm him.I would ask that anyone sharing these personal private videos or any misinformation about them to please stop.”
Megadeth is working on its 16th studio album and announced the dates for their rescheduled “Metal Tour of the Year” outing with Lamb of God, Trivium and In Flames last week. See the band’s statement below.
