Megadeth Member Speaks out After Explicit Video Exchange With Woman Leaks

Megadeth co-founder David Ellefson is defending himself after he was accused of communicating with a woman who is underage after explicit messages and photos allegedly sent by the 56-year-old bassist surfaced. Ellefson denied “grooming” the woman and claimed the “adult interactions” were “manipulated” to ruin his reputation. The woman who received the alleged messages insisted she was not underage when she received them from Ellefson.

The situation started over the weekend when Instagram user @woahworst accused Ellefson of sharing explicit messages with a teenager, who was 17 when she allegedly started communicating with the musician, reports MetalCastle. The Instagram user claimed Ellefson was having an “affair” with the woman and also included a video Ellefson allegedly sent her. Ellefson has been married to his wife, Julia, for 27 years. They share son Roman, 25, and daughter Athena, 22.

After the allegations surfaced, Ellefson shared an apology on his Instagram page, which he has since made private. The apology included a statement from the woman who received the images and messages. “Yes those video calls did happen, but I was the one to [initiate] them, and never was I underage, I was always a consenting adult,” the woman wrote. “Nothing inappropriate ever happened before that.” The woman wrote that their communication was “all consensual” and she was “not a victim and I have not been groomed in the slightest as I was the one initiate it.”

“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,” Ellefson wrote in his own statement, reports PEOPLE. “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,” Ellefson wrote. “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.”

Ellefson, who has described himself as a committed Christian in the past, was one of the only two constant members of Megadeth from 1983 to 2002, alongside co-founder Dave Mustaine. Ellefson returned to the group in 2010 and they have reportedly been working on their follow-up to 2016’s Dystopia. They recently rescheduled a 2021 North American tour with Lamb of God. Ellefson also just launched an on-demand video podcast, Backstage with David Ellefson.