A fellow musician has accused Joey Armstrong, the son of Greenday frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, of sexual misconduct. Page Six says Joey just released his official response to the accusations today.
This past Monday on Instagram, the 25-year-old drummer for SWMRS was accused of emotional abuse and sexual misconduct by Lydia Night of the Los Angeles group, The Regrettes.
The 19-year-old girl said she was a victim of “emotional abuse and sexual coercion” by someone who had power over her. Lydia claims they had a year-long relationship that occurred when she was just 16 and 17-years-old.
According to Night, Armstrong once spoke with her via Instagram in May of 2017 when she was just 16-years-old and he was 22-years-old. He reportedly told her he had opportunities for the band she was in at the time, The Regrettes.
They reportedly began a relationship out of the spotlight, however, other members of the SWMRS team were aware of the romance. She says Armstrong pushed her into a sexual relationship faster than what she was comfortable with.
https://twitter.com/swmrs/status/1284897142239158272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
She says Armstrong also encouraged her to keep their relationship a secret and away from their parents. Just before she turned 18-years-old, she chose to end their romance. At that time, however, she and the group had just started a 7-month tour together.
Lydia accused the band, SWMRS, of doing everything in their power to “exert power and punish” her. Later, Lydia confronted him about what he did, and in December 2019, he wrote her a handwritten apology in which he admitted to wrongdoing.
You can see what Armstrong had to say about her statement below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CC6mefugfNX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
According to the music outlet, Pitchfork, the West Coast rock scene has faced a tumultuous last few weeks, including the shut down of the record label, Burger Records, after it was plagued with allegations of sexual misconduct.
Reportedly, Armstrong’s band released its 2016 album on the now-defunct label. As it was noted above, Joey is the son of Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer, and frontman of Green Day.
The group has sold millions of records and is easily one of the most popular rock bands of the late 1990s and 2000s.