Bassist Jason Christopher was fired from Corey Taylor's band in 2021, and now two years later he's airing out his grievances.
In a lengthy statement, Christopher chronicles how he was fired after coming to practice unknowingly having COVID (but still feeling ill that day). Christopher states he text Taylor upon finding out he was positive for COVID, and received an "extremely unnerving text" back while he was stoned.
In part, Christopher stated that "everyone on the television that was supposed to know about this stuff was telling me that if I got the vaccine, I wouldn't get Covid anymore." Which isn't how vaccines work – sure, they prevent the spread of COVID and prevent you from getting deathly ill, but they don't outright prevent you from contracting and suffering from the disease. This all spoken from someone who got vaccinated and had it fairly bad twice now.
He then goes on to throw around sentences like "I got real mad, and when I get real mad, I get real petty" and "I know I'm a careless immature idiot, who doesn't abide by old rich white laws when I don't have to, but I just fucking got sick… period. I didn't do anything wrong," which are probably not how you wanna defend yourself.
There's also a bit later on where Christopher takes a full paragraph to blast Taylor's solo career, stating "I just miss feeling fake important playing generic Midwest radio rock songs I didn't write, and don't even like… I don't want to trash talk anymore, I'm trying to regain some sort of confidence in myself after all this and that's not the way to do it… but 80% of that music was absolute garbage, and none of my real friends hesitated to tell me that when the first album came out."
Taylor's wife Alicia Taylor has since addressed Christopher, saying it's "painfully obvious that this is coming from a place of bitterness and jealousy. It's been years and no one from the band has said anything publicly, yet this guy can't move on. He rants on social media for sympathy, every time he gets his feelings hurt because he's not longer part of something due to the consequences of his own choices."
Alicia further states that Christopher was let go because he refused to produce a negative COVID test prior to practice despite that being the rule. Alicia also notes that Christopher's son was sick, and alleges that Christopher wouldn't get him tested because "if his baby mama finds out she'll kill me."
There's also a disagreement between Alicia and Christopher on what Christopher's payment was, with Christopher stating he "got paid $160 and no fucking cents" for a festival and Alicia stating he was paid $1,200 weekly as a salary.
Christopher's full statement is below.
"On the morning of August 4th 2021, I woke up to an email telling me I had Covid. I immediately called Corey because we had a tour starting at the house of blues in two days.
"The day before this we had full band rehearsal. I felt like shit, but I had gotten the vaccine, and everyone on the television that was supposed to know about this stuff was telling me that if I got the vaccine, I wouldn't get Covid anymore. So I chalked it up to allergies and a morning spin class. I should have known better because I was really heavy in the feet that day, but I didn't have any flu like symptoms, I was just really tired. I just got through rehearsal as best I could and went home to take a nap…
"When I got home is when it really hit me. I couldn't taste the sandwich I had picked up on the way home, and that's when I knew I was in some serious trouble.
"After I called Corey to let him know about the Covid, I received an extremely unnerving text from him telling me that I knew I was sick when I was at rehearsal, and that my negligence could have killed his daughter, his mother in law, etc… etc…
"I had just gotten stoned and it completely freaked me out.
"The only thing I could think of to do at the time was just shut it down as quickly as possible because I knew they had to scramble to get another rhythm section for the first few shows. So I immediately sent back, 'You're right I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say…'. That was the first time I wasn't honest with him… I didn't want to send that text. What I wanted to say was 'what the fuck are you talking about ?' But I was too high and scared, and I knew he was too mad to hear that. So I just left it alone and figured we would talk about it in a few days when everything cooled down.
"It wasn't till a week later that I realized everyone in the entire camp was balls out mad at me because I had apparently come into rehearsal like it was 1985 and I was rubbing my full blown aid sores all over everyone.
"Corey, and his entire camp shut me out. It wasn't long after that I started to get wind of some people saying I was a Trump supporter, had a fake vaxx card, and tons of other awesome shit like that. I honestly didn't want the vaccine, I didn't need it… I got it just so I could play music and work.
"They told people this, and those people told more people.
"Johnny Chow called people on a tour I was about to go on with Prong telling everyone what a scumbag I was and that no one should ever play with me again, and if they needed verification they could call Scott Ian and a few others…
"I was now completely blacklisted from a 'career' that I was finally able to say was starting to get somewhere…
"I got real mad, and when I get real mad, I get real petty. I started talking shit about all of them to try and redeem what little self I had left but it just made things worse. These guys were my family so needless to say I was absolutely devastated that they would think this bullshit.
"I know I'm a careless immature idiot, who doesn't abide by old rich white laws when I don't have to, but I just fucking got sick… period. I didn't do anything wrong.
"The aftermath of this, is that everyone that surrounds Corey, and I mean everyone… who just happened to be most of my best friends for the past twenty years, completely dropped off the radar.
"I would watch people I loved and had daily interactions with for the past couple of decades comment on everyone else's instagrams, posting birthday wishes for all their friends, and all that, but no one would come near me with a ten foot pole. I was done for sure.
"I eventually just kicked everyone off my internet because they are so deep on his shaft it's nauseating, and I can sure as fucking shit guarantee that the few straglees of his friends that are still 'in my life' won't come anywhere near this post except to screenshot it and send it to him…
"I sent a couple of apology emails trying to save face, but they were completely Insincere because I wasn't sorry.
"I just saw yesterday that someone I was following on Instagram had recently deleted me, this was right after I saw a post of him arm and arm with Johnny Chow… so it's still happening, and all I can do is sit here and vent on the internet.
"I fucking miss it. I miss feeling mildly important, I miss playing for huge crowds, but if I'm getting super honest? It's all ego… I just miss feeling fake important playing generic Midwest radio rock songs I didn't write, and don't even like… I don't want to trash talk anymore, I'm trying to regain some sort of confidence in myself after all this and that's not the way to do it… but 80% of that music was absolute garbage, and none of my real friends hesitated to tell me that when the first album came out.
"I remember getting mad at my friends when they would clown me about the first single that was released. I was so embarrassed to play that shit, but whatever… we do what we do for our friends because we love and support them no matter what right?
"It also didn't hurt that he's a massive rock star and I was finally in some sort of limelight? ????
"I guess I'm just writing this because some people don't realize that I'm not in the band anymore, and every time the little guy has a tour coming up, I start getting the 'I can't wait to see you in (enter city here) constantly and it totally bums me out.
"It's painful as fuck to wake up alone and broken while everyone else just gets to live their life, but unfortunately this is a challenge I am used to and will survive it like I always do.
"I rarely leave the house anymore, no one will hire me, my ego has been completely derailed (thank god), I trust absolutely no one, and I don't even feel like a human being anymore… But I will survive… like the fucking talented cockroach that I am.
"My last show with CMFT was at Rockfest in Wisconsin, co-headlining with Limp Bizkit, and I got paid $160 and no fucking cents. Sorry for the long one today, guess I needed to finally get that out."
