Dani Filth has shared “one final statement” about the breakdown of Cradle Of Filth amid a series of high drama exits.
The ongoing friction within the metal group began late last month, when spouses and bandmembers Zoë Marie Federoff and Marek “Ashok” Šmerda quit Cradle Of Filth, citing “low pay”, “stress” and “unprofessional behaviour”, including management withholding proper compensation and Filth’s “foolish” decision to collaborate with Ed Sheeran.
After a period of reflection on the road, Filth today (September 2) shared what he described as his “one final statement about recent events”, which followed subsequent missives shared by both him and Federoff on social media.
Most recently, she made an allegation that unnamed “management” had attempted to “steal” album advance money from their 2025 record, ‘The Screaming Of The Valkyries’, and that she had been threatened with dismissal.
Taking to Instagram, he wished both Federoff and Šmerda well, but refuted allegations of “theft” and “exploitation.”
Having apologised for sharing “more personal detail than was probably necessary” in a previous post, he addressed the allegations, saying they were “false and damaging”.
“We maintain clear records that show otherwise, and any dispute will be dealt with properly, not through trial by social media,” he wrote. He then broached how the feud had affected those closest to him, going on to detail his mother’s cancer battle.
“As Zoe and Ashok are aware, my mother is currently battling stage 4 cancer — a fight that takes all her strength,” he continued. “She has seen the wave of online attacks aimed at me, and it has only added to her distress. Whatever else is said, I hope we can all agree that dragging families into this storm is a cruelty none of us should wish on another.
“To Zoe and Ashok: despite everything, I do wish you well. We shared great times together, and I’ll always be grateful for those memories. But I won’t let unfounded slander define this band or diminish the work we’ve put into it.”
He concluded the post by saying the focus remained on delivering shows “with the passion our fans deserve, and on building a stronger, clearer foundation for all our musicians moving forward”.
Filth had previously shared that Kelsey Peters was set to take over backing vocals and keyboard duties for the remainder of their tour.
