Chester Bennington's Widow Talinda Marries Michael Friedman — But NOT On Her Anniversary To The Linkin Park Singer
Congratulations are in order to the happy couple!
Getty Images The late Chester Bennington left behind a devastated wife, Talinda, in the wake of his unfortunate and untimely suicide. Everyone, unquestionably, grieves differently, but fans were shocked when Talinda Bennington announced her engagement to her new boyfriend not long after Chester Bennington's death was ruled a suicide.
They're perhaps even more shocked now that the late rocker's widow married her said boyfriend reportedly on the same day as her anniversary with the late Linkin Park singer. Those initial reports, however, turned out to be wrong.
So who is Michael Friedman? Let's look at what we know about Talinda Bennington's new husband.
1. Who is Michael Friedman? He's a firefighter for Los Angeles County.
Michael Moshe Friedman is a firefighter with Los Angeles County in Los Angeles, CA. He underwent a 17-week intensive training course to become a firefighter with the county, and was confirmed to be Bennington's new boyfriend when paparazzi caught them hiking in the Hollywood Hills.
2. Bennington announced their engagement on social media.
In September 2019, Bennington took to her Instagram account to announce that she and Friedman were engaged to be married.
"Your heart expands with love. It doesn’t shrink or push out those that have already taken root. I will always love my husband, Chester. And I will keep honoring him by living MY life. A life of love and happiness. Because that’s what he would want for me," she wrote in her announcement post.
3. She also made clear that she and Friedman did not get engaged in 2017.
For a short while, there were rumors going around that Bennington and Friedman got married in 2017, shortly after Chester Bennington committed suicide. In the same post in which she announced her engagement, Bennington made clear that she and Friedman only recently got engaged.
"I absolutely did NOT get engaged in Nov of 2017!!! Please stop listening to someone who no longer knows me or MY family and is desperately trying to stay relevant," she wrote.
4. Initial reports suggested Bennington and Friedman got married on the same day of her anniversary to Chester Bennington.
According to the initial reports released to the media from what was reported to be "a close family source," Bennington married Friedman on January 1, 2020, which was the same day as her anniversary to the late Linkin Park singer. Initial reports also suggested that the Bennington's three children — Tyler, 13, and twins Lilly and Lila, 9 — were present at the ceremony.
5. But Bennington immediately took to social media to clarify her wedding date.
"With joy and love, I want to set something straight. ON JANUARY 4th, I wed a wonderful man, great friend, and son this weekend. We celebrated with all of our family and friends on the beautiful island of O’ahu. The day we chose was a day of meaning, in many different ways. My anniversary with my love, Chester, JAN 1 Was NOT THE DAY.
Jan 1st will always be the day I married Chester. I would never paint over that beautiful day with anything else. To all of the tabloids who printed a false story, inciting anger to me and my husband, who has upset lots of fans, and to create anger and pain, I ask you FOR WHAT?? To make money off of a false headline should be criminal. SHAME ON YOU @TMZ and any other that has repeated the story," she wrote on her Instagram page.
6. She then shared a post with the correct wedding date.
In a follow-up post on social media, Bennington posted a photo from her wedding that showed their wedding date was January 4, 2020, not January 1st, as was initially reported.
She also pointed out that the initial report about her wedding to Friedman featured the below photo, which clearly states that she got married on January 4th, not January 1st.
Congratulations are in order for the happy couple!
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.