“That Damn Poison”

Ernst Molden Breaks His Silence on the Seiler Scandal

Ernst Molden has spoken out on Facebook regarding the Seiler case.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Eva Manhart, Facebook/Ernst Molden)

Austrian writer Ernst Molden, who was set to release a new album with musician Christopher Seiler at the end of April, broke his silence on Wednesday evening and spoke out for the first time about the allegations against his colleague. Shortly before the incident, the two had filmed a music video together.

“The woman was completely right to report him. He admitted everything both during the interrogation and to us, and apologized,” Molden wrote on Facebook. He described the incident as “horrible.” While he believes Seiler is remorseful, he hopes “that he gets his life in order and gets rid of that damn poison in it.”

In his post, Molden confirms that the assault took place after filming in Vienna’s Prater. “Christopher assaulted a woman by trying to force her to use cocaine against her will.” The case is now with the district attorney’s office.

Second album put on hold
The second joint album is actually finished and “really beautiful,” but contrary to the original plan, it will not be released at the end of April. “We don’t want to release it amid this raging public battle, where everything gets distorted in the heat of the moment. We want to let time pass and observe how things develop,” explains Molden. For now, he will perform planned concerts with the Frauenorchester. He hopes “that Christopher is on the right track.”

Investigation Following Complaint
On March 15, it became known that the Austropop star was under investigation after a woman filed a complaint. Seiler initially responded with an Instagram post in which he spoke of “fighting demons.” Three days later, a video followed in which the musician spoke of his “inexcusable behavior.” “You don’t go up to a person, no matter what state they’re in, grab them like that, and then smear cocaine on their lips.” He denies using violence or committing sexual assault.

Seiler emphasizes that he will face the consequences. “Will I take the punishment? Absolutely. It’s all on me.” He says he has learned to take responsibility for his mistakes and wants to help make it “easier for the woman involved to process” what she went through.

“No heroic act”
In the music scene and among many of the star’s followers, however, his public apology has not been met with universal approval. The Poxrucker Sisters stated on Instagram that publicly apologizing after an assault is “no heroic act.” That is “the bare minimum.” The true heroines, they said, are the women who report assaults despite the threat of hostility.

The Fendrich family also reacted critically. Florian Fendrich, son of Austropop legend Rainhard Fendrich, commented on “what really happened” with a clear expletive.

Christopher Seiler is part of the successful duo Seiler & Speer, known for hits like “Ham kummst,” “Ala bin,” and “Principessa.” Just in early March, they were honored with two Amadeus Awards. Seiler is still presumed innocent.