One of the two men who accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse has revealed why, years prior, he defended the popstar in court when a separate accuser came forward.
Wade Robson was one of the accusers to come forward in Leaving Neverland, the controversial documentary which accused Michael Jackson of being a sexual abuser.
Robson spoke in the sequel to the documentary, Leaving Neverland 2, Surviving Michael Jackson, where he was joined again by fellow Michael Jackson accuser, James Safechuck.
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Robson stated that he was groomed by Jackson from the ages of seven to 14, further claiming that he had been molested by the popstar.
In 2005, nine years prior to coming public with his allegations in a public lawsuit, Robson spoke in defence of Michael Jackson during a trial in which he was accused of repeatedly molesting a 13-year-old boy.
Speaking in the new documentary, which aired last night on Channel 4, Robson said of this decision: “Jackon said ‘We can't let them do this to us, we can't let them take us down’.
“Us, us, us. I definitely had a real fear of what he said about if anyone ever found out, that he and I would go to jail.”
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He went on to say: “Somehow I worked up the courage to tell Michael [Jackson] that I didn't want to testify.”
Though he rejected Jackson, he was later subpoenaed and admitted to lying in court.
He said: “I loved Michael, Michael loved me. This was something that happened between us, that's it.
“It didn't bother me, I'm okay, I'm fine, it would be a big deal to everyone else but it's not a big deal to me, so it's not worth the trouble.”
When asked in court whether he had ever been touched sexually by Michael Jackson he denied this, something which he now states was a lie.
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Robson and Safechuck have been attempting to carry out a lawsuit against Michael Jackson’s estate and companies since 2014, and a trial date is set for 2026.
In 2023 MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures argued they needed three years to prepare for the case.
John Carpenter, who is representing Robson and Safechuck, said: “The truth of what Michael Jackson did is very inconvenient. The more delay they have, the more money they make.”
While Michael Jackson’s estate have yet to comment on the new documentary, declining Channel 4’s request for comment, they have long denied the allegations.
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Responding to the first Leaving Neverland, they said in a statement that the documentary was ‘the kind of tabloid character assassination Michael Jackson endured in life, and now in death'.
The statement ended by saying: “Now that Michael is no longer here to defend himself, Robson, Safechuck and their lawyers continue their efforts to achieve notoriety and a payday by smearing him with the same allegations a jury found him innocent of when he was alive.”
Topics: Michael Jackson, Channel 4, TV and Film, TV, Documentaries
Michael Slavin