Content Warning: This post discusses child abuse and may be disturbing for some readers.
Just days after Sundance Film Festival attendees were left disgusted after watching the new Michael Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland, a resurfaced interview had added fuel to the disturbing allegations against the late singer.
An interview with La Toya Jackson from 1993 sees Jackson’s sister respond to child sexual grooming and assault allegations, which were detailed in the new two-part documentary Leaving Neverland.
In the video, Jackson’s older sister speaks to NBC News about claims made by the singer’s first public accuser, Jordan Chandler.
Watch a snippet of La Toya Jackson’s interview below.
La Toya, who was in her thirties at the time of the interview, admitted that her mother Katherine was “outraged” after discovering cheques in 1984 which had been made out to the families of children who reportedly slept with Jackson.
“There were two cheques that I know of that she has shown me and it’s for a substantial amount of money and she was outraged over it,” La Toya said.
“My mother is very much aware of the children that were there. All the boys that stayed there,” she continued.
“She’s the one who always said that Michael, excuse my expression, ‘that f***ot’.
“That’s what she would say all the time. She knows it. And now she’s denying it and that’s what hurts.”
La Toya went on to confess that she often witnessed underage boys staying in Michael’s house for days on end.
“I know he would have boys over all the time,” she said.
“They would stay in there for days. And then they would come out and another boy [would go in] and then he would bring someone else. But never two at a time.
“When a 35-year-old man sleeps with little boys and stays with them for a week or two weeks or whatever? And sleep in the same bed. Most people would say, ‘That’s totally wrong. That’s totally unfair.'”
Following La Toya’s interview, the Jackson family claimed that her husband at the time, Jack Gordon, had forced her to make the allegations against her younger brother for monetary gain.
In new documentary Leaving Neverland, Wade Robson, who was acquainted with Jackson during a dance competition aged five, and James Safechuck, who featured with the deceased singer in a Pepsi commercial, are interviewed about the abuse they claim happened to them as pre-teens in the 1990s.
In the documentary, both Robson and Safechuck alleged that their individual friendships with the performer quickly transitioned into sexual abuse inside the amusement park-like Neverland Ranch.
They claim the heinous crimes spanned several years, and not only were they sworn to secrecy, there were coerced by their attacker to testify on his behalf against allegations from other young victims.
Since the documentary's release, the Michael Jackson estate has called the film "tabloid character assassination".
"The film takes uncorroborated allegations that supposedly happened 20 years ago and treats them as fact," the estate's statement read.
"These claims were the basis of lawsuits filed by these two admitted liars which were ultimately dismissed by a judge."
In 1993, Jackson was taken to court when 13-year-old Jordan Chandler accused him of molestation.
When a criminal investigation was ruled inconclusive, Jackson settled the civil suit with Chandler's family for $22 million.
Before his death in 2009, Michael Jackson vehemently denied all allegations of child sexual abuse made against him.
You can watch La Toya Jackson's full interview from 1993 below.
What do you think about the new Michael Jackson documentary? Let us know in the comments.
Top Comments
Um, maybe don’t wrote and publish an article featuring a interview that LaToya later backtracked on, saying that she was forced to have this interview by her abusive husband, She has stated this is all made up fantasy, and holds to that.
I’m not saying it’s not true about a Michael because it’s all very possible. But apparently, according to the interviewee, this is false. Do some research, and write some credible trash for once.
She meant what she said, but she was forced to retract it by abusive members of the Jackson family. Research shows that.
Oh come on, this is silly. This whole story is becoming a huge media beat up AGAIN! First of all the article sites so called evidence from LaToya Jackson, Really? Also the criminal investigation was not ruled 'inconclusive' The court found Jackson not guilty, mainly because of the 'victims' wishy washy and ever changing evidence.
From what I have heard of this new documentary it seems nothing but a re hash of old allegations that have already been found unreliable in court, but the media is making out that it contains explosive new evidence! It doesn't by the sounds of it.
Yes it does. It has the ring of truth. That sound can be heard all over the world, where victims of powerful men are still waiting for justice. How hard do you think it is for someone who blamed themselves for their abuse (all children do) and allowed themselves to be coerced into lying about it to protect their abuser, to then admit they didn't tell the real story? It can take decades for victims of child abuse to come forward. They experience a toxic mixture of shame and disgust at themselves for 'allowing' the abuse to happen. They experience mixed feelings towards the abuser. It is not black and whilte. Furthermore, I can't think of a single case of child sexual abuse where the abuser had not themselves been the victim of a paedophile in their own childhood. This problem won't disappear from society until truth telling can happen without wowsers reacting with predictable outrage.