Macaulay Culkin defends Michael Jackson against child sex abuse claims, says he never did 'anything' to him
Macaulay Culkin has once again come out to clear the air about his friendship with Michael Jackson, insisting that the 'King of Pop' had never behaved inappropriately towards him and that he had never seen him do so towards other children either.
Jackson, who died in 2009, found himself in the spotlight again in 2019 following the release of Dan Reed's 'Leaving Neverland', where Wade Robson and James Safechuck both accuse the singer of sexually abusing them as children.
The documentary resulted in an international backlash against Jackson and many calling into question his legacy, with Culkin's curious relationship with the singer once again coming to the fore as well.
Culkin had met Jackson on the sets for the latter's music video for 'Black and White', and the pair went on to become lifelong friends and despite their proximity, the 'Home Alone' star has continued to deny that he has ever had any sexual contact with the singer.
"Look, I’m gonna begin with the line—it’s not a line, it’s the truth: He never did anything to me. I never saw him do anything," he told Esquire during an interview for the magazine's March 2020 cover story.
"And especially at this flashpoint in time, I’d have no reason to hold anything back," he continued. "The guy has passed on. If anything—I’m not gonna say it would be stylish or anything like that, but right now is a good time to speak up. And if I had something to speak up about, I would totally do it. But no, I never saw anything; he never did anything."
Culkin also explained why they shared such a close bond, sharing that they found common ground in how they were never allowed to have a childhood by pushy fathers who kept forcing them towards fame at a young age.
He said they were "kindred spirits," despite their 22-year age difference. The last time they saw each other came under rather unfortunate circumstances, however.
Jackson had been charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor with alcoholic drinks by the Santa Barbara authorities for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old boy with cancer, and Culkin was called to testify as a character witness for him in the 'The People v. Jackson' trial that began in 2005.
Culkin revealed that, before the trial began, Jackson came up to him and embraced him, but said they had better not talk because he didn't want to "influence" Culkin's testimony.
The singer was later acquitted, but he never saw Culkin again. He passed away in June 2009 after overdosing on a cocktail of drugs.