Madonna says Michael Jackson is 'innocent until proven guilty', questions agenda behind sexual abuse allegations
Madonna has come out in defense of Michael Jackson saying he is "innocent until proven guilty" as she becomes the latest celebrity to defend the late pop star in light of the recent sexual abuse allegations made against him.
HBO's documentary titled 'Leaving Neverland' features interviews with James Safechuck and Wade Robson who have accused the 'Thriller' singer of sexually abusing them when they were children. Since the release of the documentary in January, several celebrities including the likes of Macaulay Culkin, Louis Vuitton, Barbara Streisand, Corey Feldman, Diana Ross have defended Jackson.
Madonna has now joined the list of celebrities who have taken a stand against the claims.
During an interview with British Vogue, Madonna shared, "I don't have a lynch-mob mentality, so in my mind, people are innocent until proven guilty. I’ve had a thousand accusations hurled at me that are not true. So my attitude when people tell me things about people is, 'Can you prove it?'"
She was also asked if the documentary 'Leaving Neverland' could prove the allegations, she shared, "I don’t know, I haven’t seen the film. But I guess it would be people recounting actual events — but then, of course, people sometimes lie. So I always say, 'What’s the agenda? What do people want out of this? Are there people asking for money, is there some kind of extortion thing happening?'"
"I would take all of those things into consideration," she continued.
The Jackson family has flatly denied the allegations made by James Safechuck and Wade Robson and have compared the film to a 'public lynching'.
In 2005, Jackson was acquitted at his criminal trial in a different case where Wade Robson testified saying Jackson had never molested him.
In 2013, both Safechuck and Robson had filed lawsuits where they claimed that stress and trauma had forced them to face the truth and admit that they were sexually abused.
The director of HBO's documentary 'Leaving Neverland', Dan Reed, has shared that he is hopeful that a second documentary would "reveal more Michael Jackson abuse".
Reed is hoping to be able to convince and persuade more alleged victims of the late pop legend and will aim to focus on the stories and experiences of Jordan Chandler and Gavin Arvizo, whose allegations had resulted in the previous trials.
Dan Reed had previously spoken to Mirror and said, "What’s interesting is to look at the Jordan Chandler civil case and criminal trial. Those are two films I’d like to make. But Gavin and Jordan would have to come forward."