Barbra Streisand cops backlash for comments about Michael Jackson and his alleged sexual abuse victims
Music legend Barbra Streisand has issued a surprising response to critics after she said Michael Jackson’s accusers “were thrilled to be there” and that the star had “sexual needs”.
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Music legend Barbra Streisand has fired back at critics amid a huge backlash over her controversial comments about the two men accusing Michael Jackson of child sexual abuse in the Leaving Neverland documentary.
The backlash began when Streisand told The Times in the UK she believed the abuse claims of Jackson’s accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck but that they “were thrilled to be there” at Jackson’s Neverland ranch.
The award-winning singer and actress said that what allegedly happened to the Australian choreographer Robson and Safechuck “didn’t kill them” either.
Streisand, 76, who said she only met the “very sweet, very childlike” Jackson a few times also went on to say that Jackson had “sexual needs”.
“His sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has,” she said.
“You can say ‘molested,’ but those children, as you heard them say, they were thrilled to be there,” she said. “They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.”
In a statement to CBS, Streisand blamed the parents of the accusers for being “seduced by fame”.
“To be crystal clear, there is no situation or circumstance where it is OK for the innocence of children to be taken advantage of by anyone,” Streisand said in a statement to CBS News. “The stories these two young men shared were painful to hear, and I feel nothing but sympathy for them.”
“The single most important role of being a parent is to protect their children,” she continued. “It’s clear that the parents of the two young men were also victimiszed and seduced by fame and fantasy.”
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The star then issued a second statement, posted on her website, saying she felt “deep remorse”.
“I am profoundly sorry for any pain or misunderstanding I caused by not choosing my words more carefully about Michael Jackson and his victims, because the words as printed do not reflect my true feelings.
“I didn’t mean to dismiss the trauma these boys experienced in any way. Like all survivors of sexual assault, they will have to carry this for the rest of their lives.
“I feel deep remorse and I hope that James and Wade know that I truly respect and admire them for speaking their truth.”
Streisand’s initial comments left celebrities and fans stunned, with many expressing their confusion and disappointment.
“Is paedophilia tolerated in parts of the entertainment industry?” Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed tweeted.
Others are relinquishing their long-standing support of the singer, calling her comments “sickening.”
In her original interview, Streisand said she “felt bad” for the alleged victims and Jackson.
“I feel bad for the children,” she said.
“I feel bad for him. I blame, I guess, the parents, who would allow their children to sleep with him. Why would Michael need these little children dressed like him and in the shoes and the dancing and the hats?”
Fans were quick to post their reactions on social media to what she said.
What an unforgivable comment from Streisand. It is something a senile old person would utter. She should apologize profusely for her ignorant comment.
— Frank Brofft (@66CSNY) March 23, 2019
I am really hoping for a clarification from Streisand to say this is wrong or she never said these things-this is very hard to believe.
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) March 23, 2019
i just unfollowe barbra streisand im shaking
— ð•«ð• ð•– â¤ï¸ð•¤ ð•žð•šð•”ð•™ð•’ð•–ð• ð•”ð•£ð•’ð•¨ð•—ð• ð•£ð•• // 10 (@revivebarnum) March 23, 2019
Reed also hit out at Jackson fans this week for the “vile and absurd” attacks on the two men who say the singer abused them for years.
He said a vocal minority of fans were leading a campaign against the two-part HBO film, which has broken streaming records and which the Jackson estate is suing for $US100 million (88 million euros).
Robson and Safechuck have been assailed on social media for telling Reed in the film how Jackson groomed them and their families before the boys were sexually abused at his Neverland Ranch in California.
Last week, fan groups said they were bringing a case against the men in the French courts for “sullying” Jackson’s memory.
Reed said the first reaction of Jackson’s defenders had always been to attack his victims since questions were first raised about the star in 1993.
“To prosecute men you have the courage to say they were raped as children by this powerful godlike individual, to make them into the scapegoats is beyond absurd and quite vile,” the director told AFP.
He said child sex abuse victims were often treated like heretics.
“It is a kind of blasphemy when you accuse somebody who is a pillar of the community of such a grotesquely horrific act, so bad in fact that people do not want to hold that image in their heads.
“That’s what generates this rage against the victims. It’s heretical. Not only is your godhead human but he does this appalling thing to children,” Reed said in Paris, where the film will be aired on French television this week.
Originally published as Barbra Streisand cops backlash for comments about Michael Jackson and his alleged sexual abuse victims
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