Barbra Streisand sympathizes with Michael Jackson: “His sexual needs were his sexual needs”

Michael Jackson’s legacy has taken a hit since the airing of Leaving Neverland, which has brought renewed scrutiny to the singer’s past relationships with underage boys and allegations of sexual misconduct. Radio stations stopped playing his music, Drake ceased performing their collaboration, and The Simpsons pulled an episode featuring the former King of Pop.

However, Jackson still has a few defenders in his camp, namely: T.I., Jackson’s daughter Paris, and Madame Tussauds. Now, in a controversial new interview with The Evening Standard, Barbra Streisand has seemingly sympathized with Jackson, contending that “his sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has.”

In the interview, Streisand said she “absolutely” believes Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two alleged victims featured in Leaving Neverland. And yet, Streisand placed the blame squarely on their parents, “I feel bad for the children. I feel bad for [Jackson]. I blame, I guess, the parents, who would allow their children to sleep with him.”

She also questioned the impact Jackson’s actions had on Robson and Safechuck. “You can say ‘molested,’ but those children.. they were thrilled to be there,” Streisand is quoted as saying. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.”.”

Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed has since responded to Streisand’s comments, writing on Twitter, “‘It didn’t kill them,’ @BarbraStreisand, did you really say that?!”