Barbra Streisand on Michael Jackson’s Accusers: ‘It Didn’t Kill Them’
Ross A. Lincoln
Barbra Streisand has clarified her comments about Michael Jackson’s accusers for which she has received backlash, saying she feels “nothing but sympathy for them.”“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,” her statement read, according to The Washington Post. “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. It’s clear that the parents of the two young men were also victimized and seduced by fame and fantasy.”In a wide-ranging Times of London interview published Friday, Streisand said of Jackson: “His sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has.” She also said that on the few occasions they met, Jackson, who died at age 50 in 2009, was “very sweet, very childlike.”Also Read: Barbra Streisand on Michael Jackson's Accusers: 'It Didn't Kill Them'Streisand told The Times that she “absolutely” believes the accounts of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, and said that watching “Leaving Neverland” was “too painful.”But she added: “You can say ‘molested’, but those children, as you heard [the grown-up Robson and Safechuck] say, they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.”Also Read: Corey Feldman 'Can No Longer' Defend Michael Jackson After 'Leaving Neverland' (Video)In the documentary, Robson and Safechuck said Jackson spent years grooming both them and their families, gaining their trust so he could betray it. Jackson’s estate has denied the accusations. Jackson also denied child molestation accusations for years, and was acquitted in a child molestation case in 2005.Representatives for Streisand did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.More to come…Read original story Barbra Streisand Clarifies: ‘I Feel Nothing but Sympathy’ for Michael Jackson’s Accusers At TheWrap
Barbra Streisand said in an interview that while she believes the two men who accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse in the documentary “Leaving Neverland,” she also has some sympathy for Jackson.
In a wide-ranging Times of London interview published Friday, Streisand said of Jackson: “His sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has.” She also said that on the few occasions they met, Jackson, who died at age 50 in 2009, was “very sweet, very childlike.”
Streisand told The Times that she “absolutely” believes the accounts of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, and said that watching “Leaving Neverland” was “too painful.”
But she added: “You can say ‘molested’, but those children, as you heard [the grown-up Robson and Safechuck] say, they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.”
Streisand also told the Times that she has “combination of feelings” about the accusations. “I feel bad for the children. I feel bad for him, ” she said. “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?”
In the documentary, Robson and Safechuck said Jackson spent years grooming both them and their families, gaining their trust so he could betray it.
Jackson’s estate has denied the accusations. Jackson also denied child molestation accusations for years, and was acquitted in a child molestation case in 2005.
Representatives for Streisand did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.
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