After making international headlines with jaw-dropping remarks she made to the Times of London about Michael Jackson and the new documentary Leaving Neverland, which details allegations of sexual abuse of children by the late King of Pop, Barbra Streisand has released a statement.
Said Streisand: “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. 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.”
She released a separate statement on Instagram: “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.”
Asked about the doc, Streisand told the Times of London: “It’s a combination of feelings. I feel bad for the children. 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 shows and the dancing and the hats?”
“His sexual needs were his sexual needs,” she added. “Coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has.”
Streisand continued: “You can say ‘molested,’ but those children, as you heard them say [the grown-up Robson and Safechuk], they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.”
As for her broader thoughts on the #MeToo movement: “Unfortunately, it’s going to cause a lot of women not being hired because men are worried they’ll be attacked.”
