Barbra Streisand talks Michael Jackson and Leaving Neverland Barbra Streisand has responded to Leaving Neverland, the HBO documentary that explores Michael Jackson’s alleged abuse of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, which started when they were 7-years-old and then took place over several more years. Streisand told the Times that she “absolutely” believes Robson and Safechuck’s allegations of sexual abuse against Jackson. Regarding the documentary, she said, “That was too painful.” The singer then described Jackson, who set met on several occasions, as “very sweet, sweet childlike.” But this is when her comments got very disturbing. Read More: Video resurfaces of Michael Jackson ‘shopping for wedding rings’ with boy “His sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has. You can say ‘molested,’ but those children, as you heard them say [the grown-up Robson and Safechuck], they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.” Streisand was then asked whether she was angry with Jackson. “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?” Streisand at the Oscars The above comments were quickly attacked online, most notably by Leaving Neverland’s director Dan Reed. “His sexual needs were his sexual needs” – is pedophilia tolerated in parts of the entertainment industry? #leavingneverland https://t.co/LTdq1LXLkg — Dan Reed (@danreed1000) March 23, 2019 Unfortunately the controversy didn’t stop there, as Streisand also turned her attention to the Me Too movement. Story continues Once again she started off right by calling it “very powerful,” but she then predicted, “Unfortunately, it’s going to cause a lot of women not being hired because men are worried they’ll be attacked.” Read More: Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed dismantles theories Wade Robson and James Safechuck are lying Not that it matters now, but Streisand actually conducted the interview to promote her upcoming show in London, which will take place in July at Hyde Park.<doc-sep>UPDATE II: Barbra Streisand has further amplified her apology for remarks made on the accusers of Michael Jackson and the affects of the pop singer’s alleged child molestation. UPDATE: Barbra Streisand has issued a statement clarifying her remarks on Michael Jackson’s alleged molestration of two children, which was recently profiled in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland. Streisand caused an uproar with remarks to the Times of London in which she defended Jackson by saying his accusers, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, were “thrilled to be there” and that the alleged abuse “didn’t kill them” because they eventually married and had children. Streisand’s statement: “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 statement reads. “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.” EARLIER: Social media has erupted with savage criticisms of Barbra Streisand, who has blamed the victims’ parents for Michael Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of children. Speaking to the Times of London, Streisand said she believed that Jackson abused Wade Robson and James Safechuck, whose allegations of molestation by the pop singer were renewed by the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland. But instead of blaming Jackson, Streisand reserved her scorn for Safechuck and Robson’s parents. “I blame, I guess, the parents, who would allow their children to sleep with him,” she told the Times of London, which described her as “surprisingly sympathetic” toward Jackson. Adding to the shocking statements, Streisand said that Safechuck and Robson turned out none the worse for wear, since “both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.” “His sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has,” Streisand claimed. “You can say ‘molested,’ but those children, as you heard say, they were thrilled to be there,” she said in the interview, published Friday. So far, the Twitterverse has roundly condemned Streisand for her comments. A sample: If the Cow ever harbored uncertainty that Barbra Streisand was an idiot, she has now erased every last scintilla of doubt. https://t.co/ZpIwj7dWNp — 🌴🌴 The Tropical Cow 🐄🌴🌴 (@Tropicow) March 23, 2019 There is no other diagnosis for this woman other than too much Botox poisoned her brain & makes her look even more ridiculous than she sounds . #Ingrate #Moron Pack your bags lady- #Trump2020 will have you in a straight jacket soon enough. #Hollyweird https://t.co/0jUMb0xFqU — 🇺🇸🌹LADY GRACE🌹 🇺🇸 (@OrenIShiKiddo) March 23, 2019<doc-sep>"You can say 'molested,' but..." the filmmaker, actress, and singer said of two accusers who recently came forward in the documentary “Leaving Neverland.” Barbra Streisand has come to the defense of Michael Jackson, even while clarifying that she “absolutely” believes the two men who accuse the pop superstar of sexually abusing them in the HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland.” Speaking to the Times, Streisand said Jackson was “very sweet, very childlike” the few times they met one another and that “his sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has.” “You can say ‘molested,’ but those children, as you heard them say, they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them,” she added. As for whether she’s angry with the late singer, who died 10 years ago, Streisand described it as “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?” She also discussed the #MeToo movement, which she described as “very powerful” even as she worried about its long-term effects: “Unfortunately, it’s going to cause a lot of women not being hired because men are worried they’ll be attacked.” Streisand recently appeared at the Academy Awards, where she introduced Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” as one of the eight Best Picture nominees. A two-time Oscar winner for her leading role in “Funny Girl” and the song “Evergreen” from the 1976 version of “A Star Is Born,” she most recently appeared in 2012’s “The Guilt Trip.” Update: Following backlash to her prior remarks, Streisand has released a statement saying she feels “nothing but sympathy” for Jackson’s alleged victims: “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.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.<doc-sep>"You can say 'molested', but those children, as you heard say [Robson and Safechuck], they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn't kill them."<doc-sep>
Barbra Streisand. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability After director Dan Reed’s Leaving Neverland debuted on HBO earlier this month, in which Wade Robson and James Safechuck reveal their alleged childhood sexual abuse at the hands of Michael Jackson, reactions were heated and mixed. While many found the documentary and its two accusers both convincing and heartbreaking, others rejected even the possibility the King of Pop had molested multiple children. In a new interview with The Times, however, Barbra Streisand comes out with a very different perspective on Leaving Neverland. In a nutshell, her take seems to be: Hey, was it really all that bad? “Oh absolutely,” Streisand said when asked if she believed the allegations of sexual abuse made in the film. “That was too painful.” That being said, the singer also seems extremely sympathetic to Michael Jackson, to the point that she suggests the alleged child abuse is in some way mitigated by the fact “it didn’t kill them.” Explained Streisand: “His sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has. You can say ‘molested’, but those children, as you heard say [the grown-up Robson and Safechuck], they were thrilled to be there.” Said Streisand: “They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.” No matter her level of empathy for Michael Jackson, however, Streisand, like many viewers, laid most of the blame at the feet of Safechuck and Robson’s parents. “It’s a combination of feelings,” said the singer. “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 shoes and the dancing and the hats?” Update, March 23: After receiving widespread criticism on social media for her comments, Streisand has issued a statement of clarification. “To be crystal clear, there is no situation or circumstance where it is okay for the innocence of children to be taken advantage of by anyone,” the statement says. “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.”