Madonna Says Michael Jackson Is "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" of Sexual Abuse Allegations
"I don't have a lynch-mob mentality."
In a new interview for the June 2019 issue of British Vogue, Madonna shared her thoughts on HBO’s recent documentary “Leaving Neverland.”
The Dan Reed-directed documentary profiles Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who allege the late artist sexually abused them as children.
Madonna, Jackson's former friend hasn't watched the film but said, “I don’t have a lynch-mob mentality, so in my mind, people are innocent until proven guilty.”
READ: Oprah Addresses Backlash Over Covering Leaving Neverland: "I Don't Regret It"
She continued, “I’ve had a thousand accusations hurled at me that are not true. So my attitude when people tell me things about people is, ‘Can you prove it?’ ”
“I haven’t seen the film. But I guess it would be people recounting actual events ― but then, of course, people sometimes lie... So I always say, ‘What’s the agenda? What do people want out of this? Are there people asking for money, is there some kind of extortion thing happening?’ ” she added. “I would take all of those things into consideration.”
READ: How Jordan Peele's 'Us' Navigates Michael Jackson In A Post-'Leaving Neverland' World
Jackson died in 2009 and Madonna eulogized him during a tribute at the MTV Video Music Awards.