Wade Robson on Today Show: Michael Jackson “Was A Pedophile And A Child Sexual Abuser”
Wade Robson is currently at the center of some controversy over his interactions with the late Michael Jackson.
Robson, an Australian-born former child prodigy turned star choreographer, had previously been a star witness for Jackson–and in so doing, possibly helped Jackson escape those charges. Robson defends this, saying he was basically in denial which culminated in a career-ruining breakdown. ”This is not a case of repressed memory,” he insisted. “I never forgot one moment of what Michael did to me… He performed sexual acts on me and I performed sexual acts on him.”
And now everyone from Jackson fans to Jackson’s counsel and friends and family are calling Robson a liar. But he’s not backtracking. Moreover, he’s just been on Today Show repeating his claims.
“I never forgot one moment of what Michael did to me,” Robson told Matt Lauer on Today Show, “but I was psychologically unable and unwilling to understand that it was sexual abuse.” He explained that he stayed quiet because Jackson told him as a child, between the ages of 7-14, they would both be imprisoned if the secret came out. Robson called it “complete manipulation and brainwashing.”
“The idea that I would make all of this up and put my wife, my son, my entire family through this extremely stressful and painful experience all for the sake of money? That’s completely incomprehensible,” he said. “I’ve lived in silence and denial for 22 years…In order to fully heal, I have to speak the truth and I have to speak the whole truth.”
“There is no excuse for what he did to me, but he was a troubled man,” says Robson. “The image that one presents to the world is not the whole explanation of who someone is. Michael Jackson was yes, an incredibly talented artist with an incredible gift. He was many things. And he was also a pedophile and a child sexual abuser.”