Michael Jackson 'Leaving Neverland' Accusers Detail Alleged Abuse in First TV Interview

In their first TV interview, Michael Jackson's accusers are speaking out about the alleged abuse [...]

By Libby Birk

In their first TV interview, Michael Jackson's accusers are speaking out about the alleged abuse they suffered at the hands of the pop music superstar.

Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who alleged in the documentary Leaving Neverland that Jackson sexually abused them as boys, spoke with Gayle King on CBS This Morning on Thursday, just a day after members of Jackson's family denounced the two men.

The men said the alleged abuse started slowly, with Jackson gradually grooming them at his Neverland ranch.

"One of the ways I remember it starting is Michael just sort of starting to touch my legs and touch my crotch over my pants," Robson claimed. "It progressed to him performing oral sex on me, him showing me how to perform oral sex on him."

"As Michael started doing these sexual acts," Robson continued later, "He started talking to me about [how] 'God brought us together, we love each other and this is how we show each other our love.'"

Safechuck detailed a similar story to Robson's claiming that Jackson "introduced me to masturbation," but that he was never frightened throughout the abuse, insisting that he didn't find Jackson's alleged actions "weird."

"He said I taught him how to French kiss. And then it moves onto oral sex," Safechuck said. "It's in the context of a loving, close relationship so … there's no alarm bells going off in your head or any thoughts like that. Really, it's just, 'I love this person and we're trying to make each other happy.' And he said I was his first. But even as a kid, you don't even know what that means. You don't — you don't even question it further than that."

"It was, again, the feeling was, 'Out of all the kids in the world, here I am and Michael chose me' and he also told me that, you know, 'I've never done this with anybody else.' Yeah. So that was more, too. Wow," Robson added. "He chooses me and he loves me."

The two men have both denied being molested by Jackson in the past, with Robson having previously appeared as a witness for Jackson's defense during his sexual abuse trial in 2005. Jackson was ultimately acquitted.

"Michael's training of me to testify began the first night that he started abusing me," Robson said Thursday. "He started telling me that, 'If anybody else ever finds out, we'll both go to jail, both of our lives will be over.'"

"... I wish that I could've helped Gavin Arvizo receive some justice and some validation for what happened to him that was just like what happened to me and just like what happened to James," Robson added. "And I wish that I could have played a role in, at that point, stopping Michael from abusing however many other kids he did after that."

On Wednesday, Jackson's brothers and nephew denied all allegations against the late singer. Jackie Jackson said he refuses to see Leaving Neverland.

"I don't care to see it because I know my brother," Jackie Jackson said. "I don't have to see that documentary. I know Michael. I'm the oldest brother. I know my brother. I know what he stood for. What he was all about. Bringing the world together. Making kids happy. That's the kind of person he was."

"I want [viewers] to understand and know that this documentary is not telling the truth," Marlon Jackson added. "There has not been not one piece of evidence that corroborates their story and they're not interested in doing that."

On Wednesday, Oprah Winfrey announced she'd be interviewing both alleged victims and the film's director immediately following the airing of part two of Leaving Neverland.

The documentary, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival, is set to air on HBO in two parts on March 3 and 4. Oprah Winfrey Presents: After Neverland will air on HBO and OWN immediately following part two of the film.

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