LaToya Jackson once accused her little brother, Michael, of having improper relationships with children.
The accusations were made in a 1993 MTV interview that has resurfaced following the airing of the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, the Daily Mail reports.
Two men allege Michael Jackson brainwashed them into having sex with him while they were children in the documentary; LaToya Jackson made similar allegations about her brother’s behavior with little boys in the 1993 interview.
Blavitize your inbox! Join our daily newsletter for fresh stories and breaking news.
“Michael is my brother. I love him a great deal but I cannot, and will not, be a silent collaborator of his crimes against small, innocent children,” LaToya Jackson told MTV. “If I remain silent then it means I fuel the guilt and humiliation these children are feeling and I think it's very wrong.”
LaToya gave the interview while Jackson was under investigation for the alleged sexual abuse of 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. The Telegraph reports Michael’s sister once claimed Chandler wasn’t the first child the King of Pop had molested.
“Michael needs help,” LaToya said. “This has been going on since 1981, and it's not just one child.”
The Chandler investigation ended after Michael paid the boy and his family $23 million in 1994. LaToya said this too fit into a larger pattern, telling MTV that allegations against the artist were few and far between because he bought survivors’ silence with “very, very large sums.”
LaToya also suggested the media and public were complicit in covering up abuses. At the time, it was known Jackson had children in his orbit who were not his.
“Now you stop and think for one second and you tell me, what 35-year-old man is going to take a little boy and stay with him for 30 days?” LaToya asked. “And take another boy and stay with him for five days in a room and never leave the room? How many of you out there are 35 years old?”
She added, “I love my brother but it's wrong.”
When asked why she had chosen to speak out against her brother, LaToya referenced the abuse she and other Jacksons have long said they faced at the hands of their father.
“I am a victim myself and I know what it feels like,” she said. “These kids are going to be scarred for the rest of their lives and I don't want to see any more innocent, small children being affected this way. … I feel even more sorry for these children because they don't have a life anymore, they don't.”
Following her interview with the music channel, LaToya was reportedly ostracized by her parents, Michael and their other siblings. She later publicly recanted her comments in a 2011 interview with The Daily Beast, telling the publication her former husband had coerced her into leveling the allegations against her brother.
She now stands united with the rest of the Jackson family, which has denounced Leaving Neverland, denied all allegations of sexual misconduct and is suing HBO for $100 million.
Now, check these out:
Three Canadian Radio Stations Have Pulled Michael Jackson Music Following 'Leaving Neverland'
R. Kelly Is Now Reportedly Being Investigated By An Illinois Grand Jury
Discriminating Against Someone Based On Their Hair Is Now Illegal In NYC
