Pop
'When I’m upset about a recording session. I’ll dash off to a school yard…’ Rare Michael Jackson interview details the peace he gained from children
King of Pop Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson always found comfort being around children - and would "dash off to the school yard" to find solace if a recording session went wrong.
The late King of Pop's life and meteoric rise to become a global music icon has been immortalised in the biopic Michael, released at the end of April.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Michael’s nephew Jaafar Jackson as the Thriller hitmaker alongside Colman Domingo as his father Joe Jackson and Nia Long as his mother Katherine Jackson, the film has been a major box office hit and charts his life from his early musical beginnings with the Jackson 5 up until his Bad Tour in 1988.
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson / Michael / Universal
Michael died aged 50 from acute Propofol intoxication and other prescription drugs administered by his personal physician, Conrad Murray, at his Los Angeles home in June 2009. It was less than three weeks before he was due to begin his 50-date This Is It concert residency at The O2 in London.
However, while the film celebrates his artistry, it sidesteps the controversies that followed him in his later life, portraying him as an eccentric but innocent innovator rather than examining the child sex allegations that began in 1993.
Amid the renewed attention, an unearthed interview has resurfaced highlighting Jackson’s own words about his affinity for children.
In an extract from 1994 book Michael Jackson: The Bad Year by Rick Sky, the singer reveals a distrust of adults, whilst admitting the company of children provided him with peace.
He said: "I love children so much. Sometimes I think I would like to get married, but I know I can’t because I have so many things to do. But I would love to have kids, I’d like to have twenty. I’d like to adopt them, I really would. They’re everything I wish the world would be – they don’t know any prejudice, they’re not phoney and if they don’t like you, they’ll tell you.
"Grown-ups pretend they like you when deep down inside they hate you.
"When I’m upset about a recording session, I’ll dash off to the school yard just to be around them."
Michael first faced allegations of child sexual abuse in 1993 when Evan Chandler - a dentist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles - accused the singer of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son Jordan Chandler, who was a frequent guest at Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, California.
Michael settled a civil case with the Chandler family for $25 million, but Jackson and his legal team always stressed that this was not an admission of guilt.
A decade later, scrutiny intensified following the airing of Martin Bashir's documentary Living with Michael Jackson, in which the pop star admitted on camera that he allowed the boys who visited his Neverland home to sleep in his bed.
In 2005, Jackson was charged with molesting Gavin Arvizo - who had appeared in the documentary cradling into Jackson and admitting he had slept in the singer's bed and was 13 years old at the time of the alleged abuse.
Jackson was indicted on four counts of molesting a minor, four counts of intoxicating a minor to molest him, one count of attempted child molestation, one count of conspiring to hold the Arvizo family captive and conspiring to commit extortion and child abduction.
The case became a global media spectacle, with testimony from both accusers and high-profile defence witnesses such as Macaulay Culkin and Chris Tucker. He was ultimately acquitted on all counts.
Despite the verdict, the allegations have continued to shape public perception. Jackson left Neverland Ranch following the trial, saying it no longer felt like home after police raids.
Years later after his death, Dan Reed's powerful 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland focuses on James Safechuck and Wade Robson's allegations that Michael abused them as children after befriending them and their families.
Safechuck alleged the abuse occurred from 1988 to 1992, while and Robson said it happened from 1990 to 1996.
In January 2019, the Jackson estate issued a statement condemning Leaving Neverland. It said: "The two accusers testified under oath that these events never occurred. They have provided no independent evidence and absolutely no proof in support of their accusations."
