Michael Jackson Would Have Been Accused Of Sex Attacks In #MeToo Movement, Bodyguard Claims
Feb. 25 2019, Updated 11:51 a.m. ET
Michael Jackson would have been top of the #MeToo hit list — and killed himself to dodge another sex abuse trial, his former bodyguard told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview.
The late scandal-ridden singer’s ex-minder and pal Matt Fiddes claimed hundreds of men and women would have come “out of the woodwork” to accuse him of sex attacks in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
And Fiddes insisted the shock of the allegations would have stopped Jacko from ever seeing his 60th birthday – which he would have celebrated at the end of the month had he not been killed by a massive drug overdose in 2009.
Martial arts expert Fiddes, who said he spoke to Jackson days before his death, told Radar: “Michael would have been one of the key prime targets had he lived to see the #MeToo movement."
“Maybe up to hundreds of men and women would have crawled out of the woodwork to accuse him of all sorts of horrible attacks. And I genuinely believe the shock would have killed him.”
“I have believed since the Harvey Weinstein scandal happened that Michael would never have lived to see his 60th birthday. He would have either ended up dead or in jail, or more likely both."
Fiddes claimed Jackson never really recovered from being accused of molestation in the past, and he would have killed himself before going through it again.
“If he had been forced to face trial for more accusations because of the #Me Too movement, I genuinely believe he would have killed himself with an overdose, died from the shock or if he’d gone to jail, found a way to kill himself in there."
Women from across the world have been coming forward since October to share their stories of being sexually harassed under the social media hashtag #MeToo.
But Fiddes, 39, still believes Jacko is innocent of the multiple charges of sexual abuse and child molestation that marred his life.
“I knew him so well, and I’m sure of it," he insisted.
Fiddes became friends with Jackson after he ran his security operation during his British tours.
In 2005, Jackson infamously faced abuse allegations in court, but a jury acquitted him of each of 14 counts.
In 2016, Thriller star Jackson was posthumously accused of further inappropriate relations with children by a new complainant.
The unidentified woman – Jackson’s first female complainant – filed a damages lawsuit as "Jane Doe" and said the singer “sexually abused” her when she was 12 years old.
She also claimed he paid her $900,000 "hush money" to deter her from speaking with the press.
However, the lawsuit was eventually dismissed.
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at 800-344-9598 any time, day or night.
For the biggest celebrity news stories of the day, controversies, crime, and other hot topics listen to our new podcast ‘All Rise’ below!