Gene Simmons on Jackson: Kids who accused him of molestation should be heard
July 3 - Toronto — Gene Simmons says he's heard enough celebrity tributes to Michael Jackson, and wants to hear from the kids who accused the late pop singer of molestation.
Simmons, the bassist/vocalist for classic rock stalwarts Kiss, says he's less interested in Jackson's talent than he is in accusations that the singer molested young boys.
"I want the kids who've accused him, to be blunt, of molestation, to have their say," Simmons told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview from Los Angeles on Thursday.
"I want to hear what they have to say. Not celebrities. Let's celebrate the talent and everything later, let's just figure out if there are any victims here." ...
Simmons, who's a popular - and reliably outspoken - reality TV star in addition to a rocker, said he initially declined to provide his opinion on Jackson, but that enough time had elapsed since the singer's death for him to break his silence.
Simmons said he knew Jackson roughly 26 years ago. At the time, Simmons was living with Diana Ross and found Jackson to be "charming and shy and self-effacing, you know, very pleasant, obviously talented."
Jackson paid millions of dollars to settle out of court with a 13-year-old who accused him of molestation in 1993, Simmons noted.
"I want to know what that boy has to say," Simmons said.
"So while it's sad that (Jackson) had this sad life and I understand, that's horrible - Michael's not the only victim. I want to know what these boys have to say."
4 comments:
How could you even be like that. Your jealous because he made it so much farther then you. And people stopped in the tracks when they found out he was gone, and stopped paying attention to you!
The boy from the latest trial came out and said his father forced him to say those things for money. Problem is the media doesn't focus on those things because they want only the negative.
Jealous are we?...that Michael had a stronger hold on Diana than you did? or your career can't even stand in the shadow of Michael's? or that when you die we'll discuss it for no more than a day?.....
this comment is to stephanie and anonymous you guys are stupid you have no more sense then G-d gave an ASS.Gene S jealous of Jackson someone who had serious issues so much so that he wasn't happy being black he wanted to be white with all the plastic surgery to change his nose etc.... Get real Diana Ross aint all that!
As a Michael Jackson music fan, a mother, and having had a childhood with years of sexual abuse, I, too, feel that we need to hear those kids out. Sometimes, it's easier to pretend it never happened. There is fear and guilt involved. Children who are abused often want to protect their abusers. So, if the abuse did occur and the children redacted their claims, it could be because they felt guilty or overwhelmed and embarrassed by the media, family, and friends prying into what these children feel ashamed of. It could be because of fear.
They could also be scammers, but when it comes to children, can we safely assume that these children weren't in harm's way just because it was Michael Jackson?
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