Setting the record straight. Macaulay Culkin opened up about his friendship with the late Michael Jackson on an episode of the podcast “Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum” on Tuesday, January 15.
The former child star told host Michael Rosenbaum that he met Jackson after the King of Pop “reached out” to him in the early 1990s. “A lot of things were happening big and fast with me,” explained Culkin, who starred in the blockbuster Home Alone movies. “I think he identified with that.”
Before his death in 2009, Jackson faced multiple accusations of child molestation, causing some people to speculate about the nature of his relationship with Culkin. The Richie Rich actor was even called to the stand during Jackson’s 2005 trial. “I’ve never seen him do anything improper with anybody,” Culkin testified at the time. Jackson was found not guilty and had vehemently denied the allegations.
On the podcast, Culkin explained that although Jackson was 22 years his senior, they bonded because “I was a peerless person … he had been through the exact same freaking thing. He wanted to make sure I wasn’t alone.”
The 38-year-old described the “Billie Jean” singer as “hilarious” and “sweet,” and said, “People don’t know how funny he f—ing was. He liked prank-calling people. He was really good with his voice.”
The interview came hours before a source confirmed to Us Weekly that Jackson’s 20-year-old daughter (and Culkin’s goddaughter), Paris Jackson, checked herself into a treatment facility “to reboot, realign and prioritize her physical and emotional health.” The Grammy winner was also the father of sons Prince, 21, and Blanket, 16.
A documentary about the allegations against Michael, titled Leaving Neverland, premieres later this month at the Sundance Film Festival. His estate has denounced the film, calling it “just another rehash of dated and discredited” claims.
