'Guilty by association' Janet Jackson breaks down as she discusses Michael Jackson issue

express.co.uk:

Michael Jackson's child abuse accusations, she responded: "Yeah. Guilty by association. "I guess that's what they call it, right?"Talking about her late brother sees Janet break down in tears as she recalls the difficult time she and her family faced while supporting Michael in what would ultimately lead to the downfall of his music career.Throughout the late '90s and early 00s, Michael, who was often hailed as the King of Pop during his successful four decade-long run in the music industry, was challenged with a string of lawsuits from parents who accused him of child molestation at his Neverland ranch.The Thriller singer was acquitted of all charges during his 2005 trial.But since his death in June 2009, there have been more allegations made against Michael from the likes of Wade Robson and James Safechuck.

The pair utilised their 2019 HBO documentary, Leaving Neverland, to reiterate the singer's alleged inappropriate behaviour towards minors.In a statement, Michael's estate later said that Wade and James' comments were "yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson".And in April 2021, a Los Angeles judge ruled that Wade could not sue the estate over his allegations of historic molestation, after the latter claimed Michael's companies were "facilitating" the abuse.Meanwhile, in another part of the documentary, Janet, who became mum to her five-year-old son Eissa Al Mana at 50, returned to her childhood neighbourhood in Gary, Indiana, where her incredible journey began.As The Jackson 5 brothers signed their first record deal with Motown and quickly rose to become household names with hits such as ABC, Blame It on the Boogie, and I Want You Back, the Feedback.