A Look Back At Macaulay Culkin's Controversial Friendship With Michael Jackson

The following article includes allegations of child abuse.

In 1993, the world watched in shock as Michael Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse for the first time. A year before these allegations came to light, Jackson befriended 12-year-old Jordan Chandler, whose father, Ethan Chandler, claimed that his son confessed to him he was being sexually abused by the "Thriller" singer. Jordan also recounted the details of the alleged abuse to a child psychologist. Later that same month, the LAPD did a thorough investigation but failed to produce any evidence that proved the abuse allegations. 

The Chandlers sued Jackson for $30 million, ultimately reaching an out-of-court settlement of $22 million. However, Jackson's troubles were far from over. In 2003, "Living with Michael Jackson" aired, and it unearthed his close friendship with a 13-year-old named Gavin Arvizo, who frequently visited the King of Pop's Neverland ranch and seemingly stayed over a lot too. Arvizo later claimed that Jackson molested him too. The accusations against him were revisited and Jackson was charged with child molestation. 

This time, the case went to trial, and Jackson called upon children like Wade Robson and "Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin to testify on his behalf since they had both stayed over at Neverland several times. Jackson met Culkin (who was 22 years his junior) in the early '90s and it didn't take long for them to form a deep bond. In 2005, Neverland Ranch staff even claimed they had seen the singer molest the actor, but Culkin has firmly denied their claims and publicly defended Jackson on several occasions to boot.

In 2004, Macaulay Culkin appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" to offer some insight into his unusual friendship with Michael Jackson. The former child star shared that he first encountered Jackson backstage during his "Nutcracker" ballet show. Culkin added that Jackson later reached out to him out of the blue and asked to meet at his home. When Culkin appeared on Michael Rosenbaum's "Inside Of You" podcast, in 2019, he argued that the pop icon had good reasons for forming a friendship with him. 

Culkin explained that as a child actor, it was difficult to find people he could relate to, pointing out, "He was the kind of person who had been through the exact same thing and wanted to make sure I wasn't alone." The "Home Alone" star also gushed, "He was f***** awesome. He was hilarious and sweet." The actor also defended Jackson's interest in children to King, by clarifying that the "Bad" singer bonded with kids because he could have fun and truly be himself around them. 

Culkin elaborated that he didn't put Jackson on a pedestal either and treated him the same as anybody else, which the superstar greatly appreciated. After the child sexual abuse allegations came to light, Jackson received tremendous backlash for letting children like Culkin sleep in the same bed as him. However, Culkin didn't believe the concept was as weird as people were making it out to be since Jackson's bedroom wasn't just his bed but a gigantic space with multiple bathrooms and floors.

When Macaulay Culkin took the stand for Michael Jackson's 2005 trial, he vehemently defended the singer. At the time, many believed Culkin's testimony was instrumental in acquitting Jackson. According to transcripts obtained by Vanity Fair, the actor claimed that nothing inappropriate ever happened between them. Culkin also clarified that he was hardly ever completely alone with the "Heal The World" hit-maker either. Speaking to Esquire in 2020, the former child star maintained his position, noting, "If I had something to speak up about, I would totally do it. But no, I never saw anything; he never did anything." 

Culkin added that he had no reason to protect Jackson since he had already died years prior. Shortly after "Leaving Neverland" aired, the actor had an awkward encounter with James Franco after the "127 Hours" star asked him for his thoughts on the documentary. Culkin countered "'Do you wanna talk about your dead friend?'" and their conversation awkwardly ended. Notably, the King of Pop made Culkin his daughter, Paris Jackson's, godfather when the actor was 17. 

Culkin confirmed during a 2018 appearance on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast that he was incredibly protective of Paris, so Culkin didn't like to bare too much about their relationship. Over the years, Paris has shared her support for Culkin several times, and the pair even got matching spoon tattoos in 2017 to signify their shared tradition of stealing spoons from eating establishments and exchanging them as gifts. 

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.