Aaron Carter has a litany of bones to pick about Leaving Neverland.
Speaking with TMZ Monday, Carter—who says he at one time shared a vocal coach with Michael Jackson—defended the late singer and criticized the men at the center of the HBO doc, Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
"I remember having the time of my life with Michael," Carter said when asked about the doc. "I was about 15 years old and I remember him just sitting down with me being like, you know, 'This is kind of what you gotta do, Aaron, with your future. Be focused, stay driven, always be a perfectionist.'"
Carter added that he idolized Jackson in much the same way as Robson and Safechuck, though he takes issue with the timing of the molestation accusations.
"You're a grown man and when Michael Jackson is alive, you are backing him, you are up his ass, you're kissing his ass, you are there to testify for him under oath. And then when he dies, you decide that that's a good time to come out?" Carter said. "No. What you're doing is actually stomping on an icon and a legend's grave. You're stomping on his grave . . . I feel like, why not do it when he was alive, man?"
Asked definitively if he believed the accusations at the center of Leaving Neverland could be true, Carter again cited his own experiences with Jackson. "Not based upon my experience because . . . I hung out with Michael Jackson, I stayed at his house, I stayed in his bedroom," he said.
Also included in the interview are punching-related comments from Carter about a tweet he believes was from Robson, though Monday's report notes that Robson's attorney has since pointed out that the Twitter account in question is a fake. Carter, however, isn't fully convinced:
Paris Jackson, MJ's daughter, showed support for Carter with a heart emoji Monday following the interview's publication:
In other recent post-Leaving Neverland news, Drake's "Don't Matter to Me"—which notably features vocals from Michael Jackson—wasn't included on the setlist at his Assassination Vacation tour kickoff over the weekend.
