Oprah Winfrey is getting candid about the backlash she faced after interviewing Michael Jackson’s accusers, Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
During a Wednesday appearance on The Daily Show, the media mogul revealed to late-night host Trevor Noah that she experienced widespread criticism for talking to Robson and Safechuck about their involvement in HBO’s Leaving Neverland, a documentary that details their sexual abuse allegations against the late pop star.
Robson, now 36, and Safechuck, now 40, allege Jackson sexually molested them as children. The two said the abuse began when they were 7 and 10 years old.
Read More: Barbra Streisand Says Michael Jackson’s Accusers ‘Were Thrilled to Be There’
Winfrey praised the two men for their participation in the film, explaining in her Oprah Winfrey Presents: After Neverland special that the documentary revealed important truths about childhood sexual abuse.
The actress, producer and television host told Noah she doesn’t regret the interview for this very reason, saying: “I realized that a lot of people were going to get triggered by watching [Leaving Neverland]. And a lot of people will not understand what the pattern is.”
She continued: “I had done 217 shows trying to get people to understand that it’s not about one person; it’s about the pattern, it’s about the seduction.”
Winfrey then touched on the hate she received, stating: “People call it ‘molestation,’ but there is a big seducing that goes on, and the pattern of that seducing. And that was important enough for me to take the hateration for it.”
You can watch Winfrey’s appearance below.
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