Michael Jackson’s siblings claim they were manipulated to deny abuse allegations

Four of the five Cascio siblings, who are accusing Michael Jackson of child sex trafficking and abuse in a recent lawsuit, assert they were conditioned to act as his “defenders” and shield him from other allegations of abuse.

“We were manipulated, we were conditioned,” Eddie Cascio shared with the New York Times in a collaborative interview with his siblings published on Friday.

He claimed that Jackson — whom he described as “the greatest star worldwide” — ingrained in them the need to stand by him when accusations surfaced publicly.

Eddie’s remarks arise as he and his siblings — Aldo, Dominic, and Marie Nicole — addressed their earlier claims that the King of Pop had “never” been inappropriate with them during their association with him.

Frank Cascio — the only sibling who didn’t partake in the lawsuit due to legal constraints — released a book in 2011 titled “My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship with an Extraordinary Man,” where he asserts that the “Billie Jean” singer never behaved inappropriately with him or his family.

Following Jackson’s passing in 2009, Eddie, Frank, and Marie Nicole also took part in an interview with Oprah where they vehemently denied that the late pop icon had ever improperly touched them.

During the discussion, Eddie even mentioned that their famed family friend “was a prey.”

“He made us feel like he was everything: a companion, a guardian, like every form of emotional aid," Eddie conveyed to the Times. “And he was.”

When asked for a response, Marty Singer, the lawyer for Jackson’s estate, directed Page Six to the attorney’s former statement describing the Cascios’ February 2026 lawsuit as a “desperate attempt to secure money.”

“This lawsuit is a desperate attempt for money by additional members of the Cascio family who have joined their brother Frank, who is already facing a legal challenge in arbitration for civil blackmail,” Singer remarked.

“The family consistently defended Michael Jackson for over 25 years, vouching for his innocence regarding improper conduct. This recent court case is a transparent attempt to manipulate the legal system in their effort to extract hundreds of millions of dollars from Michael’s estate and businesses.”

While some of the siblings assert they recognised parts of their interaction with Jackson were inappropriate, others mentioned they didn’t realize they were victims of abuse until they viewed HBO’s 2019 documentary, “Leaving Neverland,” which highlighted allegations by two men who claimed Jackson abused them.

The documentary reportedly served as the catalyst that led the four siblings to initiate a lawsuit against Jackson’s estate. In 2020, they reached a settlement resulting in a $16 million award shared over a five-year period.

After the disbursements ended and negotiations over further compensation reportedly became contentious, Frank, Marie Nicole, and Aldo filed another grievance in November 2025, accusing the late Grammy winner’s estate of coercion, cheating, and treachery in efforts to suppress their claims of abuse.

In their February 2026 legal action — where Eddie, Dominic, Marie-Nicole Porte, and Aldo Cascio allege Jackson “drugged, sexually assaulted, and raped” each of them — the family stated they met the musical icon through their father, Dominic, who was employed at the luxurious Manhattan hotel where Jackson frequently stayed.

The Cascios asserted that Jackson “infiltrated” their lives, showered them with “luxurious gifts,” “extreme attention,” and “access to his celebrity lifestyle” prior to initiating the abuse.

“He supplied them with substances and alcohol. He exposed them to adult material, including photos of naked youngsters, to normalize the situation and numb them,” according to the documents.

“He instilled fear and mistrust in them by making them believe that not only his life but also theirs and their family’s would be devastated if people discovered what he was doing to them.”