Barbra Streisand Blasted For Michael Jackson Defense On ‘Leaving Neverland’ Allegations

UPDATE II: Barbra Streisand has further amplified her apology for remarks made on the accusers of Michael Jackson and the affects of the pop singer’s alleged child molestation.

UPDATE: Barbra Streisand has issued a statement clarifying her remarks on Michael Jackson’s alleged molestration of two children, which was recently profiled in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland.

Streisand caused an uproar with remarks to the Times of London in which she defended Jackson by saying his accusers, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, were “thrilled to be there” and that the alleged abuse “didn’t kill them” because they eventually married and had children.

Streisand’s statement: “To be crystal clear, there is no situation or circumstance where it is OK for the innocence of children to be taken advantage of by anyone,” the statement reads. “The stories these two young men shared were painful to hear, and I feel nothing but sympathy for them. The single most important role of being a parent is to protect their children.  It’s clear that the parents of the two young men were also victimized and seduced by fame and fantasy.”

EARLIER: Social media has erupted with savage criticisms of Barbra Streisand, who has blamed the victims’ parents for Michael Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of children.

Speaking to the Times of London, Streisand said she believed that Jackson abused Wade Robson and James Safechuck, whose allegations of molestation by the pop singer were renewed by the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland.

But instead of blaming Jackson, Streisand reserved her scorn for Safechuck and Robson’s parents.

“I blame, I guess, the parents, who would allow their children to sleep with him,” she told the Times of London, which described her as  “surprisingly sympathetic” toward Jackson.

Adding to the shocking statements, Streisand said that Safechuck and Robson turned out none the worse for wear, since “both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.”

“His sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has,” Streisand claimed. “You can say ‘molested,’ but those children, as you heard say, they were thrilled to be there,” she said in the interview, published Friday.

So far, the Twitterverse has roundly condemned Streisand for her comments. A sample: