‘Innocent’ explanation over Michael Jackson’s picture with Epstein, bodyguard says

Fresh scrutiny of newly-circulated Jeffrey Epstein-related photographs has pulled the late King of Pop Michael Jackson back into the conversation, decades after the photos were taken. One image shows the singer inside a Palm Beach property alongside the disgraced financier, while another captures him on a private jet with Bill Clinton, Diana Ross and others. According to Jackson’s former bodyguard Matt Fiddes, however, the context has been lost entirely, replaced by assumptions that ignore what he says was actually happening at the time. (Picture: REUTERS)

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Fiddes says that the Palm Beach photograph dates back to late 2003 or early 2004, when Jackson was quietly exploring relocating to Florida. The singer had been spending Christmas with a friend while working hard in the studio, prompting him to consider buying nearby. Over a period of about three weeks, Fiddes says that his super-famous employer viewed dozens of properties, moving quickly between them with a small entourage and using false names to avoid attention during what was already a heavily reported house hunt. (Picture: Matt Fiddes/SWNS)

The former bodyguard says one of these houses belonged to Epstein, who asked for a photo with the star – as did many other owners at ‘numerous’ properties they visited during the search. He added that Jackson had no idea who Epstein was and that the pair were only being linked now ‘as a distraction’. Fiddes said: ‘He was spending Christmas with a friend in Florida. He was recording an album with Barry Gibb on a daily basis and wanted to move to Palm Beach. He had 30 viewings of properties. We blasted through them in a couple of weeks. He didn’t end up buying them due to the false allegations made against him.’ (Picture: SWNS)

He added: ‘Wherever he would go people would want to take pictures of him. That happened numerous times at these properties and this would have been one of them,’ he said. Jackson, he claims, would not have known who Epstein was even if introduced, nor would Epstein have known it was Jackson coming to view the house due to the singer using aliases such as ‘Mr. Sterling’. (Picture: SWNS)

According to Fiddes, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the specific viewed property that was later linked to Epstein. It was simply one of many mansions being shown by an estate agent over a short burst of viewings. At the time, Epstein was selling the house and had not yet gained any kind of wider notoriety. Fiddes insists that no one in Jackson’s circle knew who he was, adding that the singer wouldn’t have been told the owner’s identity before arriving at the viewing. (Picture: SWNS)

‘Michael would only really take financial advice from Mohamed Al Fayed over in London,’ Fiddes said. ‘Epstein would not have known it was Michael coming to the house. He went under false names and it would have been booked under Mr. Sterling. His search was heavily publicised at the time.’ In his view, the resurfaced image has been stripped of all practical context and unfairly folded into a much later scandal. (Picture: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

‘I’ve had enough of it,’ he said. ‘It’s got ridiculous. They are picking the most famous dead man to distract from the real issue. He cannot speak back. But I was there and I know what was going on. I knew what the mission was. This is just a distraction to get away from the real subject of the redacted documents.’ (Picture: Getty)

Attention has also fallen on a separate image showing Jackson with Clinton and Ross, which Fiddes says was taken during a Democrat-organized charity benefit. ‘Every star imaginable was there. It had nothing to do with Epstein. It was taken on a private jet on the way back to Florida,’ he said. According to Fiddes, such settings, meetings and photos were routine for Jackson, who frequently travelled with large groups of celebrities. (Picture: The US Justice Department/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

He added: ‘They are clearly going after Clinton and he was a good friend of Michael. But it was nothing that wasn’t normal.’ Fiddes continued: ‘Michael would often be on a private jet with a heap of celebrities. None of us even knew who Epstein was. Of all the pictures to release, why these two? Michael is just being used as a scapegoat.’ Fiddes says he managed Jackson’s calls directly and never encountered Epstein’s name. ‘I used to pass the phone to Michael as we had a call list of who he would speak to and who he wouldn’t. Epstein was never on any list,’ he said. (Picture: Matt Fiddes/SWNS)

Beyond the photographs, Fiddes strongly rejects long-standing allegations against Jackson, saying his years of close contact never raised concern. ‘Michael was not into children. I spent thousands of hours with Michael as did my friends and family and this allegations are nonsense,’ he said. He described strict security measures, including CCTV at hotel suites and zero tolerance for children entering private spaces. ‘As a father I would have been the first person to alert the police if I thought Michael was up to no good,’ he said, adding that Jackson’s rooms were only ever closed off when adult girlfriends were present. ‘Michael isn’t here to defend himself. I have six kids. If I thought anything was going on I would have been the first to dob him in. But there was nothing – it is all lies and absolute nonsense.’ (Picture: Matt Fiddes/SWNS)

‘Innocent’ explanation over Michael Jackson’s picture with Epstein, bodyguard says

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