Maureen Orth Recounts Michael's Drug Addiction, The Molestation Charges And Why He Would Have Wanted To Die Like This

Vanity Fair scribe Maureen Orth covered Michael Jackson in depth when he was alive, and Friday morning during a lengthy segment on "Morning Joe" she talked about his death and in some of the frankest terms heard since the news of his passing.

Orth said, among other things, that his isolation was partially self-imposed and helped him play with boys, that his fame and money got him off of child molestation charges, that he suffered a crippling drug habit and that the publicity-seeking Jackson would have wanted to die as he did.

"I was wondering if it wasn't one last stunt in order to promote his concert tour," Orth said she had thought when she first heard news had he been taken to the hospital.

She said of Jackson's supposed drug use, "He had a terrific drug problem, starting when he checked himself into rehab to escape molestation charges in '94."

She later said she watched Jackson pop pills during the 2005 trial and that he was often "zombie-like."

"He was surrounded by sycophants," Orth continued, "He isolated himself so much, but honestly I think a lot of that isolation was self-imposed so he could play with little boys and do whatever he wants."

"His celebrity got him off the charges when he had that trial," Orth said of 2005. "As big a genius he was with music he was also that big a failure as a human being, in my opinion."

"I think this ending is great for Michael," Orth said when asked about his death and the outpouring of emotion and media blanketing. "He would have wanted to go out this way."

You can also read Orth's 2005 article on his child molestation trial, his debt and supposed drug use, "C.S.I. Neverland," here.

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Comments

[Kittycouture]

Your comments are based only on your personal opinion and not the facts. Mr. Jackson did not "buy" himself out of molestation charges because he never molested young boys. It was evident in both cases due to the overwhelming court evidence that both of these children were prodded into lying for their money hungry parents who's soul interest was to extort as much money from Mr. Jackson as possible. MJ donated millions of his own dollars to help children in distress and thousands of disadvantaged children have come to Neverland to enjoy his hospitality. You judge him because he liked the company of children and enjoying simple pleasures such as riding on roller coasters? How would you act if your whole childhood was stripped from you at the age of 5 and you were beaten into performing and supporting a very large family from such a young age? As far as his skin color, he had Vitiligo something that a good friend of mine suffers from and only de-pigmented the surrounding skin so that he did not look like a spotted leopard. Have you seen anyone that has Vitiligo that does not de-pigment their skin to match the white patches? It is not a pretty sight and he would have been considered more of a "freak" for walking around with large splotches of completely white skin against a dark complexion. Do more research next time and don't trash other poeple who's shoes you have never walked in.

[katedog]

Peace Mike. Peace.

[katedog]

Rest in Peace, Mike.

[stephan1947]

Shalom & good evening, Maureen, after all these years. We talked shortly after both of us had talked with Bob Dylan in Chicago, January 1974, and, if memory serves, we had a mutual acquaintance (a wonderful lady whose name is lost to me) here in Santa Cruz. In another lifetime, I wrote much of Dylan and the Kabbalah...and read equally closely your work. Amidst all of the nonsense being said during the past week, it is predictable that those addicted to what Harlan Ellison called 'the glass teat' ('broadcast jounalism' is a mutual contradiction) have never mentioned what you have written of: 1)Michael Jackson molested boys; 2) it has been nearly thirty years since Jackson had released anything of significance, as far as I am concerned, and even 'Thriller' was riddled with bubble-gum posturing; 3) he used his money to buy his way out of prison, and to support his addictions. I will not be surprised if the final autopsy results show a body riddled with needle tracks. He was, for want of a better word, a pedophile fraud. 'King of Pop' is meaningless. 'Pop' does not exist. At any rate, Maureen, I am delighted your voice is being heard.
Shalom welitra'ot. STEPHAN PICKERING / CHOFETZ CHAYIM BEN-AVRAHAM

[Teeswaran]

Shalom?
And then you strew numerous judgments, opinions, biases and criticisms?
Wow .... only peace on earth and beyond or the chosen few......

[Teeswaran]

Yes - only shalom/peace for an entitled few among the living and the dead.....
True peace is found in restraining from judgment of others.

[joyhamliton38]

Let the man rest in peace. Our sorry media talks boo boo about everyone. I for one could care less about what this woman wrote about MJ. I love his music. RIP MJ!

[cdiasmd]

Seems most of you have skimmed over key facts here.
Ms Orth's VF article was published in 2005 after spending 12 years covering MJ and his inner circle...she also wrote 4 other articles for VF about MJ.

Read this before passing judgement on Ms. Orth:

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2009/06/michael-jackson-is-gone-but-the-sad-facts-remain.html

[eleanorhawking]

Tell it, Maureen. Most are deaf to truth and won't listen, but keep talking anyway.

[Teeswaran]

Maureen needs a Court-ordered gag order.

[dteg]

Was she in the house. No. She is just riends with the extorting family. How objective is that.

[Clinch14]

The point is not if she told the truth or not about Michael Jackson, the point is she came on TV talking about something that was not new to anyone on this earth. Everything she said about Michael Jackson we already new. She seemed happy that Michael Jackson was dead. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. We all fall short in one way or another. What good comes out of saying such negative things about a dead man? Nothing! The man is gone.........no more trouble of this world.

[Teeswaran]

The "facts" are that the Jackson settled a lawsuit. That is no admission of guilt. Criminal investigation resulted in all charges dropped due to lack of evidence.
Second lawsuit and subsequent trial - Jackson found NOT GUILTY on all charges.
These are FACTS.
No one should be subjected to judgment over and over and over unless it is by oneself.

[Bulbul]

A book by Orth coming up and should be titled under fiction ....

[Rich Evans]

So are you saying that he didn't pay out millions to settle child molestation charges? Or is that you question whether he did hang a baby out of a window? I really have no idea why you people seem to excuse his behavior just because he made some hit records.

[BritishAmerican]

He paid millions on advise of stupid attorneys which he should never have done but if someone molests your child surely you would want them punished not just by taking monetary benefits - you'll want them in JAIL. The parents of this kid are thieves and low lives and I pray that it will catch up to them. SOON!!!

[Bude]

Great article. Finally the truth about the man comes out.

[marc1antony]

WHAT truth? all assumptions and innuendo does not make fact - I take it you believe the moon is made of swiss cheese.

[sexyrexy]

ha.. anything from the mouths of Orth & Diane dimond must be taken with a grain of salt...

I will tell you this much..

this latest rubbish alone.. Michael was bald?? ( DD repeating rubbish already categorically denied by LAPD coroners) horrors.. just look at that last of him in that gurney.. THAT'S HIS HAIR.. FOLKS!

[eleanorhawking]

Is it?

[Bude]

Do you have proof that he's not wearing a wig?

[BritishAmerican]

This is what you and your white possies consider the truth? You're delusional. The woman makes up a bunch of stories and you classify them as the truth???

[Teeswaran]

Truth?

Now - there is a subjective term.

[dteg]

This lady has some serious issues. She went on and on about the trial and her made up allegations. She knows no more than anyone else but pretends she does. She definitely has an axe to grind. Her style on Hardball was shameful and resembled Nancy Grace. Maureen Oath venom really showed throughout the whole interview.

[Bude]

Yes it did. She was outraged, and rightfully so.

[tiffanyjillian]

Uh -- and rightfully so??

How is that?

Was she a juror in his trial?? What does she know that they did not??
And as for this TRUTH that you are privy to, that has "finally" come out (as if she hasn't just rehashed 15 years of innuendo, rumor, and speculation that NO ONE can conclusively prove), how is it that YOU know what IS and IS NOT true about anything that was said? If Deepak Chopra & Miko Brando left their children alone with Michael with no concern, who the h*ll are you (from your ivory tower) to say their experience and direct, personal knowledge of this man is invalid -- yet YOUR MERE OPINION, based on rumor & allegation, is bonafide TRUTH?????

[llisa]

Well, I think that whoever takes care of "his" kids now has got to be better for them than Michael Jackson. They are still young. They probably need therapy, but they may have a chance to have some normality in their lives now.

That was my first reaction to his death.

How he lived his life bothered me not one whit except when it came to messing up children.

Even children of druggies who are not famous and weird have many many emotional scars. This could be the turning point for those children.

[mrpuddles]

I think Maureen Orth genuinely had a problem with a grown man sleeping with children. I think she is right.

[ILB]

Having a hard time trying to figure out why most people here don't have a problem with it as well.

[pluckem9c]

What happened to innocent until proven guilty..

[sexyrexy]

you know what.. still as a reporter she should be unbiased,o­bjective..­considerin­g t hat family was so suspect they were only doing it for money.

nothing about those allegations rang true.. none! it was all so contrived..

even Randy Taraborelli ,who knew MJ from his teens & wrote the best bio on MJ and who knew him-- NEVER ONCE.. believed any of these allegations! Rand, bless him never wavered.. in defending Michael.

as for having 'gay' lovers?? he said the same thing... all rumors. but on further investigation.. nothing ever panned out.

[llisa]

Yes.

He was talented, but he was a pedophile. And his fame and money let him get away with it over and over.

I cannot mourn him.

[jaydeedub]

"I think this ending is great for Michael," Orth said when asked about his death and the outpouring of emotion and media blanketing. "He would have wanted to go out this way."


WTF

[ladydragon]

I saw this woman on I think Hardball. I was outraged, the man had only been dead 24 hours and here she was on TV trashing him like she knew what she was talking about. I also saw Depak Chopra(sorry for spelling) talking about Michael on some talking head show but he seemed sad and upset that Michael Jackson had passed. I sent a nasty e-mail to Chris Matthews and the producers of Hardball, there was no reason to have this woman be on live tv talking about Michael Jackson's life when she probably has NEVER spoken to the man in person

[sshaler]

Ms. Orth's heartless comments compound the considerable pain in all this. She obviously has her own heavy weight to carry and can't help heaping it on the dead. There are so many levels of sadness conveyed in this article, it's stunning.

[sexyrexy]

for the best unbiased,factual account of these allegations-- it came f rom GQ mag.. in I believe 1994.

most of the media & the public ignored it in the most part wanting to believe the worse about MJJ,,

truly very tragic for him as it caused him utter torment & pain.

now, in his passing-- time to let the truth will out.