Written by Note: This article contains references to sexual assault that readers may find disturbing.
In a new interview with The New York Times, five siblings who grew up with close ties to Michael Jackson have discussed their decision to sue the late singer’s estate for sexual assault. The Cascio siblings, who often described themselves as Jackson’s “second family,” opened up about their alleged experiences at the hands of the pop star and why they never spoke publicly about it before. “We were brainwashed, we were groomed,” said Eddie Cascio. “I felt like he took my manhood away.”
In the interview, conducted earlier this month, Dominic, Eddie, Marie-Nicole, and Aldo Cascio spoke in detail on their respective encounters with Jackson, which allegedly occurred in Mr. Jackson’s home, on tour stops, and during interstate and international trips. Aldo, who was the first to come forward with his allegations, said Jackson began molesting him at the age of 7, when, while Aldo played on a Game Boy in his bedroom, the late singer began performing oral sex on him. Marie-Nicole said Jackson first assaulted her at age 12, while he was staying in her family home after the September 11 attacks; for Dominic, the abuse allegedly began at age 8, during a trip to Euro Disney. A fifth sibling also told the Times he was abused, but that he is unable to join his siblings’ suit for legal reasons. The Cascio parents, Connie and Dominic (who shares a name with his son), declined to be interviewed by the Times through a lawyer.
The siblings said that, after watching Leaving Neverland in 2019, they recognized similarities between their experiences and those Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two men who accused Jackson of abusing them as children in the documentary. Although some of the Cascio siblings said they knew early on what they were enduring was wrong, others told the Times it was Leaving Neverland that “deprogrammed” them and led them to see their relationships with Jackson as exploitative. “[Jackson] made us feel like he was everything: a friend, father, like every sort of emotional support,” Eddie shared in the interview. “And he was.”
The Cascio siblings sued the Jackson estate in February, alleging that the late singer abused and sexually trafficked them for periods that, collectively, spanned more than a decade. The lawsuit states that Jackson gave the children alcohol and hard drugs, using childlike language to describe the substances (“Jesus Juice” for wine, “Disney Juice” for hard liquor.) The filing further alleges that Jackson’s employees were complicit in his abuse, and often procured alcohol and drugs for him without knowing how he intended to use the substances. It also claims that Jackson stressed to the plaintiffs that they must keep their sexual acts a secret to ensure their family would not be ruined, and used various manipulation tactics—including isolating the siblings from each other, encouraging their homeschooling, and bringing them on international trips—to get closer to them.
Before filing that lawsuit, however, the Cascio siblings confronted Jackson’s estate about the alleged abuse. In 2020, both parties reached an agreement that granted the siblings roughly $16 million in payments made over five years. The accusations were kept under wraps as part of that deal. When the payments ended in 2025 and the siblings sought additional compensation, negotiations between the two parties reportedly became strained, causing the Cascio family to go public with the lawsuit and their new interview.
The Cascios’ relationship with Jackson began in the 1980s, when the singer met the elder Dominic Cascio during a stay at the Helmsley Palace in Manhattan, where Dominic was the general manager. As their friendship grew over the years, Jackson reportedly visited the Cascio family home often, brought them to his concerts and, beginning in 1993, hosted them at his Santa Barbara compound Neverland. As Frank noted in a 2011 memoir, My Friend Michael, the family rallied behind Jackson in the 1990s after he was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy, in a civil lawsuit Jackson settled for roughly $23 million in 1994. Eddie, Frank, and their father even joined Jackson on a press tour in Tel Aviv at the time to show their support. When Dominic eventually had to return home, he allowed both boys to stay; at this point, Eddie now says, Jackson began molesting him.
Jackson’s history of abuse allegations dates back to 1993, when Los Angeles police launched an investigation into the artist based on accusations that he had molested four children, including a 13-year-old boy. In September 1993, a family alleged in a lawsuit against Jackson that he had “repeatedly committed sexual battery” on their son; the Jackson estate countered that the suit was part of an attempt to extort the artist, and in 1994, prosecutors moved not to file criminal charges against Jackson after the “primary alleged victim” declined to testify.
But in 2003, Santa Barbara police arrested Jackson on 10 criminal counts, including child molestation, abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. The case went to trial two years later, and in June 2005, Jackson was acquitted of all criminal charges. He died four years later, in 2009. Robson and Safechuck, the subjects of Leaving Neverland, each filed their own lawsuits accusing Jackson of abuse after his death, in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Both of those suits are set to go to trial in November.
Debate around Jackson’s public image in light of these accusations has resurfaced with the premiere of a new biopic, Michael, which, controversially, does not explore Jackson’s history of alleged abuse. Originally slated for a 2025 release, the film’s production timeline was delayed after attorneys discovered a clause in a 1993 settlement with Jordan Chandler, who had accused Jackson of sexual abuse and whose ensuing deal with the singer’s estate prohibited the dramatization of his likeness on film. Because of this, the filmmakers had to change Michael’s original ending, which explored the 1993 allegation, with a finale centered on the preparation for Jackson’s 1987 Bad tour. Reshoots reportedly cost up to $15 million.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741
