Who Is Brett Barnes and Where Is He Now in 2019?
Leaving Neverland: What to Know About Michael Jackson Defender Brett Barnes
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Barnes has not been seen in public since the 2005 trial, but in the wake of Leaving Neverland, Barnes has resurfaced online, once again defending Jackson. An unverified twitter account that goes by the handle @IAmBrettBarnes claims to be him, with tweets and retweets in Jackson's defence and attempts to discredit the other accusers.
In one tweet from Jan. 29, Barnes wrote, "So people are getting their facts from a movie now? I wonder how they feel about the documentary showing the great alien invasion of '96. I think it was called Independence Day." Another tweet, dated Jan. 30, reads, "Not only do we have to deal with these lies, but we've also got to deal with people perpetuating these lies. The fact that they fail to do the small amount of research it takes to prove these are lies, by choice or not, makes it even worse."
TMZ also reported that Barnes is threatening to sue HBO over Leaving Neverland. Barnes reportedly claimed that the documentary implies that he was molested by Jackson and wants all references to him and uses of his image to be removed from the film. The documentary does include a caption that reminds viewers that Barnes, along with Macaulay Culkin, have always maintained the innocence of their relationships with Jackson.