Dinner Before or After? Taj Jackson and Brett Barnes’ Timeline Dispute with Wade Robson

March 27, 2020

In the documentary Leaving Neverland, Wade Robson states that he and his family attended a dinner at Neverland Ranch with Michael Jackson and members of Jackson’s family on the night before he gave his court testimony. Robson recalls the gathering as a profoundly emotional moment, explaining that seeing Michael Jackson looking fragile and surrounded by his devoted children built up his conviction to testify in his defence.

Watch the clip below.

However, Taj Jackson—Michael Jackson’s nephew, who is known for promoting conspiracy theories and misinformation in defence of his uncle—strongly disputes this account. He directly challenges Robson’s version of events, claiming the dinner in question actually took place after Robson had already testified in court. Taj argues that this key detail undermines the credibility of Robson’s stated reasons for supporting Jackson during the trial.

Taj made the following tweets:

"How do you know, you weren't there."
That has been one of the main lines the press have used against me as I speak up for my uncle.

Someone sent me this part of the "doc", and I can tell you with 100% certainty, Wade's WHOLE family flat out lied on camera in this video...

If I was not physically there myself to witness this dinner, I probably would have not even questioned it.

This story beat is suppose to give Wade the motivation to "lie" under oath to "protect" Michael Jackson. Problem is, this dinner HAPPENED AFTER Wade testified.. Oops

View the original tweets at: X.com

However, a detailed review of the available facts strongly supports Wade Robson's account of the pre-trial dinner at Neverland Ranch, discrediting Taj Jackson's opposing claims.

Brett Barnes’ testimony on 5 May 2005 is particularly noteworthy, as it aligns with Wade’s account by confirming his presence at Neverland the day before the relevant events.

He gave the following answers:

Q. When was the last time you spoke with Mr. Robson?

A. Today.

Q. All right. Today you saw him. When was the last time prior to today?

A. Yesterday.

Q. Okay. So you've been staying at Neverland, have you?

A. Yes.

Q. Did you have an opportunity to talk with Mr. Robson?

A. I had an opportunity, yeah. Yeah.

Q. And did you speak with Mr. Robson?

A. Yes.

Stinson Hunter replied to Taj Jackson on Twitter, quoting Brett Barnes' testimony. In response, Brett issued a blunt and primitive denial, insisting he never spoke to Wade at Neverland and only interacted with him at court.

Brett stated on Twitter:

Hey dipshit, we were at court the day before we testified, waiting for the prosecution to rest. That's when I spoke to him. I didn't say I spoke to him at the ranch.

View the original tweets here: drive.google.com

These are the key points to take from Brett Barnes’s testimony. Firstly, when asked when he last spoke to Wade Robson, his response was simply, “Today.” Notably, Brett didn’t say it was the first and only time he had spoken to Wade, which strongly suggests they had already spoken at least a day earlier.

He was then asked when he last saw Wade prior to today, and his response was “Yesterday.” Again, it seems clear that the only likely place Brett could have seen Wade was at the ranch—not during a casual stroll through the Santa Maria countryside.

Furthermore, from the line of questioning by Ron Zonen, we learn that Brett confirmed he was staying at Neverland. Zonen then asked whether he had the opportunity to speak with Wade Robson, to which Brett gave a resounding “Yes.”

There is a strong possibility that Brett was not being truthful on Twitter, perhaps motivated by a desire to avoid disappointing Taj Jackson and the fanbase. This is suggested by the tone of his response, which seemed to indicate an awareness that Taj Jackson’s claims had already been disproven—and that he was likely aware he would face considerable hostility if he validated Wade's account as factually true.

Chantelle Robson can also support the claim that the Robson family were present at Neverland Ranch two days prior to giving evidence in court.

She offered the following responses on 6 May 2005, the day after her brother’s testimony:

Q. Okay. Now, when did you last speak to Michael Jackson?

A. When did I last speak to Michael Jackson?

Q. Yes.

A. A couple nights ago.

Q. Okay. And where was that?

A. At the ranch.

Q. Were you visiting the ranch?

A. Yes.

Q. Okay. Were you with your mom?

A. Yes.

Q. Were you with your brother?

A. Yes.

Moreover, photographic evidence available on image licensing platforms such as Getty and Alamy suggests that Brett Barnes and Wade Robson made their arrival together on 5 May. The pair were captured walking side by side as they entered the courthouse, braving the morning rain under an overcast sky. 

Following the conclusion of his testimony—after Wade’s—Brett was seen leaving the courthouse later that afternoon, accompanied by Chantelle and Joy Robson. Photographs indicate he travelled in the same vehicle as Chantelle, and possibly Joy, as they all returned to Neverland Ranch.

Chantal and Joy Robson did not testify until the following day—an important detail. If the Robson family were able to return to Neverland Ranch, share an evening meal, and engage in casual conversation despite Chantal and Joy being scheduled to testify the next morning, then there’s no logical reason why the entire Robson family couldn’t have attended an evening meal at Neverland the previous night.

Of course, this does not necessarily mean the Robsons stayed overnight at Neverland. It’s plausible that the family, who resided in Los Angeles, travelled from their respective homes to the ranch early on two consecutive mornings, and were then transported to the courthouse as a group.

However, considering the travel distance—at least 120 miles from Los Angeles to the ranch, and a further 40 miles from the ranch to the courthouse—any traffic delays would have left little margin for error. One alternative is that they may have stayed in accommodation nearby, though this too seems improbable given that the press, along with Jackson’s own fans, had likely filled the majority of hotels and private lodgings.

In either case, Brett’s testimony on 5 May—delivered the same day as Wade’s—confirms he saw and spoke to him “yesterday”. Combined with Chantelle’s account on 6 May, in which she says she spoke to Jackson at the ranch “a couple of nights ago”, this strongly suggests the family was present at Neverland on 4 May.

Additionally, the Robson family did not simply appear in court without any prior briefing from Jackson’s legal team. In an interview with John Ziegler, Thomas Mesereau made the following statement:

I interviewed Wade Robson for hours before he testified. I interviewed his mother and daughter before they testified. I called all three as witnesses; they were among the most powerful witnesses in support of Michael Jackson. Mr. Robson was a very articulate, likable, and intelligent person. He seemed like a nice person, and he was adamant that Michael Jackson had never done anything improper towards him at any time. The mother and sister backed him up; they had travelled with Wade and Michael Jackson, they had slept in Michael Jackson's bed. They said nothing improper ever happened, and they were so strongly in favour of Michael Jackson, so strongly against the prosecution of Michael Jackson that I made them all-star witnesses for the defence.

Mesereau, whose office was based in Los Angeles, temporarily relocated himself and members of his staff to the Santa Maria area to conduct face-to-face briefings with Jackson throughout the trial—while remaining within driving distance of the courthouse. The Robsons, along with the Barnes family and Macaulay Culkin, all testified during the final month of proceedings. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the “star” defence witness and his family were briefed on the essentials and took part in team-building activities prior to giving testimony. What better place than Neverland?

In conclusion, the consistency in the testimonies of Wade, Chantelle, and Joy Robson, as opposed to the weak and contradictory statements from Brett Barnes and Taj Jackson, significantly bolsters the credibility of the Robson's account of events.

And let’s be honest: why would the Robson family fabricate a pre-testimony dinner when they were fully aware that dozens of witnesses—not only Jackson family members but also Neverland staff—could contradict their account.

Update:

On 13 June 2022, The MJ Cast released an episode featuring an interview with Brett Barnes. Around one hour and thirty minutes into the episode, the interviewer, Charles Thomson, brought up the Robson family's account of a pre-testimony dinner.

You can listen to the audio below.

For context, this question appeared designed solely to further discredit and demonise Wade and his family. Although Charles Thomson repeatedly refers to Wade and James’s sworn statements in defence of Jackson, he fails to ask why Brett testified under oath that he spoke to Wade at the ranch the day before giving evidence. Instead, Brett insists the dinner occurred after both he and Wade had already testified, even claiming he discussed it with his sister and mother.

I remain unconvinced by Brett Barnes’ statements in this interview. He not only avoids addressing his 2005 testimony—an omission that seems hypocritical when he is directly accusing someone else of lying—but also undermines his credibility as a truth-teller. In reality, Brett provides nothing concrete to refute the Robsons’ presence at the dinner. He merely repeats that he does not know where they stayed. As with his original tweet, I believe he is pandering to the fanbase.