Debunking The Ramblings Of Bill Whitfield
April 2, 2020
Bill Whitfield, a former bodyguard who served Michael Jackson from late 2006 until the day of his death in June 2009, co‑authored the book Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days with Javon Beard, another of Jackson’s bodyguards who was later convicted of armed robbery.
Following the release of Leaving Neverland in March 2019, Whitfield became increasingly vocal about the relationships between Jackson and the film’s main subjects, Wade Robson and James Safechuck. His comments have often been cited by fans seeking to discredit the documentary and its allegations.
However, Whitfield’s assertions warrant careful scrutiny. His employment began many years after the period in which the alleged abuse took place, meaning he had no direct knowledge of the events in question. Despite this, some have treated his statements as authoritative, making it all the more important to assess the credibility and relevance of his claims.
It is also worth acknowledging Whitfield’s financial and personal investment in maintaining a positive narrative around Jackson. Since 2014, he has earned income from his book, which was later adapted into the 2017 film Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland. His social media activity further reflects a consistent pattern of self‑promotion centred on both himself and his book. Taken together, these factors indicate a clear incentive to defend the public image of someone who has been a significant source of income for him.
Even if Bill insists there is no financial motive behind his praise of Jackson, it is difficult to ignore the tone of some of his tweets. Several are not only demonstrably untrue, but delivered with a petulance that feels more akin to a sulking child than a credible commentator.
Let's begin:
I need to know who the HBO producers are behind the documentary. I need to let them know Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck are con artists! During my tenure with MJ, I never met these dudes, and you had to go through me to see MJ. They are liars!!
The reality is that Bill never encountered Wade or James as children, nor was he present during the period in which the alleged abuse took place. James Safechuck’s connection with Jackson began in the late 1980s, while Wade Robson’s started in the early 1990s. Both men had very limited contact with Jackson after 1995, and any meetings that did occur were sporadic.
By contrast, Whitfield only began working for Jackson around 2006–07, long after James had ceased any relationship with him, and at a time when Wade has said he visited only once, in 2008. Given this timeline, Whitfield’s emphatic claim that “They are LIARS!!” is misleading and fundamentally inaccurate. He was never in a position to know what did or did not happen to them as children, and therefore cannot credibly speak to the truth of their experiences.
They supposedly traveled the world with Michael Jackson and not one damn pic.....GTFOH!
James accompanied Jackson on the Bad tour in 1988, and there is extensive photographic and video evidence documenting his presence. Much of this material is readily available on YouTube, with additional clips featured in Leaving Neverland.
In Wade’s case, although he never claimed to have travelled the world with Jackson or taken part in any of his tours, there is likewise both video and photographic footage showing him with Jackson.
Ok, the leaving NL fiasco is a big SCAM! These dudes are comedians. Not one damn pic with MJ outside of a backstage pass after winning a MJ dance contest. I can't believe Oprah jumped on board with this bull shit!
And...
Wade supposedly spent 7-years with MJ, along with his family....and nobody had a camera....GTFOH! (6 mar).
To put things into context, I carried out a Google search for photographs of Bill Whitfield with Michael Jackson and, at best, found six or seven. All of them were taken in public by members of the public or the press. Unless Bill is sitting on dozens—if not hundreds—of private photographs that have never been released, it is fair to say this is a remarkably small number for someone who worked for Jackson between 2006 and 2009.
Moreover, Bill should be well aware that anyone invited into Neverland Ranch was required to surrender any camera equipment. In some cases, visitors were also asked to sign agreements confirming they would not disclose private information. This was standard procedure, and Jackson’s security team enforced it strictly.
This is supported in Leaving Neverland, where Wade Robson’s grandmother describes how thorough Jackson’s security guards were in ensuring nobody entered with a camera. Her account directly contradicts the idea that large numbers of private photographs should exist.
Nevertheless, it would be unreasonable to claim that James, Wade, or their family members were not close friends of Jackson simply because there are few photos or videos of them inside his private properties.
It is also worth remembering that Wade, his mother, and his sister gave an interview in 1993 in support of Jackson, and later testified in his defence during the 2005 trial. At no point did either the defence or the prosecution question the length or closeness of their relationship with Jackson.
The Safechucks were Michael Jackson groupies (Not Fans) after the Pepsi promo tour they fell in love with MJ and started following his tours all over the world doing all they could to be seen, dressing up like MJ. They even harassed us in Vegas. GTFOH!
There is unequivocally no evidence to suggest that the Safechucks were merely “groupies”. Michael Jackson personally invited the family to join his tour and, together with MJJ Productions, arranged and paid for their travel, accommodation, meals, and other expenses. These logistics were overseen by Jolie Levine, a member of Jackson’s team responsible for coordinating such arrangements.
The Safechucks also spent numerous days and nights at Neverland Ranch, Jackson’s private residence. These details make it clear that their involvement with Jackson was far more substantial than the dismissive characterisation Bill is attempting to promote. Once again, he is making unfounded allegations that have no basis in fact.
Neither Wade, Jimmy or their families were at Mr. Jackson's memorial services. #fantasyland
Wade Robson and his family were indeed present, a point supported by a 2009 email shared by Taj Jackson. In that email, Wade confirmed the list of family members who would be attending the memorial. He did not, however, attend the private funeral.
As for James, he had no contact with Jackson after 2005. Unless members of the Jackson family still had up‑to‑date contact details for him or his parents, there was never any realistic prospect of him being invited or attending. There is no conspiracy here; several other so‑called “special” friends were also absent, including Brett Barnes.
I'm not going to dispute any relationship others say they had with Mr. Jackson, however if these ppl honestly knew him I don't recall them visiting or checking on MJ as a friend would do. please don't tell me how well someone knew MJ when they weren't there when he needed them.
Bill now claims that he is not going to dispute anyone’s relationship with Jackson, despite having done exactly that for some time. As already noted, James Safechuck had no contact with Jackson after 2005, and Wade visited him only once in 2008. Brett Barnes has also stated, in an interview with The MJ Cast, that he visited Jackson in Bahrain around the same period — yet Bill makes no mention of this at all.
This dude Jimmy lived in Simi Valley $$$, was in a Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial, dressed like Michael Jackson and you didn't have no Michael Jackson pictures/posters hanging in your room?! GTFOH
I fail to see how living in Simi Valley or appearing in a Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial has any relevance to James not having Michael Jackson posters in his bedroom. Moreover, the decision to dress up as Michael Jackson came after he had already formed a friendship with him, not at the time the crew visited.
These fools said they had dinner st Neverland after MJ went to court. There were NO VISTORS during that time outside of family and lawyers, lying MFs, GTFOH!.#fantasyland
Chantelle Robson testified that the family arrived at Neverland approximately the day before Wade’s 5 May testimony. Brett Barnes and his family also arrived at the Ranch and remained there for roughly three weeks prior to giving their own testimony.
If MJ was mess'n around with both boys at the same time why didn't they ever see each other?...... GTFOH!
Jackson did, on occasion, invite several boys to stay at Neverland or accompany him to other locations. Wade and James have never denied encountering each other, or meeting other boys, during their childhoods. In fact, in both a Billboard interview and the Oprah special (at around 8:38), they explicitly state that they met at least twice: once during the filming of the Jam music video, and again during a weekend at Neverland.
Leaving Neverland also makes this clear. Wade describes a group sleepover that included Jordan Chandler and Macaulay Culkin, while James recalls spending time in one of Jackson’s condos with Brett Barnes. These accounts directly contradict the fan‑fabricated claim that the boys insisted they “never met anyone else”.
What Wade and James have consistently said is that the abuse occurred when no other boys were present — not that they never encountered other children, nor that they never met each other.
This photo is photo shopped! (Click here to see the photo in question).
And...
And the notes, voicemails and faxes are also fake! (9 mar, 2019.)
What is the source of these ludicrous assertions? Did they originate from a random individual on social media, or did he simply pluck them from his derrière? Wherever they came from, Whitfield has chosen to amplify them as if they were credible supporting evidence. Yet these claims have no foundation whatsoever. He has produced no proof of tampering, nor has he shared the supposed “original” and “unaltered” photographs, or offered any explanation for why the faxes are not from Michael Jackson.
Moreover, the photographs of Safechuck with Jackson have been publicly available long before the allegations were made. The suggestion that they were manipulated or fabricated is not only baseless but easily disproven by the public record.
If you've read my book you know I didn't meet Mr. Jackson until December 22, 2006, based on that how can I definitively speak on a train station being built? There are permits that state when the train station was built, so why are we even discussing it.
When Bill is questioned about the Neverland train station, which he mentions in his book as having been built around 1990, he now insists he has no knowledge of anything that happened at Neverland before December 2006.
Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t that mean Bill—despite his increasingly unhinged ramblings—has absolutely no basis for claiming whether Wade Robson or James Safechuck were abused by Michael Jackson in the 1980s and 1990s?
I’ve never read his book, and probably never will, but judging by his misleading and petulant tweets, I struggle to imagine it is entirely factual. Still, if it follows the golden rule of glorifying Jackson, I’m sure the fans will lap it up.
With permission, the following article was translated and enhanced from The Truth about Michael Jackson.
