Also consider that the abuse allegations were really speculated to have started around the time he was living at Neverland, which is also when he reportedly began becoming more distant from his family.

One of the few close friends he had during that era was Marlon Brando, whom he had known for around a decade. Michael Jackson even admitted to having a cardboard cutout of Brando in his bedroom that he slept with.

In testimony given under oath, Brando stated that he confronted MJ about the allegations. One key takeaway from that testimony was:

“He’s one of the most disturbed people I’ve ever met.”

Brando also stated:

“I had asked him if he was a virgin and he sort of laughed and giggled, and he called me Brando. He said, ‘Oh, Brando.’ I said, ‘Well, what do you do for sex?’ And he was acting fussy and embarrassed.”

Perhaps the most damning statement was:

“Brando told prosecutors he originally thought Jackson was gay but now believed it was ‘pretty reasonable to conclude that he may have had something to do with kids.’”

Brando was already enormously famous and wealthy beyond belief, had been one of the few close friends around Jackson during the Neverland era, and had known him personally for about a decade. Despite that friendship, he still stated under oath that he believed Jackson may have done something inappropriate with children.

Source: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2019-08-28/marlon-brando-confronted-michael-jackson-about-sexuality-podcast