Matt Fiddes, who served as Michael Jackson's bodyguard, has moved to distance the late pop star from Jeffrey Epstein after a photograph of the pair surfaced in the Epstein Files. The image, released in 2024, shows Jackson posing alongside Epstein at the latter's Palm Beach home.
In a statement on Instagram, Fiddes claimed Jackson was house-hunting in the area and had no idea who Epstein was. "We were just viewing houses as Michael wanted to live on Palm Beach so he can be close to his Barry Gibb," he wrote. "We never even knew who Epstein was he was not famous then." He insisted that Epstein was "not in his financial circles" and dismissed any connection as "all nonsense."
The photograph emerged amid renewed scrutiny of Epstein's connections, with pro-Jackson supporters also circulating a fake image purporting to show 'Leaving Neverland' director Dan Reed on Epstein's private plane. The actual photo depicts philosopher Noam Chomsky, and Reed has said he faced a coordinated online campaign including death threats from bot accounts.
FBI documents contained in the Epstein Files include testimony from an accuser who said Epstein arranged for Jackson to call her on her 16th birthday after she named him as her favourite singer. Another accuser, Johanna Sjöberg, said she met Jackson at Epstein's Palm Beach residence but denied giving him a massage.
Jackson's name also appears among Epstein's contacts, alongside figures such as Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger and Alec Baldwin.
