Michael Jackson's former bodyguard has spoken out after a photo of the late singer with convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein surfaced in recently released U.S. Department of Justice documents.

The undated image shows Jackson in a suit and dark sunglasses standing next to Epstein, who is casually dressed in a hoodie.

Although the files don't allege any wrongdoing by Jackson, Matt Fiddes took to social media to explain the context.

House Hunting in Palm Beach

Fiddes, 46, said the encounter occurred during a week of house hunting in Palm Beach, Florida. Jackson was reportedly considering a move to the area to be closer to his friend Barry Gibb.

"We were just viewing houses as Michael wanted to live on Palm Beach so he can be close to his friend Barry Gibb," Fiddes told U.S. Express.

He added that at the time, Jackson and his team "never even knew who Epstein was. He was not famous then."

According to Fiddes, the singer's interaction with Epstein was incidental. Epstein's residence was one of several properties they toured with a real estate agent, and like other homeowners, he simply wanted a picture with Jackson.

Fiddes stressed that Jackson "never had a clue" who Epstein or the other property owners were and that "Michael would always be polite to everyone he met."

The photo, which Fiddes said was taken in 2003 while Jackson was collaborating with Gibb, included Jackson's other bodyguard and physician. "Epstein was not in Michael's financial circles," Fiddes insisted, calling speculation connecting them "all nonsense."

Documents and Reactions

The release also included images of Jackson with former U.S. President Bill Clinton and vocalist Diana Ross, similarly without context and not implying wrongdoing.

Following the document dump, Clinton's press secretary emphasized that the files were released in compliance with law and deadlines, and not as part of a cover-up. "The White House hasn't been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton," the statement said, per The Guardian.

The DOJ published over 300,000 pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but many contained heavy redactions to protect more than 1,200 victims. Some survivors and legal experts have questioned this approach. Ashley Rubright, who was abused by Epstein at 15, said, "Seeing completely redacted pages, there's no way that that's just to protect the victims' identities, and there better be a good reason."

According to ABC News, prominent attorney Gloria Allred also criticized the process, noting, "We have had to notify the DOJ about names that should have been redacted that weren't redacted..."

"This is a major concern because the law clearly indicates... that the names and any identifying information of the survivors must be redacted."

Fiddes, who served as Jackson's bodyguard for roughly a decade before the singer's death in 2009, said he is surprised the truth about the Palm Beach encounter has not been widely reported. "It was making big news as we looked at houses with him on Palm Beach, so I am surprised the truth is not being told," he wrote.

Originally published on Music Times

Tags
Michael Jackson, Jeffrey Epstein