In a stunning revelation, country music icon Sheryl Crow has opened up about the unsettling experiences she witnessed while working as a backing singer for Michael Jackson during his legendary Bad tour in the 1980s. The Grammy-winning artist, now 57, shared her candid thoughts in recent interviews with The Telegraph and The Guardian, shedding light on the “really strange” behavior of the late King of Pop, who faced allegations of being a serial child molester in the explosive documentary Leaving Neverland.
Crow, whose solo career skyrocketed in the 1990s with hits like All I Wanna Do, was a key performer on Jackson’s globetrotting Bad tour from 1987 to 1989. She sang the duet I Just Can’t Stop Loving You alongside the superstar and even appeared in the music video for Dirty Diana. Despite being “starstruck” by Jackson’s larger-than-life presence, Crow admitted she was troubled by his peculiar actions, particularly his interactions with children during the tour.
“I haven’t watched Leaving Neverland, and I don’t want to,” Crow told The Telegraph. “I was around for some things that I thought were really strange, and I had a lot of questions about.” Her unease grew stronger when reflecting on the presence of James Safechuck, a young dancer who was just nine years old when he joined the tour. “I always wondered: ‘What in the world are his parents doing?’” Crow remarked in her Guardian interview, her voice heavy with disbelief and sadness. Safechuck, now one of Jackson’s accusers in Leaving Neverland, was a constant presence during the 18-month tour, raising red flags for Crow even back then.
The documentary, which aired over two nights in March, sent shockwaves through the world with graphic testimonies from Safechuck and Wade Robson, both of whom alleged that Jackson sexually abused them as children. The allegations were a gut punch to fans and a stark reminder of the controversies that shadowed the Thriller singer’s life. Crow, who described the revelations as “like a death in the family,” expressed her anger not only at Jackson but at the “huge network of people” she believes enabled his alleged behavior.
“There were a lot of exceptions made because of the damage that [Jackson] caused,” Crow said, noting his almost otherworldly aura that made him seem “untouchable” and “alien-like.” She didn’t hold back her frustration, railing against the “complicit” cronies who surrounded Jackson and allowed his alleged actions to go unchecked. “I’m mad at a lot of people,” she added. “It’s just tragic.”
Jackson, who passed away in 2009 from a drug overdose, consistently denied all allegations of sexual abuse during his lifetime. His estate has fiercely rejected Leaving Neverland, calling it a “cruel character assassination.” Yet, Crow’s firsthand account adds a chilling layer to the ongoing debate about the pop icon’s legacy. Her memories of the Bad tour paint a picture of a man whose brilliance on stage was matched by troubling behavior off it, leaving those around him questioning what they saw—and what they didn’t.
As Sheryl Crow continues to reflect on her time with Jackson, her story serves as a sobering reminder of the complexities behind fame and the responsibility of those in its orbit to speak out. For now, the All I Wanna Do singer remains haunted by the past, grappling with the “sadness” of what she witnessed and the questions that may never be fully answered.