by ne former child star is, at least in his own eyes, blowing the lid off of one of Hollywood’s dirtiest little secrets.
Corey Feldman, star of 80s teen movies such as “Stand By Me,” “The Goonies,” and “The Lost Boys,” has come forward to say that pedophilia is rampant in Hollywood, and child stars are victimized every day.
“I can tell you that the number one problem in Hollywood was and is and always will be pedophilia,” Feldman says in a Primetime Nightline special. “That’s the biggest problem for children in this industry. It’s the big secret.”
Feldman goes on to say he was “surrounded by pedophiles” by the time he was 14, and that molestation among movie moguls and their contacts helped to bring about the drug-related death of his close friend (and often co-star), Corey Haim.
“There’s one person to blame in the death of Corey Haim,” he says in the special. “That person happens to be a Hollywood mogul. And that person needs to be exposed, but, unfortunately, I can’t be the one to do it.”
He says Haim’s struggles with addiction were a direct result of molestation by those who control the movie business.
Now if this were coming from, say, Valerie Bertinelli, Neil Patrick Harris, or some other former child star who seems to have a firm grip on reality, I would be more prone to believe the allegations. But coming from Corey Feldman, that causes some real credibility problems.
Feldman has spent his “less successful” adult years doing anything and everything he can to grab the spotlight, including an embarrassing stint on “The Surreal Life,” where he broke into tears on seemingly every episode, and was married to his girlfriend on the show by M.C. Hammer. Seriously? This is someone who wants to be taken seriously?
He also starred with Corey Haim in another “reality” series, “The Two Coreys,” which was obviously scripted and universally panned but garnered Feldman some of the attention he obviously so desperately craves.
During his early teens, Feldman was close friends with Michael Jackson. When allegations of child molestation began to surface in relation to Jackson, Feldman began a years-long dance, using the media every few years to say “I was molested, I wasn’t molested, I have blocked memories, maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t…”
If this is another attempt by Feldman to grab a headline or two, then it is just sick, in my opinion.
Watching his interview, it is obvious to me he is still “playing” for the media, and continually looks at himself in the camera.
Check out the interview here and judge for yourself.
Not that his claims do not seem plausible. There has been no secret of a “casting couch” in Hollywood for generations, and it stands to reason if men in power exploit actresses, then pedophiles can take advantage of child stars in much the same way. The problem is that the claims come from such an unreliable source. It will be interesting to see if more levelheaded child stars come forward to Feldman’s defense, backing up his claims.
This also brings up what is perhaps the most important question of all….WHERE ARE THE PARENTS???
“I knew how to read a contract by 10 years old, but I didn’t know what it meant for somebody to come in and tell me they loved me and kiss me goodnight,” Feldman says. “That’s a problem.”
From a more reliable source, that would be an intensely moving statement
