David Gest Goes 'On the Record'

This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," December 9, 2004, that has been edited for clarity.

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GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Tonight, another potential bombshell in the Michael Jackson (search) sexual molestation case. The New York Daily News, citing unconfirmed reports, says police found Jackson's fingerprint and a fingerprint from his accuser on the same page of pornography.

Jackson is accused of molesting the then 13-year-old cancer survivor and conspiring to hold him hostage at Neverland. Jackson has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The case goes to trial January 31. Jackson's lawyer and prosecutors are under a gag order and cannot comment on the case.

But our next guest is a long time friend of Michael Jackson. Entertainment producer David Gest (search) joins us from Memphis tonight, the site of his All Star Holiday Extravaganza, an event to feed 100,000 Christmas dinners to the needy in the south. Welcome, David.

Before we talk about Michael Jackson, I want to find out about your extravaganza. What is it?

DAVID GEST, ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCER: It was a great, great night. The Doobie Brothers, Mya, Deborah Cox, Dionne Warwick, about 40 acts and it just was a great concert with all my friends showing up and a lot of legendary stars, Jane Russell, Tippy Hedren, Barbara Rush and Gale Storm and so many.

And it was just a concert I wanted to do and raise, you know, some money from the concert to just feed the homeless, the needy, senior citizens and the disabled on Christmas Day.

And what's happened is I've taken over about ten restaurants and anybody can go into these restaurants from two o'clock to eight o'clock on Christmas Day and just say they're David's guest and have a free meal.

So, it was something I wanted to do. It was just an independent endeavor. It was not a charity show. It was something that I just got my friends together and they all flew in to Memphis and we had a great time.

VAN SUSTEREN: And it sounds like a lot of people are going to have a merry Christmas as a result of it, David.

Let me turn to the other topic. Your old friend Michael Jackson what's going on with Jackson? I mean how's he doing with these charges?

GEST: Well, I haven't spoken to him for a while now but, you know, it's a tragic, tragic story to see somebody who has given so much joy to so many people with his music and his life performing being charged with all these allegations and the D.A. who really is relentless in his quest to take him down. And, you know, it's so easy to say someone did this, someone did that, but did you hold the flashlight? Were you there?

VAN SUSTEREN: David, how did you first meet Michael Jackson?

GEST: I met him around 1970. He had moved to Encino with his brothers. We were all friends. We used to go places together and, you know, he kind of instilled in me a love for film and memorabilia, something that I was not really into at the time.

And, I was very close to his sister Latoya and I used to take Janet and Randy. We used to throw them in the back of the car and we'd all go to see a concert. And, you know, his mother kind of raised me and my mother kind of helped raise them.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Let me switch gears to another topic. I assume that there might be some level of feeling of almost vindication. Your soon-to-be ex-wife has been sued by her bodyguard, personal assistants, for beating and forced sex. Is that a vindication for you?

GEST: Oh, definitely so. I mean people come up to me on the street now and say, you know, you've been vindicated because, you know, it's one thing if it's one person saying it but and, you know, the fact that Willie Green, she bit in the chest and then another bodyguard, hit in the stomach.

And now the person closest to her, M'Hammed, who was with us everywhere, who really was her right hand, who got her through the encephalitis, you know, to see him suing her and I was as shocked as everybody about the sex charges. I mean that to me was really a shock.

But, you know, Liza Minnelli (search) is a great, great talent. She's a great woman. She has a disease called alcoholism and when she drinks she becomes another person and she gets violent and I saw her hit M'Hammed Soumayah on so many occasions.

There was a difference though. I would pick her up and put her in bed and not have her drink. At the time, he would just let her keep drinking until she would stop being violent and I didn't believe in that.

And, you know, these ridiculous accusations that I would ever, ever pay for his lawyer, I've got enough legal bills, why do I need his?

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, David, thank you very much. I hope you'll come back with us, especially as we move closer to the Jackson trial.

Thank you, David.

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