Comic recounts MJ versus Bubbles tale

Jay Mohr -- the actor and frequent Vegas comedian -- claims a former bodyguard for Michael Jackson says MJ used to hit Bubbles the chimp, and Bubbles finally struck back.

Mohr is acquainted with a man "that was Michael's bodyguard for a very, very long time," he says on a recent edition of his "Mohr Stories" podcast.

That man said Jackson would try to put shoes on Bubbles, but "Bubbles would grab Mike." And then Jackson "would punch Bubbles in the face," Mohr said.

"This is all true by the guy that (expletive) stood there and saw all of this, who I will have on this podcast one day. And I won't say his name until he agrees to come on," Mohr said.

"He (the bodyguard) used to say, 'Mike, you better stop (expletive) with that ape,' " Mohr said.

"So one day, Bubbles just (expletive) grabs Mike by the collar, like he's shaking the (expletive) out of Mike."

This isn't the first such story. Nine years ago, La Toya Jackson's ex-husband Jack Gordon claimed MJ hit and kicked Bubbles. MJ denied those claims.

Mohr's bodyguard story continues: When Bubbles was then kept in the Neverland zoo, he smeared feces on Make-A-Wish Foundation kids:

"He would wait until the kids got super close for photos, and then he would ... rub (expletive) on the back of their heads."

Mohr went on to say that via meeting with sick and dying children, MJ "cherry-picked kids who wouldn't be around to tell." But Mohr never suggested what activities MJ cherry-picked them to enjoy.

By the way, some MJ bodyguards have given interviews to ABC News, suggesting they are writing a book that would dispel gay rumors. Those ABC interviews haven't referred to Bubbles.

But on that same summer podcast, Mohr's wife, "Las Vegas" actress Nikki Cox, said it was "super creepy" when she was the only girl dancer in an MJ video called "Badder," featuring little boys who re-created the "Bad" video.

"He recast his 'Bad' video with all children, and we rehearsed it for, like, two months," Cox said.

"It got worse because Michael wouldn't meet us. So he would send Bubbles, his chimp, in to entertain us during rehearsal. Mr. Jackson would sit in his trailer. And we would have to rehearse in the street, so he could watch without actually breathing our germs."

Also on that podcast, comedian Doug Benson described what it was like when he was an extra in MJ's "Captain EO" video:

"On the set of 'Captain EO,' he had, at that point, a little friend. ... In between takes, the kid would just sit in his lap. And they would just whisper to each other and giggle.

"Michael was great to that kid. My argument is just that: Where is that kid's parents?" Benson asked. "I really don't think he meant to harm any kids."

"What a bizarre, bizarre dynamic," Cox said.

Whenever Jackson was confronted about kids, he acknowledged sleeping with boys but denied doing anything sexual with them.

A representative for Jackson's estate declined to comment for this column.

Benson observed that "Captain EO" has returned to Disney parks as a tribute attraction: "As soon as he was dead, he was a saint again."

Cirque du Soleil's MJ show is scheduled to open at Mandalay Bay this winter. In the show, a Bubbles character (a person in a suit) portrays a DJ.

The real Bubbles, 28, lives in Florida. See him at CenterForGreatApes.org, where Bubbles is quoted, asking for donations to "help financially with my care."

Doug Elfman's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Contact him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.