Unearthed video of a 1996 interrogation shows Michael Jackson smirking, squirming, and giggling as he is questioned about sexual abuse allegations against him.

The Daily Mail obtained footage from an hours-long interview at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City connected to a lawsuit brought by former employees of Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, accusing Jackson of threatening staff who may have witnessed his questionable behavior with children who visited the ranch, some who had already accused Jackson of molesting them.

Only Jackson can be seen in the video, as the plaintiffs’ lawyer Michael Ring questions him about his relationship with children like Jordan Chandler, whose parents had accused Jackson of sexual abuse three years earlier, and Macaulay Culkin, who had a close friendship with Jackson as a child but never accused him of abuse.

Jackson’s legal advisors can be heard responding to Ring’s questions — often directing Jackson not to answer — as Jackson smiles, giggles, yawns, and sometimes appears surprised or confused by the questions. In the 10-minute excerpt compilation published by the Daily Mail, Jackson says little about the allegations themselves, but at one point speaks emotionally about false rumors about himself, and says that he is trying to follow Jesus’s example by having positive relationships with children.

The interrogation video comes just over a week after the Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Leaving Neverland,” a explosive documentary that reportedly includes graphic allegations of abuse from two of Jackson’s accusers.

[Feature image: Daily Mail video screenshot]