For months, there have been rumors speculating that Lindsay Lohan has been romantically involved with Mohammad bin Salman, the controversial crown prince of Saudi Arabia known as MBS — who most Americans probably know as the Middle East royal who's been accused of ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Now Lindsay's father, sometime reality TV star Michael Lohan, is weighing in on his actress-turned-reality TV star daughter's relationship with the Saudi ruler.
"They are just friends. Lindsay has a lot of powerful friends in the Middle East, because she is huge out there," Michael told Page Six at Denise Rich's Angel Ball on Oct. 28. "Lindsay met MBS because of the work she has been doing in the Middle East. She is working to help people in the region, particularly refugees."
Michael went on to lament that Lindsay, who spends a lot of time in Dubai and recently served as a judge on "The Masked Singer" in Australia, doesn't get enough credit for her humanitarian work. "Nobody writes about the good work Lindsay does in Syria, they just want to hear the bad stuff," Michael said. "She has a platonic and respectful relationship with MBS, nothing more."
Michael also defended MBS with respect to allegations that he masterminded the 2018 killing of the Washington Post journalist and that he's imprisoned family members. "None of that has proven to be true," Michael said. "Lindsay says he's a good person. She feels safe, she has good people around her, and she knows how to conduct herself."
Questions about Lindsay's connection to MBS kicked off in August when Page Six published a report revealing that a rumor was going around teasing a growing relationship between the actress and the royal, with whom friends said Lindsay had been texting. The New York Post gossip column wrote that there were claims "that he's been flying her around in his jets and showering her with presents — including a gift-wrapped credit card."
Lindsay's rep denied that MBS gave the star a credit card and told Page Six that Lindsay and MBS had only met once, in the summer of 2018 at a Formula One Grand Prix race.