10 years after his death, the King of Pop Michael Jackson is still facing sexual abuse accusations as a new documentary, Leaving Neverland, focuses on two of his accusers who say he sexually molested them when they were young.
Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on January 25, the documentary focuses on accusations by choreographer Wade Robson, 36, and former child actor James Safechuck, 40, who have previously denied being molested by the pop star when they were children.
In the two-part four-hour film directed by British filmmaker Dan Reed, the accusers gave a gruesome account of their experiences when they were aged seven and 10 and had befriended the singer.
“I want to speak the truth as loud as I spoke the lie,” says Australian-born Robson in the documentary in which he claimed to have had sexual contact with Jackson when he moved to Los Angeles.
He said he was advised by Michael Jackson to throw away his underwear after the first sexual encounter. “It was just pain and disgust and anger, the idea that something like that could happen to my son,” he said in an interview, adding that after two nervous breakdowns, he finally revealed to his therapist the dark secret he’d been hiding.
For James Safechuck, who said the sexual abuse started when he was eleven, they engaged in sex acts many times in a castle, an attic, a pool, a train station at Jackson’s Neverland compound, he is reported to have said in the documentary.
He added that Michael Jackson told him that the two of them will go to jail if they were found to be sexually involved and he taught him how to quickly put on his clothes in case someone appears.
When he was 14, he said, the pop star staged a mock wedding with him and gave him a diamond-encrusted wedding ring after exchanging vows.
These allegations were described by the Jackson estate as “an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in” on the dead singer who has always denied abuse allegations against him while he was alive.
Until 2013, the two accusers had testified under oath in 2005 that they weren’t victimized by Jackson when they were children. They later filed civil suits against the Jackson estate in 2013 and 2014 respectively and both cases were thrown out due to technicalities.
They claim their previous testimony was untrue and was a direct result of pressure from Michael Jackson himself who had said that they would be jailed if he should be convicted.
Some film critics and fans of Michael Jackson who watched the documentary have questioned its credibility and are demanding proof of the allegations, while others think it is a reflection of the sexual molestation stories told by some accusers and the trials against Michael Jackson for sexual offences.
Mental health counsellors were reportedly at the
In 1993, he was tried for engaging in sexual acts with 13-year-old boy Jordy Chandler. The case was closed for lack of evidence. Police raided his Neverland estate in California in 2003 while investigating another case of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arizo.
The 18-month trial ended in the acquittal of Michael Jackson of all charges despite the disturbing evidence that emerged.
Here are some reactions from critics and fans of Michael Jackson after watching the documentary which will be broadcast on HBO later this year.
Just saw this #LeavingNeverland documentary. As a professional filmmaker, is easy to detect that it’s more a mockumentary than a proper impartial documentary. Couldn’t believe a word of the both “victims”. Bad acting. At times, shameful. Directing and script was even worse. 1/10
— Marcos Cabotá (@MarcosCabota) January 25, 2019
Incredibly emotional reaction from the audience after #LeavingNeverland. One audience member says he was molested as a child and that Robson and Safechuck “are going to do a lot more f–king good in the world than Michael f–king Jackson.” #Sundance
— Amy Kaufman (@AmyKinLA) January 25, 2019
Just ended. Standing ovation for Wade and James, the men at the center of #LeavingNeverland who say Michael Jackson abused then when they were kids.
— Tre’vell Anderson (@TrevellAnderson) January 25, 2019
Painful. Brutally upsetting. Triggering. My heart is incredibly broken. I’m sorry y’all. This hurts. Bad. #LeavingNeverland
— Gerrick D. Kennedy (@GerrickKennedy) January 25, 2019
Among the many, many disturbing revelations of #LeavingNeverland: MJ gave one of his young male victims jewelry in exchange for sexual acts, and even staged a mock wedding complete with vows and diamond ring. #Sundance2019
— Patrick Ryan (@PatRyanWrites) January 25, 2019
I think this documentary is going to break a lot of people’s hearts. We all love Michael Jackson, and don’t want it to be true, but we can’t be picking and choosing which victims’ stories to believe or not just because the accused is an icon. https://t.co/WkbvSVt9Hh
— Hanna Ines Flint (@HannaFlint) January 25, 2019
On a 10-min break halfway through Sundance’s 4-hour Michael Jackson child sex abuse documentary. Whatever you thought you knew or were aware of, the content of this is more disturbing than you could imagine. And again, we’re only halfway through.
— Kevin Fallon (@kpfallon) January 25, 2019
it’s halftime at the four-hour Michael Jackson doc and I’m already gonna need 400 showers to ever feel clean again. #Sundance
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) January 25, 2019
Painful. Brutally upsetting. Triggering. My heart is incredibly broken. I’m sorry y’all. This hurts. Bad. #LeavingNeverland
— Gerrick D. Kennedy (@GerrickKennedy) January 25, 2019
What really annoys me with #LeavingNeverland documentary they are talking to 2 men that testified in the original 2005 trial and said that Michael was innocent and never laid a finger on them and now all of a sudden there penniless and are now saying stuff happened!!
— Cerys_Emily_x (@Cerys_Emily_x) January 25, 2019
They’re lying and lying! Don’t be captured by them!
— TheDreamyOne (@LuciferShadowh1) January 26, 2019
My heart hurts bad for all you sickening and miserable people out there that’s believing this. I can tell you never tried to understand Michael and seen who he really was. You are falling for the wrong stuff & you are being played and you will see that pretty soon! Wait on it
— #MJInnocent ♥️ (@ImGionnaRiya) January 25, 2019
They have no evidence Michael did anything wtf
— ᴅᴀɪ ? (@Liberianbihh) January 25, 2019
Innocent until proven guilty.
— sans from undertale (@GoodSoupyo) January 26, 2019
