WITH ALL THE MADNESS surrounding Leaving Neverland—the so-called ‘documentary’ in which two admitted serial liars portray deceased pop superstar Michael Jackson as an insatiable child molester—the media seems to have forgotten about the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof.
Let’s make one thing clear. If Michael Jackson were still alive, libel and defamation laws would mean that this film would almost certainly not exist. But because Jackson is dead, anyone can say anything they like about him. His family, his children and his Estate are powerless to act because the law says that defamation doesn’t apply to the dead. The truth, or lack thereof, is irrelevant.
Directed by UK filmmaker Dan Reed, Leaving Neverland has drawn all kinds of praise from those who have seen it. ‘Powerful. Shocking. Emotional. Compelling.’ These are some of the buzz words most frequently being used to describe the on-screen drama as Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck detail the sexual acts they claim they participated in, and were inflicted on them. ‘This will change the way you think about Michael Jackson’ is another commonly spouted line. When asked whether the film presents any proof or compelling evidence beyond the word of two admitted perjurers who’re currently asking Jackson’s estate to pay them hundreds of millions of dollars, the response is usually the same: ‘Just watch the film.’
If watching the film is what those who’ve seen it recommend the public do to determine whether the allegations therein are true or not (rather than approach the allegations with scepticism and assess them based on the evidence—or lack thereof—as journalists are supposed to do), then I suggest they watch the Hard Copy segment from the mid-90s in which reporter Diane Dimond looks into allegations of sexual abuse made against Jackson by a 15-year-old boy. To save you the trouble, I’ve embedded the video below. And please, do not continue reading this article until you have watched it.
To quote Dimond’s voiceover as she details the allegations made on an 11-minute video tape sent to Hard Copy by an acquaintance of the boy:
Looking straight into the camera and using no notes, this boy proceeded to tell us in graphic detail how he and another teen were allegedly molested by the superstar … I spoke with the boy for hours and he never wavered … [He] described, in detail, the people in Jackson’s entourage, the layout of the (Neverland) ranch, and even Jackson’s family home at Encino. Later he would draw us incredibly detailed maps of both Jackson homes. It was clear that either the boy was telling the truth, or he had been well coached.
Based on his unwavering testimony that Jackson molested him, Dimond launches an investigation to corroborate the boy’s claims. She meets with the boy and conducts hours more interviews with him. The boy maintains his story. Dimond then hands the boy over to law enforcement so he can provide a sworn statement. Police question him for six hours. The boy states on the record that Jackson had molested him and provides all the graphic details. The detectives who interviewed him say they believed him.
But it was all a giant con, exposed at the end of the segment. The boy had in fact been coached. He was lying. Every word of his powerful, shocking, emotional, compelling [insert additional buzz words here] testimony was a lie. Every. Single. Word. But we should believe Robson and Safechuck—who’re currently seeking hundreds of millions of dollars from Jackson’s estate after they insisted, repeatedly, voluntarily, for more than two decades, that nothing ever happened—because Dan Reed and those who’ve seen the film says so? Because they believe Robson and Safechuck? Because they find their testimony ‘powerful’? Let’s be smarter than that.
Most of the reports that have been published about HBO and Channel 4’s Leaving Neverland come from ‘journalists’, HBO clients and business partners, and Channel 4 staff who know next to nothing about Michael Jackson. Most of these ‘blue tick’ keyboard warriors have never covered Jackson before. This is their first foray. They have not studied Jackson’s fifty-year career as an entertainer, nor do they know or care about his philanthropic work, his efforts to fight against social injustice, to break down racial barriers, cure diseases, end inequality, and to raise awareness about a multitude of other important issues including—yes, including—the abuse and mistreatment of children. And most importantly, they have not studied the allegations made against Jackson and cannot reference trial transcripts, court documents, taped calls, physical evidence, the FBI file, or any of the items crucial to understanding the cases.
I, however, have studied Jackson for more than a decade—mostly his creative process and artistic legacy, but also the allegations made against him—and there is more to the story than you’re being told by the mainstream media. Not only is there no proof that Jackson ever committed a crime, there is a wealth of exculpatory evidence that dismantles and discredits the allegations made against him.
In order to understand how and why Michael Jackson’s name became attached to the term ‘child molestation’, we must first understand the series of events that transpired prior to and during the first allegations levelled against him in 1993—allegations which were investigated by the Los Angeles Police Depart, FBI, Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, and Santa Barbara District Attorney’s office, which found no incriminating evidence, and resulted in no charges being filed.
Michael Jackson always believed the truth would set him free. His mother, Katherine Jackson, somewhat prophetically disagreed. Upon being accused of child molestation, this is the interaction Jackson had with his mother, as she recalls it:
He was strong and he said: ‘Mother, don’t worry. It’s not the truth. They can’t do anything.’ But I told him: ‘You don’t know these wicked people. I know it’s not the truth, but they’ll tarnish your reputation.’ And then people will always remember him the way they said he was, not the way he really is.
Jackson is arguably the most successful entertainer in the history of show business. By the early 90s, the Michael Jackson machine was well-oiled and firing on all cylinders. As an artist, his talent was unparalleled. As a brand, his earning potential seemed infinite. And as a man, his generosity and philanthropic efforts were unmatched. Jackson’s success was on a scale the world has never seen before, and will likely never see again. With such enormous success comes an unfathomable amount of fame, power, and of course, money.
In 1992, Jackson launched the Dangerous world tour, performing night after night for crowds of up to 100,000. Cable television network HBO (who is scheduled to air Leaving Neverland in March) broadcast one of the spectacular tour dates, generating the biggest pay-per-view audience in the network’s history. Less than a year later, in early 1993, Jackson gifted Oprah Winfrey her best-rated live interview ever, and did the same for the NFL’s Super Bowl when he performed a historic halftime show there.
By this time, Jackson’s image had taken a beating in the press for almost a decade. Ridiculous stories appeared in the tabloids on an almost daily basis. And not just in the tabloids. Jackson had to defend himself against a litany of outrageous lawsuits too, including but not limited to multiple false paternity claims and frivolous accusations of plagiarism. By attaching Jackson’s name, a story or allegation that would otherwise be considered laughable was often taken as the gospel.
Despite the constant tabloid attacks, Jackson’s music remained as popular around the world as ever. After doing Oprah and the Super Bowl in 1993, the singer was at the peak of powers. But that was about to change—drastically—when Evan Chandler, the father of a boy whose family had befriended Jackson a year earlier, demanded $20 million from the billionaire artist.
Jackson’s friendship with the Chandler family came about by chance. When his car broke down on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles in May 1992, Jackson sought help from a nearby car rental company owned by a man named David Schwartz. Schwartz’s wife, June, was the mother of a then-12-year-old boy named Jordan Chandler. Jordan’s biological father (June’s ex-husband) is Evan Chandler.
When the King of Pop appeared at the rental company on that day in May 1992, a starstruck Schwartz offered him a free rental vehicle, but on one condition: Jackson would have to phone his stepson, Jordan, who was a huge fan of the singer. Jackson accepted, called Jordan a few days later, and a friendship with the family was born. The family visited Jackson at his Neverland Valley Ranch, and Jackson spent time at their Los Angeles family home.
Twelve months later, in May 1993, Jordan’s biological father Evan Chandler, a Beverley Hills dentist, finally met Jackson for the first time. Upon meeting the star, Evan invited Jackson to visit at his home for a few days. Jackson, who was on a break from his world tour at the time, accepted the invitation.
In their very brief time together, it would seem Jackson had been on relatively good terms with Chandler. But when Jackson refused to fund renovations he wanted done to his home and stopped returning his phone calls—while continuing a close friendship with his ex-wife and son—Evan Chandler became jealous. In secretly recorded phone conversations with Jordan’s stepfather, David Schwartz, Evan Chandler can be heard venting that Jackson had cut communications:
I had a good communication with Michael… We were friends. I liked him and I respected him… There was no reason why he had to stop calling me.
The evidence suggests that Chandler decided he would extort Jackson. Pay me $20 million, he demanded, or you’ll be accused of molesting my son. In those same secretly recorded phone conversations with Schwartz, Chandler can be heard detailing his plot to destroy Jackson (along with his ex-wife June) for his own personal gain:
If I go through with this, I win big-time… I will get everything I want, and they will be destroyed forever. June will lose [custody of Jordan]…and Michael’s career will be over.
Evan Chandler had engaged the services of a Los Angeles lawyer named Barry Rothman. Chandler was Rothman’s dentist.
The evidence suggests that Chandler and his attorney conspired to give Jackson an ultimatum: pay up or you’ll be dragged through the mud and tried in the media. On the tapes, Chandler can be heard saying:
This attorney I found… This guy is going to destroy everybody in sight in any devious, nasty, cruel way that he can do it. And I’ve given him full authority to do that… I picked the nastiest son of a bitch I could find, and all he wants to do is get this out in the public as fast as he can, as big as he can and humiliate as many people as he can. He’s nasty, he’s mean, he’s very smart, and he’s hungry for the publicity.
A private investigator hired by Jackson said that when he heard the tapes, it was clear Jackson was being extorted. The investigator immediately visited Evan Chandler’s son, Jordan Chandler, and asked him point blank whether Jackson had ever molested him:
Has Michael ever touched you? Have you ever seen him naked in bed?
The answer to all the questions:
No.
Jordan insisted that nothing inappropriate had ever happened between he and Jackson. He also claimed that his father was making these claims in an attempt to get money from Jackson.
When asked by Schwartz during the secretly recorded phone conversations whether he thought that extorting Jackson could have a negative affect on his son, whom he was about to claim was a child sex abuse victim of the pop superstar, Chandler answered:
That’s irrelevant to me… The whole thing is going to crash down on everybody and destroy everybody in sight. It will be a massacre if I don’t get what I want.
To cut a long story short, Jackson refused to pay and Chandler carried out his plan, and filed a civil lawsuit against Jackson. As a result—exactly as Evan had threatened—the entire world’s media reported that Michael Jackson had been accused of child molestation.
The allegations triggered two multi-million dollar criminal investigations by prosecutors and police departments in two Californian jurisdictions. Surprise raids of Jackson’s private residence were conducted and Jackson’s naked body was photographed by law enforcement in an attempt to confirm a description of the singer’s genitalia. Close to two-hundred witnesses including 30 children who had spent time with Jackson were interviewed, but no evidence was discovered. Not one but two grand juries refused to indict Jackson because no corroboration could be made.
But in the end, Evan Chandler’s plot to destroy Michael Jackson by alleging he had molested his son was successful. On January 25, 1994, after months of Jackson insisting he wanted to fight for his innocence in court, an out-of-court settlement—in which Jackson admitted no guilt—was reached in the civil lawsuit filed by the Chandlers. An undisclosed sum believed to be the $20 million that Evan Chandler wanted in the first place was paid. Of that, $15 million was paid into a trust account for Jordan. Evan himself is reported to have received in the vicinity of $2 million.
As Jackson’s defence attorney, Thomas Mesereau, said:
Why work when you can sue Michael Jackson?
It should be noted that a civil action, like the one the Chandlers brought against Jackson, is not the same as a criminal action. A civil action is basically a legal request for money filed by lawyers on behalf of an individual or group of individuals who feel wronged by another party or entity. The outcome of a civil action is purely financial. You win, you get a payout. A criminal action on the other hand is carried out by law enforcement authorities, and requires a jury to determine whether there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt of the crime being committed. The result of a criminal trial is never financial. You win, you do not get paid. You win, you get justice and the perpetrator gets sentenced.
In 1994, Jackson was facing a civil action and a potential criminal action at the same time. And at that time it was legal for the civil case to hit the court room before the criminal one. That would mean Jackson would have to lay out his entire defence strategy in a lawsuit that purely sought money from him, prior to defending his life and freedom in a separate criminal trial later. The law has since been changed so that no civil suit can be brought against someone accused of a criminal act prior to the completion of a criminal proceeding. The accused is now afforded the right to defend their innocence and fight for their freedom in a criminal trial first. Only after their criminal trial has been completed can a civil suit be brought against them. But in 1994, that wasn’t the case. And as a result, Jackson settled the financial claim against him in order to not prejudice his chances of a fair criminal trial. But once the Chandlers got paid, they refused to cooperate with authorities, and a criminal action became impossible. In a nutshell, the Chandlers did not want ‘justice’ with regards to Michael Jackson. They wanted his money, and they got it.
And that is why Jackson’s name has forever since been synonymous with the term ‘child molestation’.
Now, twenty-five years later, we find ourselves dealing with a film in which two admitted serial liars—who staunchly defended Jackson for more than two decades (including under oath in a criminal investigation and trial) before posthumously filing unsuccessful cash-grab lawsuits in which they asked Jackson’s estate to pay them hundreds of millions of dollars—sit in front of a camera for four hours detailing graphic crimes that cannot be proven to have actually occurred.
It should also be noted that after an exhaustive 18-month investigation, Los Angeles District Attorney, Gil Garcetti, admitted that the LAPD had not uncovered anything incriminating against Jackson. In a statement, he said:
Michael Jackson is presumed to be innocent as any citizen in this room is if they are not convicted with a crime. We are not charging Michael Jackson with a crime.
Click here for everything you need to know about the 1993-1994 allegations and settlement.
Two years after making the first allegations, extortionist extraordinaire Evan Chandler filed another lawsuit against Jackson in which he upped the anti, asking for a whopping $60 million. This time, Chandler was trying a new angle. Chandler alleged that Jackson had breached the gag order included in their previous settlement by singing that he had been falsely accused. The specific lyrics in question, from Jackson’s song “This Time Around,” are:
Somebody’s out, somebody’s out to use me. They really want to use me. And then falsely accuse me.
These lyrics, Chandler said, were targeted at him and were a violation of the gag order which prevented Jackson from speaking about the case. On top of $60 million, Evan Chandler wanted a recording deal so he could release his own album, called ‘EVANstory’, in response to Jackson’s HIStory. Yes, this actually happened! This is the first accuser of Michael Jackson. The case was thrown out of court.
It should be noted that in 1996 at the age of sixteen, Evan Chandler’s son, Jordan, filed for legal emancipation from his parents. Jordan Chandler also refused to testify against his former friend Michael Jackson in 2005. Had Chandler taken the stand, Jackson’s attorney Thomas Mesereau stated that he had a number of witnesses who would testify that Jordan had told them that he hated his parents for forcing him to make false claims against Jackson, and the pop superstar had never molested him. Jordan Chandler’s mother, June, testified in the 2005 trial that she had not spoken to her son in 11 years, since receiving the $20 million payout from Jackson in 1994.
In 2003, a decade after the Chandler scandal, Jackson was accused of child molestation for a second time. These allegations came after the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services had cleared Jackson of any wrongdoing in their own independent investigation—conducted after one of Gavin Arvizo’s school teachers reported Jackson to DCFS following the airing of the Living With Michael Jackson documentary. Gavin and the Arvizo family defended Jackson in interviews with the department, saying that nothing inappropriate had ever occurred. Then, like Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck, they changed their story. The Arvizo case, believe it or not, is just as crazy, if not crazier than the Chandler one.
A brief history of the Arvizo family:
In 1998, eight-year-old Gavin Arvizo shoplifted items from a J.C. Penney department store. Gavin was caught by security, who had followed him to the parking lot to confront him and his father, David Arvizo. Gavin’s mother, Janet Arvizo, arrived at the scene minutes later. A struggle ensued and they were all arrested.
A year later, in 1999, the Arvizos filed a civil lawsuit against J.C. Penney for battery, false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress. In 2000, the Arvizos amended their complaint, adding new allegations of sexual assault. Janet Arvizo was now claiming that a security guard fondled her breasts, squeezed her nipples approximately twenty times, punched her, and molested her vaginal area. In 2001, J.C. Penney settled the case. The department store ultimately paid Janet Arvizo more than $152,000.
Arvizo then failed to report the $152,000 J.C. Penney settlement (and her $30,000 bank balance) while collecting welfare payments totalling more than $18,000 between 2001 and 2003. As a result she was charged with five counts of welfare fraud and perjury. She ultimately plead “no contest” and copped a fine and community service.
Janet and the Arvizos also have a history of alleged-grifting. Several high-profile celebrities including comedian Chris Tucker testified in the 2005 Jackson trial that the Arvizos had swindled, or attempted to swindle them. There was also evidence of fraudulent fundraising by the Arvizo family.
Comedian George Lopez testified that he had given the Arvizo family money when Gavin was fighting cancer, but came to believe that Gavin’s father was more interested in money than helping his son. Lopez cut ties with the family after the father became more demanding. Lopez also said that the father had accused him of stealing $300 from Gavin’s wallet. When the father asked what he was supposed to tell his son, Lopez testified that he responded:
Tell him his father’s an extortionist.
And that is the family who—after being approached by authorities and insisting nothing inappropriate had happened—changed their story and accused Michael Jackson of the same thing that netted the Chandlers $20 million ten years earlier, and that netted them $152,000 from J.C. Penney only two years prior.
And that’s not even getting into the details of the Jackson trial itself.
On top of child molestation, the Arvizos alleged that they were held captive at Neverland against their will for a period of time. The problem with this allegation was that during their alleged captivity it was proven that they had been gallivanting all over Los Angeles, taking shopping trips on Jackson’s dime, meeting with Child Protective Services (to confirm Jackson hadn’t molested Gavin), attending a child support court hearing, and attending a separate meeting with a lawyer. The meeting with the lawyer was to find out if they could stop their image and likeness being used by the media after they appeared in the Living With Michael Jackson documentary. During their meeting with the lawyer they never reported that they were allegedly being kidnapped and held against their will at Neverland, nor did they mention child molestation.
Another crazy allegation made by the Arvizo in the Jackson trial was that Jackson had hatched a plan to get rid of the family in a hot air balloon. I won’t even bother to elaborate on that.
When it came to the allegations of child sex abuse themselves, Gavin Arvizo’s initial timeline of when Jackson was alleged to have molested him had to be changed when the prosecution discovered a video tape that was filmed after the abuse was alleged to have begun. On the tape the Arvizo family are seen and heard voluntarily praising Jackson while criticising Martin Bashir—the maker of Living With Michael Jackson documentary—for allegedly staging and manipulating scenes in his film to make out the relationship between Jackson and Gavin was inappropriate.
The footage was coincidentally shot the same day Child Protective Services visited the Arvizo family to investigate suspicions of inappropriate behaviour by Jackson. The Arvizos vehemently denied anything inappropriate had happened and voluntarily praised Jackson once more. Once the tape was discovered, the Arvizos changed their story, saying that only after the documentary aired, after they were filmed praising Jackson, and after they vouched for Jackson with Child Protective Services did Jackson begin molesting Gavin.
That’s right. With the entire world’s media hell-bent on finding dirt on him, and with the authorities actively investigating him, only then did Jackson decide to begin molesting Gavin. That’s the actual allegation which they went to court and (unsuccessfully) argued.
In the end, the sheer ridiculousness of the allegations made against Jackson, the complete lack of credibility of his accusers and impossible timeline left jurors no choice other than to find Jackson not guilty on each and every one of the 14 counts filed against him.
Of finding Jackson not guilty, juror Paulina Coccoz said:
It was pretty obvious that there was no molestation done… It was pretty obvious that there were ulterior motives on behalf of the family. And the mother, she orchestrated the whole thing… There wasn’t a shred of evidence.
Click here for everything you need to know about the 2003-2005 allegations and trial.
I’m not revealing anything that hasn’t been revealed before. This evidence and much more has been in the public domain for years. The problem is, however, that the media hasn’t delivered it to you. Many members of the media—in their ignorance of anything that may vindicate Jackson and prevent them from continuing their assault on his character for clicks and cash—may not even be aware that such evidence exists. But the evidence does exist, and a lot of it is exculpatory. It is therefore irresponsible, negligent and indefensible for ‘journalists’ to not at least balance their reporting by mentioning it.
As Michael Jackson proclaimed in his song “Tabloid Junkie”:
Just because you read it in a magazine or see it on a TV screen don’t make it factual.
In early March 2019, HBO (in the United States) and Channel 4 (in the United Kingdom) will air Leaving Neverland. The film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019, has sparked outrage among Jackson’s fans, family, and estate. In a ten-page letter sent to Richard Plepler (CEO of HBO) earlier this month, the attorney for the Estate of Michael Jackson, Howard Weitzman, called Leaving Neverland:
An admittedly one-sided, sensationalist program.
According to the Factual Programme Guidelines section of Channel 4’s Producers Handbook, which is designed to hold filmmakers accountable to the highest possible standard of journalism:
It is important that production teams do not adopt a ‘groupthink’ approach to a story and that they review, challenge and are suitably sceptical of all evidence and contributors motives.
When discussing his time with dancer and choreographer Robson in an interview with the LA Times, director Reed admitted that he was not sceptical of his interviewee:
For three days, we just talked. When I started interviewing him, I couldn’t take for granted that he was telling the truth. I wasn’t skeptical, and sort of gave him the benefit of the doubt, but his story had to make sense, because there was no way I was going to risk my reputation on something that was flawed or not quite true.
How did Reed come to the conclusion that Robson was telling the truth? I’ll allow him to tell you:
[…] if people are not telling you the truth, then they don’t have a mental picture of what it is they’re actually talking about, because they’re lying. You can feel there isn’t a mental object they’re describing … If I asked him questions, his mind was referencing a real thing and not a made-up thing. His account was extremely credible. Certainly by the end of the third day, I had no doubt he was telling the truth.
That’s right. Reed deemed Robson’s story ‘extremely credible’ not because he had investigated, fact-checked and corroborated it, but because he felt Wade (who refers to himself as a ‘master of deception’ in an unpublished book draft he failed to get a deal for in 2012 – prior to filing his multi-million dollar lawsuit against the Jackson estate) was visualising a ‘mental picture’ when he told his story.
What Reed fails to mention is that visualising a mental image of things that have not happened is Wade Robson’s personal technique for getting ‘anything’ he wants. He calls it ‘trickery for your mind’. Wade explains:
Be detailed about it […] Visualise it. It’s sort of like trickery for your mind. [If] there was a job I wanted – say I wanted to be in a music video – I’d think of things almost as if they were a memory. I would picture myself on the set, walking to a trailer, walking to the catering tables […] Just to place myself in the situation. You make it a reality in your mind […] Every time I’ve done that, I’ve always got anything that I wanted.
Regarding the pair’s motives, which the Factual Programme Guidelines section of Channel 4’s Producers Handbook also stipulates should be questioned, investigative journalist Charles Thomson points to the film’s glaring omission of the details surrounding Robson and Safechuck’s legal pursuit of hundreds of millions of dollars from Jackson’s estate:
Even the staunchest Jackson hater would have to admit that failing to mention both men’s massive, ongoing financial incentive to lie is dishonest and misleading. It’s like interviewing a pharma lobbyist for a news story on health and not mentioning that they’re a pharma lobbyist.
Jackson estate attorney Weitzman also pointed out that the mounting legal costs incurred as a result of their failed litigation against the Jackson estate could be a potential motive for Robson and Safechuck’s decision to participate in the film:
The Estate spent years litigating with Robson and Safechuck, and had four different lawsuits by these two men dismissed with prejudice. Today, Robson owes the Estate almost seventy thousand dollars in court costs, and Safechuck owes the Estate several thousand dollars as well.
Another portion of Channel 4’s Producers Handbook reads:
The truth must not be sacrificed for the sake of a more entertaining programme if this means cheating the viewer. It is never acceptable to represent something as having happened that did not.
In his letter to HBO, Weitzman points out that Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed and his team avoided contacting or interviewing anyone who could dispel the allegations made by the two men in the film:
The fact that HBO and its producing partners did not even deign to reach out to any of these people to explore the credibility of the false stories Robson and Safechuck told violates all norms and ethics in documentary filmmaking and journalism.
The journalists, reporters, critics and other members of the media who are reviewing and reporting on Leaving Neverland may very well believe that Michael Jackson is guilty of child molestation based on the stories told by Safechuck and Robson in the film. That might be their opinion, which they’re entitled to. But according to the dictionary, an opinion is:
A view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
So what is an opinion really worth if the holder of it has no factual foundation or knowledge to have formed it? If you want factual information, click here for everything you need to know about Wade Robson’s allegations.
When the Leaving Neverland film goes public, outrage is almost guaranteed to reach levels that have yet to be seen. And unless the team at the Estate of Michael Jackson has been secretly working 24 hours a day, seven days a week on a rebuttal documentary to give the public an alternate narrative founded in facts to consider (there is no indication that they have been) Jackson’s image and likeness could well be destroyed for good.
The Jackson estate recently announced that a Michael Jackson-themed Broadway musical was going into production and would debut in 2020. Exciting news for Jackson fans. However I would not be surprised if following the airing of Leaving Neverland, with no aggressive counter from Jackson’s estate, it gets cancelled. Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas currently hosts the Jackson estate’s joint venture with Cirque du Soleil, an epic theatrical production called MJONE. Ironically, this is the same production that Wade Robson begged and pleaded to direct in 2011. If the blowback from Leaving Neverland is strong enough, we may see the discontinuation of that show too.
Interesting note: In 2011, Wade Robson met with Jackson estate co-executor John Branca about directing the Cirque du Soleil show. Wade thought he had the job, and even spoke about it in an interview. However, Branca and Cirque ultimately picked someone else. Then, despite having met face-to-face with Branca two years earlier, Robson claimed in his multi-million dollar lawsuit that he had no knowledge of the existence of the Jackson estate until filing suit in 2013. Because of the statute of limitations, Robson needed to tell this particular lie to justify why he hadn’t filed suit earlier.
Then there is Sony Music, who controls all official Michael Jackson music and video releases. In December 2017 the company renewed its recording contract with the Jackson estate. When it comes time to do so again, we may see them pass.
Or, this could all blow over. After all, Jackson overcame the 1993 scandal and went on to sell tens of millions of albums, win awards, and perform to millions of fans around the world on tour. In 2005 Jackson endured a four-month criminal trial and completely biased media onslaught. After he was found not guilty, the singer went into hiding and then resurfaced in 2009 to sell 800,000 concert tickets in the space of a few hours. When Wade Robson announced his allegations against Jackson in an interview on national television in 2013, it felt like doomsday all over again. The following year, in 2014, Sony released Xscape. The album, comprised of eight unreleased songs, topped the charts all around the world, and even had a smash hit single: “Love Never Felt So Good”.
But things are different today. As I said to a friend just yesterday: I feel like the climate right now is perfect to sink the Titanic. There’s the #MeToo movement—and so there should be! There’s Surviving R. Kelly. There’s the downfall of Harvey Weinstein. But the mentality seems to be ‘let’s get them all,’ rather than to look into them all and determine which accusations are actually credible. It seems that, from the media’s perspective (remember, Michael Jackson was tried in a court of law and was found not guilty—only the media has convicted him) the bigger the head on the chopping block the better. All the media cares about is clicks, because clicks equals cash. And now they’re hiding behind the guise of legitimate causes and movements to assassinate the biggest star the world has ever known. It’s not journalism. It’s a witch hunt.
If you want to view Michael Jackson as a pedophile, you will. It’s easy to do. He has admitted to allowing children to sleep in his bedroom (which itself is the same size as a small two-storey house) and has been accused of child molestation on multiple occasions. He’s not the guy next door, was undeniably eccentric, and most certainly didn’t live a conventional life. But to anyone who has bothered to look into the allegations against him—and I mean really look into them—there is more than enough evidence to demonstrate that the pop icon has been a victim of extortion and of copycat false claims for the past twenty-five years. Yet despite the Los Angeles Police Department stating that Jackson should be presumed to be innocent, despite the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services twice investigating and clearing Jackson of wrongdoing, despite the FBI conducting a ten-year investigation into the singer in which no evidence of wrongdoing was found (click here to read the FBI’s 300-page file on Jackson, released under the Freedom of Information Act), and despite the cash-grab lawsuits of Jackson’s posthumous accusers being tossed out of court, the court of public opinion may be what defines this entire saga, and Jackson’s legacy.
As Michael’s mother Katherine Jackson warned her superstar son, the truth may not matter. Her prophetic words, once again:
People will always remember him the way they said he was, not the way he really is.
Damien Shields is the author of Michael Jackson: Songs & Stories From The Vault—a book that details the King of Pop’s creative process and dissects the anatomy of his craftsmanship. The book is available in physical and digital formats via Amazon and iBooks.
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Thank you for this brilliant article; the time and care you put into it is evident. Great job, and much appreciated.
I only have one comment to make WACKO!!!
Michael Jackson was innocent!
Who? You?
Yeah, and that’s a really intelligent one. Thanks so much for your insight.
Dick head!
When faced with actual evidence you STILL believe liars
Mj is innocent and best singer
yes thank you. my parents are haters.
BURN ALL TABLIDS
This is so informative. Thank you, Damien.
Thank you for this excellent, carefully researched piece, Damien. I’ve always enjoyed and respected your work. Thank you for taking the time to write this. The job of putting together the facts this well is exhausting. Your work is appreciated very much.
The FBI didn’t do a ten-year investigation of him in regards to child molestation. But a wonderful article. MJ was INNOCENT.
Brillant! Michael will be victorios against these two ungrateful extornist liers. I personally Dan Reed film career will end up on the garbage heap. The man like his 2 coached and rehearsed perjurers did this documentary to try and sway the UNITED STATES COURT IN REVISING THEIR RULING. GOD WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN MICHAEL!!! I BELIEVE DAN REED AND HBO MADE SOME BACKROOM DEAL AS SMOKE AND SCREEN HIT JOB TO PULL ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE HOLLYWOOD PRODUCER AND BRING DOWN THE ONLY TRUE WORLD BLACK ICON. THEY WILL FAIL!! Wade robson and James safechuck, KARMA CLAPPING AT THEIR HEELS.
Great piece! Thank you!
I, for one, will not be watching this Mockumentary. I will not, in any way shape or form, contribute to these two con artists. I am confident this will not for two reasons: A- Because of the information which proves Michael Jackson is the only true victim here, & B- Because of the legion of devoted fans that will do what the bias, ignorant, racist mongrel media will not, Let The Truth Be Known. To quote one of my favorite songs from the “Dangerous” album, “Keep The Faith”.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing this.. my soul is in pieces as I gear up to fight another battle, defending the giant of a man who gave meaning and purpose to my life ever since he touched me with his L.O.V.E 26 years ago, teaching me to do good, be good and make this world a better place.. the evil that the media and such despicable liars are perpetrating is beyond unbelievable.. so ashamed of this world that Micheal died caring for..
Sending much love, blessings and kindest regards from India
Great piece! Thanks for the time and effort you’ve obviously put in this. Do you mind if I translate this article to Dutch? Of course I’ll credit you as the writer. Please, let me know if you give me permission.
Thank you for your well researched and detailed fact file. We need to ensure this reaches as many people as possible. Michael Jackson is and will always remain loved & relevant through his music and his works. My heart bleeds for his kids and his mother at this difficult time. Lots of prayers for the entire MJ family who are going through this ordeal. Again, thank you Damien!!
Brilliant to see a factual article with references that are true and checkable. Can this not be sent to Government ministers /Senaters who regulate the media to discredit this documentary, or are they complicant. Ian a believer in free speech, but the dead cannot defend themselves.
Hi there, hoping to contact you about a potential interview regarding MJ. Please email me when you have a moment! Thanks
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Thank you! THANK YOU!!!!
God Bless You.
Well done Damien, thank you!
The outlandish tabloid stories started when MJ gave the press the picture in the chamber in 1985.
The child molestation allegations become part of his legacy when he made payments of millions to Jordan Chandler & to the son of a maid. He said it was bad advice.
I kept buying his music. You don’t want it be true.
I accept the juries decision in relation to Gavin.
What tipped me over was a website of MJ and his with male children. 1 I had never ever heard of. Pictures dating back to 84.
I appreciate you will not publish this on your site. I find it disgraceful that M J fans have been attacking adult survivors of child sex abuse because they choose to speak out. Where is MJ message of healing the world?
I for one will never listen to his music again. There’s plenty of great music makers. I accept differences & differences of opinion. I do not however tolerate or ignore child sexual abuse. Musical gift. Giving money to charity. Visiting sick children. None of is any excuse.
@Michael: The jury decision in 2005 was not only in relation to Gavin Arvizo but also in relation to every accusation starting from 1993. So, this man has been acquitted from every charge. The website that you are talking about is only made to show MJ in bad light, there is no relation between a male friendship with boys and actual molestation. There is not one single proof of inappropriate behavior. And just think about it, he befriended hundreds of children, why are they not speaking against him, but only these two liars now, and the accusers of 1993 and 2005 with a shady background? Why not mentally stable people?
Ruffy the GA jury was only deciding on that case. Ridiculous that you think it covers JC. The article also written above is riddled with inaccuracies.
The fans keep on saying you don’t know the facts. Yes I do. And I would ask them to check themselves seriously before attacking adult survivors of child sexual assaults. ‘Oh they changed their story’ Please ask themselves if they have experienced any serious trauma in their lives? To call someone a liar who has been abused is further abuse.
Regardless I will not be conversing further with pedophile defenders.
I hope since February that you have checked yourself to see that yes the 2005 trial was in fact on all accusations. You don’t seem to know facts to well. Seems like you were just spouting off from tabloids and media. The same media that is keeping the truth from everyone.
BECAUSE YOU HAVE ZERO FACTS TO BACK YOUR BS CLAIMS
You say this film would almost certainly have not been made if he was still alive because of libel laws. What libel, you idiot? The truth is not libellous no matter when its spoken
Remember when his sister called him a pedophile? He didn’t sue her. He didn’t sue Jordan Chandler, he didn’t sue Jason Francia, he didn’t sue Gavin Arvizo or any of the multitude of staff who called him a pedophile and a chickenhawk. He just never sued them.
He lived his adult life with these accusations and the only time he sued was when a false victim, a liar, was presented. He never sued a truthful victim then and he wouldn’t sue a truthful victim if he was alive today
And yes, the changing testimony is reasonable. I understand it perfectly and so do sensible people. For those who aren’t sensible, the film explains it. Take your blinkers off and stop defending child sexual abuse
im so sick of the haters seeking out articles about michael jackson just to attack his supporters, we are not pedophile supporters but spreading the truth about the allegations toward mj even after death. so extortionists and media and pitiful twitter gangs who claime to care about pedophilia can further their agendas because we all know mj’s name commands the attention they need to get this done. i have come to a conclusion that the seekers are journalists they are the only ones who stand to gain from these ridiculous comments and articles. i would also like to say that the journalists and the media dont give a dsmn about molestation or child predators its just a new fad that is going around right now. its also disgusting to spread this film in its entirety withall the graphic sex acts described to the public at large, i fear many children will be exposed to this degradation and the two accusers and their producer should be ashamed of themselves. you have nothing to gain, in the end no jackson fan friend or family willever believe or support anthing thing you do. and that my frieds is a lot of people. think im lying ask Martin Bashir , lookat his career right now.
Our justice system is flawed, celebrity’s have gotten away with murder right before our eyes. What jurors aren’t going to know you or your story. Much like yourself, still to this day giving this man every single benefit of doubt you would never give a normal guy, let a normal guy that looked like Michael at the time of these trials. He was a walking talking conflict of interest. The lawyers only plaid to media and that was there while defense, the media.
This crap is so DISTURBING and DISRESPECTFUL to MICHAEL JACKSON and his Children and Family, He Never Touched Them They Are LIARS and I Can’t Believe Anyone Would Go Along With Letting Them Get Away With Trying To Get Money From A Dead Legend, They Have Serious Issues… MICHAEL JACKSON WAS FOUND NOT GUILTY BY A COURT OF LAW IN 2005 AND DIED IN 2009…THERE WAS NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE OF CHILD MOLESTATION…MICHAEL LOVED EVERYONE EQUALLY AND LOVED TO HAVE FUN, FOR GOD SAKE HE HAD NO CHILDHOOD SO HE ENJOYED HAVING ALL AGES OF PEOPLE AROUND HIM, SHAME ON THE PARENTS WHO LIED TO, THEIR JUST AS GUILTY OF PERJURY, I HAVE READ AND LISTENED TO ALL THIS CRAP AND IT SICKENS ME THAT PEOPLE ARE SO DAMN SHALLOW… I’M A HUGE MICHAEL JACKSON KING OF POP FAN FOREVER AND EVER, I LOVE HIS MUSIC AND DANCING, I WILL DEFEND HIM AGAINST YOU LIARS!!!!
Question: Do you have personal knowledge of what you stated above? Were you in the room on in ANY WAY in close proximity when these alleged acts occurred. If not (as I highly doubt that any of these answers would be yes), you have given your opinion, which as with everyone else’s should be respected. You don’t know they were not touched. You can give a firsthand account of nothing related to these cases. Its people with pointing fingers like yourself telling children that what they claim is not true that only perpetuate pedophila. Shame on you!
This is a lame excuse to perpetuate a narrative that has no supporting:
a. logical,
b. timeline based,
c. empirical,
d. eyewitness,
e. corroborative or even…
f. sound evidence.
This type of thinking is exactly the way lynch mobs are formed. All your outrage is moot if it is not supported by reason and evidence. No one has first hand knowledge of the events claimed…what we CAN do is draw a logical inference based on the available evidence…and I’m sorry the mountain of countervailing evidence simply, does NOT support their story.
Feelings are not a substitute for truth. Anyone can CLAIM anything but when the supporting evidence does not align with truth I reserve the right to seriously question it those claims.
The idea that we don’t have the right to disbelieve a person simply because they “claim” to be a victim when all of the surrounding evidence leads us to conclude the contrary is both insane and authoritarian.
How much evidence do you need when your son, like personally your child tells you he has been raped?
Now take the same scenario and enter Michael Jackson,
Watch Dave Chappell he explain last this for people like you that are in love with MJ. A man that literally groomed little boys as his boyfriends for years and years
He’s r Kelly but with boys
Although I think this is the same person defending Michael repeatedly on this post I’ll say again
Our justice system is flawed, celebrity’s have gotten away with murder right before our eyes. What jurors aren’t going to know you or your story. Much like yourself, still to this day giving this man every single benefit of doubt you would never give a normal guy, let a normal guy that looked like Michael at the time of these trials. He was a walking talking conflict of interest. The lawyers only plaid to media and that was there while defense, the media.
Thank you so much. People need to know the facts. “Leaving Neverland” is not a documentary. It’s just a story. Story may be real or fictitious, but facts are always real. I urge everyone to please refer this website themichaeljacksonallegations.com/
This website provides you detailed information about all Michael Jackson allegations.
Question: Do you have personal knowledge of what you stated above? Were you in the room on in ANY WAY in close proximity when these alleged acts occurred. If not (as I highly doubt that any of these answers would be yes), you have given your opinion, which as with everyone else’s should be respected. You don’t know they were not touched. You can give a firsthand account of nothing related to these cases. Its people with pointing fingers like yourself telling children that what they claim is not true that only perpetuate pedophila. Shame on you!
Do you know of such a thing as Presumption of innocence? And those two didn’t bring enough evidence to prove him guilty.
This is a great article with detailed information about the beginning of the allegations! I have read many different articles about this topic from both sides to form my own opinion and from what I’ve gathered he is INNOCENT. He may have been TOO kind and trusting with some people who obviously took advantage of this. Unfortunately many refuse to believe his innocence even when faced with the facts. What is horrible is those who believe the tabloids story first before doing their own research into the allegations. If Michael hadn’t been dragged by the media for so many years he might still be here today. It’s very sad to see his kids struggling with the new accusations of those who are after their father’s money. I hope we are able to keep Michael’s legacy alive for the years to come.
Thank you for this informative article, it is accurate and has information that Dan Reed himself could have easily researched if he had cared to. It will be a go to piece for me to direct those less informed. Like you, I am not sure if there is anymore we can do to stop the public from blindly watching this documentary without any knowledge of the history of what went before and forming an ill informed opinion of Michael Jackson. But I guess that’s just what happens now, people just don’t have the time or the need to check facts. I really hope the Estate has a good plan to overcome what is to come in the aftermath, as they will sure need to earn their position as gatekeepers to the legacy that is Michael Jackson.
Si bien como sabemos las leyes de USA no permiten demandar a aquellos que difaman a los muertos, todavía no me entra en la cabeza como es posible que no se pueda hacer nada con respecto a los perjuros de Robson, Safechuck y Adrian McManus, que declararon bajo juramento en un juicio en el 2005. Incluso McManus le debe dinero a MJ. Como puede ser?.
Gracias Damien por tus artículos, siempre tan profesionales y detallados.
Very good article. I didn’t see anything about Evan Chandler killing himself months after MJ died though.
They Need To Leave Michael Alone I Knew Him Personally Now Leave Us All Alone
Mrs Jackson is a strong and spiritual person and she knew that Michael would come under Satanic attack being in this industry. Very few entertainers have earned the title of “Superstardom”.
He was and even in death the most famous and loved entertainer on the planet.
He was rich.
He is black.
He married Elvis Presley’s daughter.
Just those few facts sent him into the world of wolves who sought to destroy his physical body , in which they did.
Thank you for this amazing piece of journalism.
At the end of the day people are going to believe what they want to believe , which ;unfortunately is beyond our control.
What you’ve stated here are all facts! All of which can be corroborated through existing detailed documentation. I appreciate this statement as well as your closing statement of what people believe is beyond anyone’s control. I personally think that when a person has more than a few allegation of pedophilia, where there is smoke, there is fire. But I also acknowledge that as MY OPINION as a survivor myself of a habitual pedophile. I’m 40. To this day, some of my family still question whether it happened or not. So I know the feeling of being on the other side of someone calling you a liar for the past 32 years. But I also think my story may be more believable as I’m not seeking millions of dollars in retribution. After all, who lies from age 8 to 40 for bupkis? But try telling that to the non believers.
Thank you so much for spreading the truth!!!
Just to play the Devils Advocate here, this doesn’t address the allegations of Michael Jacobshagen, while I can believe these 2 were no doubt more interested in getting a payout and it’s easy to discredit them, Michael Jacobshagen, the German kid, doesn’t want any money and has produced a nude boys book given to him by Jackson with Jackson’s own handwriting on it and a boys butt circled, which according to him, he only just noticed while on camera with the interviewer from Australian T and he has corroborated these kid’s storys? To fully clear Michael on these charges all allocations have to be addressed.
Thanks for pointing me to French kid.
I actually think Michael was different in the head including playing with that kid you mentioned, but I also think that kid’s story is a metaphor for Michael’s story. He reported that Michael hugged, kissed, spooned him but NEVER molested him.
Was he playing with kids because he longed for this kid compassion and he was sick in the head like he never grew up. Or was he a molester that was smart enough not to molest kids because he did love them?
We’ll never know just like we can’t prove anything because the ones that accuse have too much other crap in their reasoning and stories that it casts reasonable doubt. He also knew he was being monitored.
Psychologists talk about how Michael fits because kids accounts fit, but kids were coached to fit the psychology and adults that had interactions with Michael could do the same.
But to me Michael was smarter than that. 16 hard drives and all his internet cookies and searches were combed by the FBI, and there was no child porn, no catfishing, no gay sites?
Is that even possible for a pedo?
You gotta be the world’s best self control artist if say, you slept alongside cute women, numerous times and multiple hot women and not touch them and didn’t watch porn for years. And say you’re drugged and sleep with women and all you do is spoon them?
Do you have that mental willpower? I don’t.
I think absolutely something was not right with Michael, he was obsessed with kids but not in the way everyone thinks and he also knew he didn’t want to hurt kids and he didn’t. He wanted their love and approval and to feel safe and special.
But I think there’s an explanation as to have him be with kids and not hurt them
I can’t prove it.
Everyone else can’t prove what they think either.
Also there are the allogations of the female security and how she was warned off for mentioning it by the special armed men in black types which also appeared on Australian TV?
Michael gave us so a lot, so much joy, goodness. Thanks to him I am looking at world and people totally different, I am not passing indifferently by poor and ill people, I am caring about our earth. They didn’t teach it me at school, Michael taught me it.
He is unbelievable, how the man is able to strip the second man of the respect only for money! And my heart isn’t carrying it, how many pain and suffering Michael had to bear.
Even now, for pieces of rubbish. Leave him alone!!!!!
Many Many allegation leveled at this man. Where there smoke, there fire. Get a clue and stop further victimizing alleged victims. I say alleged because neither you nor I can give a first hand account of what happened between him and those boys. For goodsake, get a clue and have some respect for abuse surviviors by keeping it to yourself!
True victims don’t seek millions of dollars and claim nothing happened for two decades then turn around and sue also you can’t rape someone in a building that did not exist at the time how can anyone believe their BS?
get your facts straight jimmy and wade both defended this man for years, the records of the phone calls during the second trial are enough to get their appeal, let alone him give. Both of them thousand and thousand of dollars over the years and sleeping in the same bed as the 44year old.
Do you have kids? Are you okay that they slesp with a 44yrlnold man they just met a week ago?
Wait what about if this man is Michale Jackson now are you ok with it?
Many Many allegation leveled at this man. Where there smoke, there fire. Get a clue and stop further victimizing alleged victims. I say alleged because neither you nor I can give a first hand account of what happened between him and those boys. For goodnesssake, get a clue and have some respect for abuse surviviors by keeping it to yourself!
Damien, thank U very much for your thoughtful article!
Damien is clearly in denial…MJ was a very confused man-child with a long documented history of inappropriate relationships with young white boys PERIOD…Bye, Felicia.
Dear Damien, I do strongly strongly encourage you to watch the film. I DO feel it’s your responsibility to. It is very well-done, and you will learn important things that will astound you. Critics simply do not understand child abuse. Very few people do. They don’t understand why children either stay silent, or go along with the abuser, or don’t even know they were abused.
I read every word of your article, and watched each video. It’s compelling, but it doesn’t change my mind about Wade and Jim speaking the truth, because most sexual abuse can not be proven unless the offender admits it (like my father did to a certain degree). And WHY isn’t anyone interviewing the experts in the field of sexual abuse — the psychologists, or women like Laura Davis and Ellen Bass of the phenomenal “bible”, The Courage To Heal?! They could tell you what I am desperately, passionately trying to tell you here. I’m not saying there aren’t many false accusers!!!
True victims of Michael’s DESERVE financial compensation from his estate.
I know they are not being paid for being in the film, or for any interviews, etc.
In the Hard Copy story, even if the boy and that man who “coached” him were actually abused, it’s common for victims to recant their stories under pressure and confusion and fear, and they do this for many reasons!
They did not perjure themselves on the stand in 2005, they DID NOT YET UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAD BEEN ABUSED. THIS IS VERY, VERY COMMON. Or if they did know they were abused, THEY WERE VERY AFRAID ON MANY LEVELS, and had never told ANYONE about their abuse.
It means NOTHING that Michael was a good person, a humanitarian, a philanthropist, a fighter for children’s rights in regards to him also being a sexually abusive pedophile! It is VERY COMMON for sexual pedophiles to be all these things too!!! In most perpetrators’ minds, they are NOT pedophiles, and they deeply believe they are NOT doing anything wrong!! (Again, my father fit this description to a t)
We learn in the film that MJ had a habit of befriending families, but then slowly dropping the fathers and focusing on the mothers and the boys, and then as he started becoming sexual with the boys, MJ would slowly ease the mothers out. He would then teach the boys that women are bad and evil!! This ultimately resulted in entire families being torn-apart and destroyed.
It’s entirely possible that Wade’s possible referral to himself as ‘master of deception’ years ago was what he LEARNED how to be from MICHAEL! We HAVE to consider this as very, very, very possible!! You don’t know what it was like for a little boy to spend almost all his time with his icon who was coaching him and also telling him all he wants to do is spend time with him!! And THAT is in the film! Michael himself saying these things to these boys!! There is at least one recording verifying this: Michael’s conversation with young Jimmy on the plane.
Michael taught the boys HOW TO LIE. He MOLDED them, their characters, their thinking, etc., etc.
Wade’s “trickery of the mind” was LEARNED from MICHAEL!! Damien, you have no clue that that is true!!
The film is loaded with FACTUAL occurrences AND PROOF that show the degree of INAPPROPRIATENESS Michael exhibited with children!! One is in the hundreds of damn FAXES!!
Because MJ was open about sharing his bed with children, you dismiss the inappropriateness of that. Sad. But MJ was so patient and gentle and took a lot of time grooming the boys for sex. And each boy felt deeply loved and enjoyed the experiences. VERY common with sexual abuse and rampant abuses of power.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT SOCIETY SIMPLY DOESN’T UNDERSTAND HOW IT WORKS; HOW THINGS ARE AND WHY THEY ARE THE WAY THEY ARE AND SEEM WHEN IT COMES TO CHILD ABUSE.
By watching the film, you DO glean lots of FACTS about MJ; how he thought; how he lived; his interactions with children and their families that are quite stunning and help paint the true picture of this man’s psyche.
Thank You for listening to my notes. I care enough about this issue to listen to both sides. HEALING is needed and can only occur with TRUTH, COMPASSION, UNDERSTANDING, CHANGE, FORGIVENESS.
Judy Acton Ayala
Read this article and thought much the same as you. Your reply is so well written and explained brilliantly. Just thought I would so appreciation for this. George.
Thank You so much, George! I happen to be tragically right about this one.
Well written. You can understand what happens to a human that experiences abuse and that gives your post much credit. Few others have the mindset to understand the feelings … denial and shame etc which is the result. Watching Neverland gives a glimpse of this. Lars
Ok you say watch the film watch the. Film and this and that. Read the actual court documents, reviews what you call inconsistencies but have been proven to be nothing but lies. You can’t ask someone to watch a film with no evidence and actually they withheld many many things that should have been in that so called documentary. Regardless you c ant ask someone to do something when it’s obvious you yourself has not bothered to educated yourself on simple facts that disprove what you are believing. I first hand know about this subject and oh yes you do remember and even down to the smell. You don’t forget where you were especially if it was a place that didn’t even exist until you were 17. Come on now. All these months later sonyou still feel the same?
Hopefully you will watch Square One with the same energy. I look forward to your dissecting it as well. How all it takes is one bipolar person, one mega star and the flood gates are opened. The allegations or give me money is flying.
Great article. I will be sharing this with every uneducated moron I come in contact with.
Hi there Damien,
I hope you don’t mind, I have used a couple of paragraphs in this article in a Facebook post I have sent to various pages regarding this documentary.
If this is an issue and you would like me to remove the peices of your article please let me know.
Thank you for all you do and are doing for his legacy. He would be proud.
People who are living with an open heart know that Michael is 100 % innocent. You can brainwash all kinds of minds but never an innocent heart! Michael, we love you!
Jackson was, and remains, an odious cunt.
I think you are looking for the NAMBLA website dude. Go troll there.
You’re a troll with no proof
SHAMONE!
Hey, when is the podcast being released?
Thank you so much for your time putting this together! I will keep sharing this! Such a great resource.
Guilty
I’m the kind of 43 year old MJ fan that traveled to Gary, Indiana last August 29th to celebrate Michael’s 60th Birthday at 2300 Jackson Street. I have watched Leaving Neverland three times. I’ve know the names Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck for decades.They aren’t random dudes. They were on the tours. They literally grew up with Michael Jackson. They loved him. The idea that they are putting themselves and their mothers thru this just for money is just dumb. It’s Kool-aid.
They could make way money off of their stories of Michael Jackson by only saying positive things such as Frank Cascio’s book “My Friend Michael’ (by the way, where is Frank lately?)
I urge true lovers of Michael Jackson to accept the truth. I believe Wade and James. I hurt for them. It breaks my heart.
We don’t know where this disease of pedophilia comes from. Michael had it. He just did. He wasn’t an evil monster. He was a tortured soul and did some monstrous things. I confess that I still love him despite all. Whatever that says about me, I have to live with. And learn from.
But let us heal together and not attack the mothers and boys. “Leave Michael Alone!” ?Michael has passed long ago. He’s dead and none of this reckoning is causing him any pain.
Let us move past denial and anger and try to move towards healing and acceptance. Have the courage to tackle the complexities of how you will feel towards him. It doesn’t feel good but it feels better than drinking the kool-aid. Don’t be a cult follower.
And skip the crass jokes. Hating Michael doesn’t make you righteous either.
Seriously? People kill each other for money. You can’t imagine people make up a story for hundreds of millions? Wade never was on tour. He testified in 2005 that he only met MJ a handful of times. He volunteered to testify in a trial where he got questioned by police and lawyers for hours. You don’t withstand that if you are lying. These people are used to detect a lie but there simply was nothing there. Since Wade has changed his story he has been caught in 10s of lies but old perverts like you really want to believe the dirty stuff even when it has been proven to be a lie. Shame on you.
Fabulous article – I hope it’s promoted all over the sites to get some balance and sanity into the ether, and dampen the media frenzy that the docu has just caused throughout the UK. I am retweeting you all over!
I think we have collectively forgotten about all the trials that MJ went through and suddenly faced with this its easy to see how the media has coerced us into believing a lie without a shred of tangible responses or evidence!
I’d say the kids’ mothers knowing he was sharing a bed with their kids is kinda tangible evidence…
Maybe you would rape a kid if they fall asleep in your bed, but most men would not.
Sadly, there are so many corroborating facts presented within the documentary that my opion completely changed. I then saw this recent interview with his former house keeper who routinely found children’s underwear in his bed and even saw him showering naked with children. This confirmed it for me; Michael Jackson was not innocent. https://youtu.be/1Yp91zKBGgY
You mean one of the five maids who got caught stealing from Michael’s home? Lol
Thankyou for this informative factual article,i have shared it with everyone i know.people should go on facts, not “feelings”after watching the so called “documentary” period.
Guilty as sin. A total pervert. Open your eyes.
The author of this piece obviously has a lot to lose by Michael Jackson being known as a paedophile.
Michael Jackson was a guilty man. You can try and find all the evidence you want to support him but he was clearly doing these things grooming of young boys perhaps not all of them but defenatly these boys without a doubt!!!!! 100%! and people are getting infuriated with it and angry and insane!!! Because truthfully they know his weird and grooming!
Tell Me honestly would you let your sons/ daughters spend the night with MJ???! If you would then more foool you!!
The parents are also very much to blame for letting their child be with this man but again like yourselves like the world they believe MJ to be GOD and could do nothing wrong! More foool them!!! And because of this these little boys have suffered
For me there are two parts to mj. His stage part of him. I love him on stage, his music, his performances etc I will love his music forever more but the actual real person he was is ******* disgusting I believe he truelly did love these boys like deeply and like a disease he was a peodophile he didn’t fancy women he didn’t fancy men he fancied young boys and perhaps he should have got help for it then he would be respected more but as soon as u act on your impulses your a downright peeeedooooo and his victims should be praised not spat at by anyone!!!!! And you should be ashamed for doing so!!!
I would not let any kid stay anywhere close to you. That is for sure. You not show any evidence but show you have a lot of fantasy. It is gross.
What a wonderful well researched article. Those two men are extortionists. People can be so wicked. Real gold diggers.
@Stevie:
Michael Jackson regularly surrounded himself with children and their families. In the 80s, he spent a lot of time with Emmanuel Lewis, a child star. The latter has just reacted on Twitter: “Michael Jackson has never done anything moved! “. Later, the young actor Macaulay Culkin was also very close to the King of Pop and remained his friend until his death. He is still related to his children and especially to his daughter of whom he is the godfather. He recently defended Michael, as he has done for years.
Brett Barnes, cited in the documentary as one of the “victims” of Michael Jackson, has also reacted by denouncing the words of Robson. He has never been abused by his best friend.
In the early 1990s, Michael Jackson had welcomed, helped and supported Ryan White, a boy with AIDS and died a few years later. He had been staying at Neverland with his family.
There are many children who have rubbed shoulders with Michael Jackson and who are defending him: Macaulay Culkin, Brett Barnes, Emmanuel Lewis, Talun Zeitoun, Corey Feldman, Kelly Parker, Sean Lennon, Nathan Cavaleri, Omer Bhatti, the Cascios brothers, Austin Brown, 3T, … All maintain Michael’s innocence. All liars?
QUESTION: Why do not all these testimonials defending Michael Jackson appear in the documentary Leaving Neverland
“We do not collect money to testify in Leaving Neverland”. Wade Robson and James Safechuck claim, to anyone who wants to hear it, that their attempt to testify in a film by Michael Jackson has nothing to do with money. And that they do not receive a seal for their testimony in Dan Reed’s film.
Yet just before the US release of Leaving Neverland, Wade Robson officially launched a fundraising campaign for his Robson Family Fund. The latter was FOUNDED in 2019 by Wade Robson and his wife Amanda. The purpose of this foundation? Prevent and cure sexual abuse of minors. The Robson Family Fund plans to redistribute donations to various associations that pursue these missions.
However, Robson went to house his Hawaii Foundation in the Hawaii Community Foundation. In this way, no one (neither the official bodies nor the journalists) will ever be able to see the donations made to his advantage. Indeed, by setting up their foundation in Hawaii, the Robson do not have to declare the income to the American tax authorities. Journalist Roger Friedman writes, moreover, that if HBO or Leaving Neverland’s producer had decided to donate to Robson via his foundation … no one would ever know. Just as it will not be possible to know if donations received have all been redistributed.
To support their abuse thesis by Michael Jackson, Wade Robson and James Safechuck use in the film Leaving Neverland, the name of another boy who rubbed shoulders Michael Jackson in the 1990s. This is Brett Barnes. Wade Robson claims that Barnes “replaced” him as a victim of Michael Jackson, saying in passing that the latter would have been another “victim” of Jackson.
But Brett Barnes categorically denies any act moved by Michael Jackson and continues to claim the innocence of the star, as he did during the trial of 2005 found the innocence of Michael Jackson. Brett Barnes’ lawyer has just sent an official letter to HBO executives asking them to remove Brett Barnes from this documentary. “That you produce a movie that clearly suggests that Mr. Barnes was sexually assaulted by one of his best friends is outrageous. The fact that no one even tried to contact him to ask him questions about these accusations is even more serious. ”
In 2003, journalist Martin Bashir broadcast a biased report during which he follows Michael Jackson. In a filmed sequence, Michael Jackson answers the reporter’s questions with a cancerous child who has been living with his parents in Neverland. The child, Gavin Arvizo tells all the good he thinks of the singer. But a few days after the broadcast of the report, the version changes and … the teen accuses Michael Jackson. Attorney Tom Sneddon, who sued the singer in 1993 in a first case, found no evidence against him. But in 2003 he reopens the investigation and stops the singer. His ranch is searched by 70 policemen. And after 2 years of research and 1,900 pages of report, is held a trial, relayed around the world. It opens on 28/2/2005 in Santa Maria. On June 13, the jury found Michael Jackson innocent on all 14 counts against the star. Michael Jackson is free and innocent.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck have continuously defended the King of Pop since 1993. They have each testified voluntarily in numerous interviews and under oath that Michael Jackson had never had any inappropriate gesture against them. Including during the highly publicized trial of 2005 that has cleared Michael Jackson. Wade Robson, already 23 years old at the time of the trial, was even one of the leading witnesses in the defense. Moreover, the argument mentioned by Mathieu Delormeau is not even used by Robson and Safechuck currently who claim absolutely not to have been paid by the star to take his defense.
Neither Wade Robson nor James Safechuck were forced or paid to defend Michael Jackson. In fact, they continued to deny any move that was not made for several years after the death of Michael Jackson … who was no longer there to “pay” them.
This week, several US media published reports that investigators found child pornography at Neverland Ranch in 2003 during searches.
FALSE> US authorities in charge of research at the time have just contradicted this information in an interview with People magazine (March 13, 2019). Attorney Ron Zonen explained: “Porn magazines and videos were found at Neverland but nothing that constitutes child pornography. These were traditional and legal X magazines like Penthouse, Playboy, etc. We did not find any porn images involving children in the items seized at the time. Nothing illegal. “
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/03/10-undeniable-facts-about-the-michael-jackson-sexual-abuse-allegations
So Vanity Fair along lots of media was telling lies?
Thanks for elaborating. Valuable info presented powerfully. 🙏
To Gianni !
The wedding ring and other rings are more than enough physical evidence for me
The documents they made everyone that worked their was enough for me
Also him burning the glove and jacket that he could have sold for millions to people like you that love paedophiles is enough for me
The pain you can see in the families lives that were ruined by him is enough for me
None of them have gotten justice
None of them have got a single penny
So you can quit acting like this is a money grab
The man is dead, people are protecting a legacy , your trying to protect a fantasy
The first maid that they fabricated thief 3 charges to make her testimony seen false, why would she lie about seeing Michael Jackson in the shower!
She had zero to gain, zero. She only lost, because of the documents she signed when she started working there
Evils Presley was a paedophile and many many more, I’m sure there’s stil 80 year olds that defend him, just like you
Your gonna be sitting i. Your wheelchair one day thinking about how much you love Michael still defending his sick actions, why
A new element showing Dan Reed’s deliberate desire to manipulate opinion has just been revealed. And he got the famous American lawyer Mark Geragos to react.
Mark Geragos is the first lawyer to defend Michael Jackson in 2003 in the Arvizo case. He was later replaced by Thomas Mesereau.
In “Leaving Neverland”, when discussing the 2005 lawsuit, and just before Safechuck recounts his alleged intimation by MJ and his lawyers, Dan Reed places the excerpt of a public intervention by lawyer Mark Geragos.
In November 2003, Mark Geragos said “This is not the lottery. This is the life of this man. This is the life of his family. These are slanderous accusations. We go, and have been given all authority, we will fall on you like a ton of bricks. We will fall on you like a hammer if you do something that would tarnish that man’s reputation. ”
Stuck right before the sequence where Safechuck says he was intimidated by the Jackson camp, in the narrative of “Leaving Neverland”, this statement makes sense for the viewer …
In fact, Mark Geragos just said that this archive did not speak about this trial. This passage from the Geragos declaration concerned the Xtra-Jet case.
Small Reminder: In November 2003, while Michael was traveling to Las Vegas to engage with the police in the case of alleged sexual abuse, a camera filmed his conversation with his lawyer Mark Geragos.
The fact that hidden cameras had been illegally placed in a private jet made Michael Jackson’s lawyers react. That’s the meaning of Geragos’ intervention and he himself called it back on Twitter yesterday.
Maybe some journalists or anti-Jackson will say that he is trying to arrange reality to cover Michael Jackson and that in reality it was not that.
So we resume the CNN News Transcript of November 25, 2003 related to this intervention and it is clear that Geragos literally “explodes with reports that Michael Jackson and he were secretly videotaped while on video. were stealing to make Michael accused of pedophilia, and that the officials of the airline would have met the media to tell them that they could possibly sell the videos “.
Moreover, those who were behind these spy cameras were convicted and sentenced in July 2007.
The extract chosen by Dan Reed is placed out of context. He needed to show a MJ lawyer speaking with a threatening tone just before Safechuck told his false intimidation story. So he put this excerpt that has nothing to do with the 2005 trial.
Mark Geragos said that this manipulation of Dan Reed, could be grounds for suing.
It’s time for the media to recognize that Dan Reed is telling a story. But this story does not correspond to reality.
Wow, thanks for sharing this.
We live in sick times when a dead mans legacy is more important than the truth
How are they going to do rape kits on boys that Michael Jackson has groomed for years and years and literally obey his very command?
How are they supposed to get this physical evidence?
Is it was today , a CSI team would definitely have found evidence all over that place.
Your fucked in the head for protecting a dead man that you don’t even know?
This dudes loved him, like literally we jealous when other little boys would donating with Michael instead of them.
Let me guess
R Kelly’s Innocent too?
This is probably Deborah again, writing under different names.
I have a hard time believing that someone can watch tha and thinks it’s acting
Thank you very much for this! Maybe this will interest you as well: https://mimeticmargins.com/2019/03/19/facts-to-consider-when-watching-leaving-neverland/
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QUESTION: Why do not all these testimonials defending Michael Jackson appear in the documentary Leaving Neverland
ANSWER: Because he didn’t rape them. He raped others. Any more questions?
Rack off you have no proof
The question at this point isn’t weather he did it or not the question is if they have enough eveidence to get the justice they all deserve.
Why would someone say” I’m not even interested in that while looking away” looking away is lying ask any body language specialists. He is into that
Wonderful article! The mainstream media started attacking Michael Jackson after the incredible success of the Thriller album and they have never stopped. Saying Jackson molested you is an easy copycat thing to do. I could do it tomorrow and be on many tv channels. Physical lynching of Black folks were often simply based on the word a White person. The modern day one’s are too! When Nicole Eggert claimed abuse from Scott Baio there was no talk of muting him ! Robson says he realized Jacksons anal rape was abuse after his son was born! Not during the conception of his son or his affair with Brittney Spears! He also emailed the Jackson estate requesting to choreograph a tribute show to him after his son was born! Some people are simply going to believe them anyway. Notice how Jussie Smollett was scrutinized immediately! HBO and Oprah should be ashamed, Michael Jackson bashing has been a sport in the US for decades. A Black guy selling out stadiums without playing a guitar didn’t seem right. He was a constant target, and any average Joe white person is going to be believed over him by some people.
Thank you for doing this investigation and putting in “accurate and historical” order. It really puts into perspective, for me, what a cash cow LN has been for HBO. I could go on and on but not enough time in the world so I won’t. To sum it up, I knew much of this, not all, and the fact that HBO had record breaking pay per views during Super Bowl and so did Oprah, it completely makes sense why they would back this incredible nonsense of so called LN documentary. It’s all about money. May MJ Rest In Peace and again, THANK YOU for providing this information! God Bless you and may the truth prevail. Lies run sprints, truth runs marathons as Taj Jackson always says…
Gaga apologized for working with him and vowed to remove their 2013 duet f8 Do What U Want from streaming services, a move Celine Dion also made four days later with I m Your Angel, her 1998 collaboration with Kelly. So what do we do now with arguably the biggest R. Kelly superstar summit of all: You Are Not Alone, the 1995 number-one single he wrote and co-produced for Michael Jackson ?
This was amazing to read! I was unaware of everything Michael Jackson when threw with all these people extorting his kind, beautiful soul. You are correct! Media = Witch Hunt. Karma will get em!
I don’t know what’s more sickening, that child grooming predator Michael Jackson or his die hard fans who defend him blindly no matter what! These obsessed fans could have seen video evidence of the sexual abuse & they would still deny it was true!
Obsessed fans would do anything & say anything for the object of their obsession….just like the sickos who were obsessed with Ian David Karslake Watkins. A pedophile in jail for 35 years for sexual abuse of little kids, toddlers, attempted tape of a baby! He got away with it for years because he was a singer, a celebrity in the UK & he had people who refused to believe he’d do such evil acts. So obsessed were some fans that 2 women, the mothers of 2 of the little children he abused were also sentenced to 15 & 17 years for giving him their own babies for his sick, depraved desires!
We’re talking about a band who sold a few million albums & were probably heard of very little outside the UK. On a scale of fame & celebrity this band, this sick Fck didn’t even register in comparison to Predator Michael Jackson’s fame. Obsessed fanatics, die hard fans are blind to the atrocities their idols commit!
You keep harping on about these boys being liars…sexual abuse causes life long damage, shame, guilt, depression…it’s not something that would be easy to talk about. Ask other survivors of sexual predators…it’s not just predator Michael Jackson’s victims who have gone through this! It’s so much more complicated than that & even more so because it’s so public. No one else was in that room with any of these male children so don’t fckn pretend to know what happened in that room just because you love that sick child predator Michael Jackson!
If it was all about money & fame…why aren’t more celebrities accused of child sexual abuse?
Even as I write this out of frustration I’m aware that these stupid, obsessed, blindly loyal fans will not believe a word against that predator Michael Jackson. It’s kind of pointless trying to get through to them. Actually, I’ve decided the ones protecting that deviant pig are worse! They allowed who knows how many boys to be abused because Michael Jackson was paying them so well to keep his sick secrets! They were the greedy ones!
These obsessed fans absolutely stun me with their blindness. It’s like they’re in a cult & brainwashed.
So it’s just a coincidence that child sex predator Michael Jackson only slept in his bed with young boys of a certain age? It’s only a coincidence that once the boys reached about the age of 14 (puberty) he no longer had anything (or very little) to do with them? For someone who constantly hung out with these boys & slept in the same bed with then, claimed to love them & be great friends…yet he just dropped them when they reached puberty. Doesn’t seem strange?????
It’s just a coincidence that one of the young boys knew exactly where pedophile predator Michael Jackson’s skin condition markings were on his erect penis?
These fans just keep saying “it’s all about the money with these boys”….why didnt that pedophile fight to clear his name instead of pay these so called liars off? Apparently it would have cost him more if he fought it…..so settling was a way of saving a buck & was more important than clearing his name? What a load of crap to say it would have cost way more if he dragged it out & fought it! His lawyers costs from what I saw written was about 3.8mill…..it would have cost him way less than $25mill in lawyers fees if he’s chosen to fight. Makes me question why he didn’t fight it?
And speaking of greedy, sick enablers of that predator….all those who covered for him, such as his family….Michael was their main cash cow, they kept their mouths shut so they could keep getting his money! If he was poor you can bet they would have aired his dirty little secrets!
If I was accused of something as depraved, sickening, disgusting, vile & evil as sexual abuse of little children, I would have fought & spent every last cent & even sold the shirt off my back to clear my name of such depravities! But he didn’t, did he?!
Why did these boys say they weren’t abused at first….because you dumbasses, that sick predator Michael Jackson GROOMED the children! He gained their trust, got close to them, befriended them, got them to love him & made them believe that’s how love was shown. They didn’t recognise it as abuse in their young minds! He instilled fear in them if they spoke of it….do you really think it would have been difficult for a grown, skilled sexual predator to twist the minds of little children who saw him as a huge star?!
It’s not unusual for children who were sexually abused by predators like sicko Michael Jackson to take decades to finally snap & speak up! Look at reports from EXPERTS who deal with these survivors on a daily basis.
Looks like he groomed you as much as the little kids to make you so blind to his depraved acts!
I hope there’s nothing left of that pedophile palace when his victims are through with him!
Predator Michael Jackson’s legacy is that of a perverted, child sexual predator to all those not blinded by his celebrity! When his music is heard now….the comments I hear go something like this…”shame such a talented individual was a sick pedophile”….My opinion exactly!
But it is difficult to accept,that wade robson who was allegedly raped by michael wanted to get married in the same ranch where he was allegedly abused, he has also claimed previously that he was friends with MJ till he was 23 to 24 years old, unlike wht he says in the documentary tht he was cut off, there are too many inconsistencies in his story
Um we actually look at evidence you look at lies
I have spent weeks scouring every shred of material I could to try to get an accurate picture of what really happened. I admit I just took the negative things said about Michael as the truth without looking at all the facts. Now one by one I have seen that all the accusers had one common thread which was extortion. Never again will I just believe everything I read. I realize Michael passed on many years ago but I feel so bad for the way I viewed him. Please forgive me Michael and his family too. As a 64 year old man I feel ashamed for not giving him the respect that I would want.
Jeffrey, all he would want is for you to be at the place you are now, and to be happy. Michael valued and believed in the truth, and you proved him right by seeking it out.
I was just like you, I doubted too, until I did weeks of exhaustive obsessive research trying to understand what really happened and who Michael Jackson really was.
I’m shocked to discover the truth – not that he’s innocent, but just what an extradinary incredible human being he was and such a powerful advocate and conduit for love, compassion, caring and all things good and honourable. Why did I never see it before?
I like to think Jeffrey that people like you and I share a common trait with Michael, he would have laughed at how obsessive and hard working we are when somethings important to us – because he was the same.
Michael has already forgiven you and loves you. Listen to his songs, you’ll hear it in his voice.
Thank you for a really brilliant article, one that is perfectly in line with my own detailed investigations. I just couldn’t get my head around how if it could see this, why could no one else? You’ve explained it perfectly in your article.
Thank you for honouring the incredible loving kind generous and heart-felt human being that Michael Jackson was. I wish you could know how important your article is…. it means more than I can explain in words. If we all aspired to be even half as good a human being as Michael was, this world would be synonymous with heaven itself.
Thank you 🙏💛
May I be honest…at worst Jackson was a pedopihle…at best he was a disturbed man. But all that aside what truly stands out is even if Jackson was a pedophile I do not think his fans would care.
Know one cared about Bill Cosby there were accusations on this man for years and it was quietly swept under the rug. Finally when over 50 woman accused him know one could ignore it anymore.
The reason I say Jackson was disturbed was because after the first accusation he should have never had a kid at his place again. One accusation can be false. Instead he kept bringing kids to his place…which means he was disturbed or a pedophile. When your accused of something once you can overlook it…say just bad luck. When multiple people accuse you that is another entirely.
So many things catch my eye in the responses to this article. First, the writer of this article is entitled to any opinion. But do not mistake their opinion , or even facts that may prove some lies to have been told by others and proof of his complete innocence.
To the individual that commented that he could not be a pedophile because they found no porn on his computers……well, my father was a molester but didn’t watch porn. It’s a ridiculous rationale…kind of like saying a priest can molest boys because he has no access to the internet. And why would you need porn when live subjects are in your bed. This is not to say I believe he is guilty, I have my own opinions, but that type of logic as a way to disprove something is simply illogical.
Whether Michael Jackson molested boys or not, his actions – those both proven and admitted to by Michael Jackson himself – sleeping with them in his bed, holding them, showering with them are frightening on their own. Some of you respond that he was just child like and wanted their love. Imagine if an old, poor, fat man used this same defense. Or a priest. How do you think that would fly? It is ridiculous at best to think the world at large would accept this excuse from anyone other than Michael Jackson.
Were there people who tried to extort him based on their knowledge of potentially truthful allegations. Certainly. And hopefully they are punished accordingly. But make no mistakes, Michael placed himself squarely in the bullseye to be accused based on his own actions as he himself outlined.
And let me ask all of those so willing to defend Michael Jackson, as opposed to considering the potential truthfulness of his accusers. Let’s say your 8,9,10 year old little boy would have been invited to Neverland for sleepovers, and in some misguided thought process you agreed simply because the invitation came from a celebrity. Because we all know that celebrities never cause harm, are immune to psychological disease. Let’s say your child told you at some point that they didn’t sleep in a guest room, or even in another bed in Michael Jacksons room. That they slept in bed with him. And that they slept naked. And that Michael “spooned” them while they were sleeping. Let’s say they told you only that. Would you not be horrified? Would you really be able to look your child in the eye and say well that’s normal behavior for an adult. Or would you say don’t ever let any adult do that…unless it’s Michael Jackson? Because he’s just like that. I pray that not one of you would say “sure I would”.
As to the boys from the Neverland documentary. And it is in fact a documentary of their life and time with Michael Jackson until proven otherwise. If you want to consider Michael innocent until proven guilty despite so many self-admissions of inappropriate behavior and public displays of less than rational thinking, then you cannot consider these boys liars simply because they denied abuse for years. Or even because you feel not all the facts add up…because none of us have all the facts. I denied my father’s abuse for many years, because to do otherwise would have ;and ultimately did; devastating results. And as a child you believe that those results have the potential to be worse than the reality you were living in. That was my experience. Me who no one knew, who had no claim to fame, who was abused by a man that others knew to be a pedophile. I can not imagine how overwhelming it would have been in the shoes if any child that may have been molested by Michael Jackson. The results would have affected the world, not just their own world. Imagine. And as children we are influenced by so much more than we are as an adult. If you can believe that Michael Jackson did only what we know he did because he wanted the love of these children, why can you not consider that these children denied the allegations because despite the abuse it was an amazing and surreal experience to be so “loved” by MJ. ?
And they must be lying because they want money now? Those that are abused or suffer don’t look for financial gain if they’re telling the truth? If I were to consider that logical thinking I would have to believe OJ Simpson was innocent simply because the Brown and Goldman families sued him in civil court. There is no logic to that thinking, and money has no place in determining truth in situations like this. Someone said they could have made more money by writing their stories about their time with the singer. Isn’t that an argument against them “lying”? As adults now, they are intelligent enough to understand the criticism they would face. Smart enough to know there would be an easier route to money, if money was their motivation. They could have written about how allegations from others came to pass and how they KNOW them to be false because of their experiences and been heralded as heroes to all of Michael’s millions of fans. They could have done many things that would have cost them far less. But they didn’t. At the very least we have to consider ALL of the reasons why.
Finally, I will say this. To those that say Michael is dead, let him rest in peace… regardless of whether he is guilty or not, I say this:. If the allegations are true and there are victims, they are very much alive. Michael Jackson’s death should not require their silence. They would owe him nothing, and have every right to deal with that reality in their own way…whether we agree with it or not.
Damien Shields,
These men loved and still love Michael Jackson, they aren’t the enemy. For them to do this took courage beyond you understanding. Michael Jackson was already giving their family money and buying them houses. The motivation of greed does not apply. Coming out with the truth now was the least hurtful way they could be freed from their suffering without hurting Michael. Obviously what he did was extremely evil, vile and twisted. And if it wasn’t for Michael Jackson’s assets and career very very similar to R Kelly’s assets and career. He would never have spent a single night alone with any of these young boys.
There is nothing philanthropical about a 44yr old man taking a shower with a young boy. Btw most of the witnesses that did come forward never gained a penny.
The biggest star on planet earth was a paedophile. And it’s not the first time we have seen this.
would you let your son, your baby. Sleep with a 44year old man. Forget who it is. Would you ??
I just thought of something,
If you watched this documentary and you think it is fake
Then you should also believe that each family And family memberS Michael destroyed deserve a Grammy golden globe all of thee above
The best actors in the history of television
Or on the other hand you can look at
MJ his power was n his influence and wealth. He knew how powerful he was, he put on an act and I think he deserves an academy award for the way he deceived these familys
Michael Jackson “If I said that I loved Charlie chaplain the fans would SWORN ME with Charlie chaplain”
“ i happen to love children so they send me pictures of half naked children”??????
How does this not scream at you all this people coming to help him,
The fake marriage
The fake kids
His addiction because he couldn’t be himself, I child lover.
He was a sick sick sick man and you, not anyone ever helped him by defending him.
The estate was only protecting the fortune
If he wasn’t paying off jimmys parents or wades parents he would have probably killed himself years earlier
By the way
These are heterosexual men with wives and children.
They have zero to gain by this they are already well off not including the money Michael Jackson has already given them to stay quite.
And this documentary doesn’t include all the boys he molested or that accused him either
You can’t say oh Macaulay isn’t in this documentary so it’s not real, the didnt include the two main children that originally brought charges
By the way
These are heterosexual men with wives and children.
They have zero to gain by this they are already well off not including the money Michael Jackson has already given them to stay quite.
And this documentary doesn’t include all the boys he molested or that accused him either
You can’t say oh Macaulay isn’t in this documentary so it’s not real, the didnt include the two main children that originally brought charges