Leaving Neverland triggered a media backlash against Jackson and a reassessment of his legacy. However, it boosted sales of his music. Some dismissed the film as one-sided and questioned its veracity; Jackson's estate condemned it as a "tabloidcharacter assassination",[10] whileJackson's fans organized protests. A number of rebuttal documentaries seeking to refute the allegations were released.[11][12][13] In February 2019, the Jackson estate sued HBO and later won their case against HBO forbreaching a non-disparagement clause from a 1992 Jackson concert contract by distributing the film. A sequel,Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, premiered on March 18, 2025.[14][15]
Synopsis
DirectorDan Reed describedLeaving Neverland as a "study of the psychology ofchild sexual abuse, told through two ordinary families ...groomed for twenty years by a pedophile masquerading as a trusted friend."[16] In the film,Wade Robson and James Safechuck allege that Jackson sexually abused them when they were children–Safechuck from 1988 to 1992 and Robson from 1990 to 1996. They give graphic descriptions of Jackson's alleged sex acts, includingmasturbation,oral sex andanal sex, which they say took place at his home,Neverland Ranch, and other locations.
Robson and Safechuck claim that Jackson said these acts were "romantic," and that they did not realize they were inappropriate until adulthood. Safechuck also claims that Jackson took him shopping for an engagement ring and later held a mock wedding. Safechuck alleges that around the time of Jackson'scriminal trial in 2005, he told his mother that Jackson "wasn't a good person."[17] Safechuck asserts to have begun therapy in 2013, thus recalling his trauma for the first time. Safechuck's mother Stephanie describes feeling elated and dancing upon hearing ofJackson's death in 2009: "'Oh thank God, he can't hurt any more children!' Those were my thoughts."[17] Robson says Jackson told him to distrust women. Both men claimed that Jackson tried pushing them away from their families and "brainwashing" them. Jackson allegedly sent the two men love letters and set up security systems at Neverland to prevent other people from witnessing the abuse.
Safechuck says Jackson eventually replaced him with Brett Barnes; Robson claims he was replaced by the actorMacaulay Culkin, who is two years older, because Jackson preferred prepubescent boys. Robson says he was given Jackson memorabilia as a child, and is photographed burning the items.
In 1993, Jackson was accused ofmolesting a 13-year-old boy,Jordan Chandler. Jackson denied the claims andsettled the case out of court for US$23 million.[18][19] No charges were filed after a criminal investigation due to a lack of evidence and testimony from Chandler.[20][21] In 1996, Jackson made an out-of-court settlement with the mother of another boy, Jason Francia, for more than US$2 million, who, in 1993, previously told police that Jackson never molested him.[22][23] The Francias never filed a lawsuit.[24] In 2005, Jacksonwas criminally tried for several counts of child molestation following concerns raised in the 2003 documentaryLiving with Michael Jackson. In that film, he was seen holding hands with 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo and talked about sharing a bed with him. Jackson wasacquitted of all charges.[21]
Safechuck and Robson lawsuits
Robson states in his 2013 complaint that he had suffered twonervous breakdowns in April 2011 and March 2012.[25][26][27] In 2013, Robson filed a lawsuit alleging that Jackson had sexually abused him for seven years, beginning when he was seven years old; the suit was reportedly worth US$1.5 billion.[28][29] The following year, Safechuck filed a lawsuit alleging he was sexually abused by Jackson over four years, beginning when he was ten years old.[30][31] Safechuck said he realized he was abused by Jackson after seeing Robson onThe Today Show in 2013. Aprobate court dismissed Safechuck's suit in 2017.[32][33] Both men had previously testified that Jackson never molested them—Safechuck as a child during the 1993 investigation, and Robson as a child in 1993 and as a young adult in 2005.[34][35]
In 2015, Robson's case against Jackson's estate was dismissed because it was "untimely." His attorney, Maryann Marzano, said they wouldappeal the ruling and that they would pursue Jackson's business entities.[36][37] In 2017, it was ruled that the corporations formerly owned by Jackson could not be held accountable for his alleged past actions.[38] The rulings were appealed because of a change in California law that extended thatstatutes of limitation. On October 20, 2020, Safechuck's lawsuit against Jackson's corporations was again dismissed, with the presiding judge ruling that as a matter of law, Jackson's companies had no duty to keep Safechuck safe from Jackson's alleged predation.[39][40] On April 26, 2021, Robson's case was dismissed because of a lack of supporting evidence that the defendants exercised control over Jackson.[41] In 2023, anappellate court overturned the decisions and allowed both cases to move to a jury trial.[42]
Production
Leaving Neverland was conceived byChannel 4 editors. After Reed produced enough material to make a four-hour film, HBO joined the production.[43] He felt the length was necessary to present the story "in a way that makes it fully understandable in all its complexity." Reed said he did not use the film to comment on Jackson's actions or motivations and did not want to interview other key figures because they might complicate or compromise the story he wanted to tell.[44] The UK version of the film was trimmed by 47 minutes.[3]
In February 2017, Reed and the assistant producer Marguerite Gaudin flew to Hawaii to interview Robson, who agreed to tell his story chronologically and without omitting details. A camera failed shortly after shooting began, but a solution was found; shooting continued until nighttime and continued throughout the second day. Reed traveled to Los Angeles later that week to shoot Safechuck's story in two days.[45] Reed said that Robson, Safechuck, and their families received no financial compensation for the film.[46]
After filming, Reed returned to London and began corroborating the stories. Wondering how Robson's and Safechuck's mothers could have allowed their sons to be abused, he returned to Los Angeles in November 2017 and interviewed their families.[45] The interview in which Safechuck discusses and shows the wedding ring was filmed in July 2018.[47] Reed decided that footage he had shot of former detectives and prosecutors from the 1993 case and the 2005 trial was unnecessary.[44]
Reed was unable to get into contact Jordan Chandler for the documentary and assumed he preferred to remain private. Reed also contacted Gavin Arvizo, but got no response.[48] Reed also said the Chandler and Arvizo stories could form the basis for a second documentary.[49]
The documentary was scored by Chad Hobson. His approach was to "imagine a walk through a beautiful and magical forest ... But as you travel deeper into the forest it becomes darker, more distorted, the limbs of the trees becoming more twisted and sinister."[50]
Release
Leaving Neverland premiered at the2019 Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2019. For television, it was split into two parts, broadcast on March 3–4 on HBO in the US and on March 6–7 on Channel 4 in the UK.[51] The Channel 4 version was edited from four hours to three to create space for commercials.[2] It broke Channel 4streaming records and became the most downloaded Channel 4 show ever, taking a 45% share of young television audiences.[43] An audience of 2.1 million watchedPart 1 on Channel 4, and 1.9 million watchedPart 2;[52][53] after 28-days of catch-up viewing, improving substantially to 5 million and 4 million respectively.[54] In the US,Part 1 drew a 0.4 rating and 1.285 million viewers, the third-largest audience for an HBO documentary in the decade, behind onlyGoing Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief andBright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.Part 2 drew a 0.3 rating and 927,000 viewers in its initial airing.[55][56]
Kew Media Group sold the documentary to channels in 130 territories.[51] In New Zealand, the first episode was watched by 716,000, making it one of the most-watched broadcasts in the country's history not involving sport or news.[57] Dutch broadcasterVPRO referred viewers to the MIND Korrelatie organization for victims of sexual abuse, and attracted callers in large numbers.[58]
The American broadcast was followed byOprah Winfrey Presents: After Neverland (recorded March 2, 2019), in which Robson, Safechuck, and Reed were interviewed byOprah Winfrey before an audience of victims and their families.[59] Winfrey later spoke of the "hateration" she received from Jackson's supporters and others who criticized the film, yet said her support of the accusers has not wavered.[60]
Channel One Russia planned to release the film on nighttime television on March 15, but relegated it to their website, available until March 20, because of "mixed reception, speculation, and aggression from both supporters and opponents of the film".[61] A soundtrack album was released by Redrocca in the US and UK indigital format on April 1, 2019.[62][63][64]
Reception
Critical response
OnRotten Tomatoes,Leaving Neverland holds an approval rating of 98% based on 96 reviews, with an average score of 8/10. Its consensus states: "Crucial and careful,Leaving Neverland gives empathetic breadth and depth to the complicated afterlife of child sexual abuse as experienced by adult survivors."[9] OnMetacritic, it holds a weighted average of 85 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 23 reviews.[65]
InVanity Fair,Owen Gleiberman described Safechuck and Robson's stories as "overwhelmingly powerful and convincing".[66]Hank Stuever ofThe Washington Post thought the documentary was "riveting" and "devastating", ending his review with a plea: "Turn off the music and listen to these men."[67] Melanie McFarland ofSalon believed the film's "intent isn't to merely grant these men and their families a platform to air their stories in all their painful fullness, but to place the viewer inside the perspectives of everyone who was taken in by the dream... it does leave the viewer in the thorny clarity of what we know now."[68] Matthew Gilbert ofThe Boston Globe wrote that the film was not "particularly imaginative", yet he admired how it chronicled Robson's and Safechuck's emotional narrative: "It accounts for every stage of their respective recoveries, which are still in progress, including their darkest feelings of fear, denial, and shame."[69]
InEntertainment Weekly, Kristen Baldwin gave the film a B grade. She criticized it as "woefully one-sided" and concluded: "As a documentary,Leaving Neverland is a failure. As a reckoning, though, it is unforgettable."[70] InThe Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Fienberg wrote:Leaving Neverland is "about the 20+ years... Robson and Safechuck [held secrets, lied, covered up] — and the damage that can do — as it is about the alleged crimes." He concluded: "It's doubtful you'll feel exactly the same after watching."[71]The Daily Telegraph awarded it five out of five, describing it as "a horrifying picture of child abuse".[72]
David Fear wrote inRolling Stone: "By offering these men a forum, this doc has clearly chosen a side. Yet the thoroughness with which it details this history of allegations, and the way it personalizes them to a startling degree, is hard to shake off."[73]IndieWire's David Ehrlich wrote that the film was "dry" and "hardly great cinema", but a "crucial document for a culture that still can't see itself clearly in Michael Jackson's shadow".[74] Alissa Wilkinson described the documentary as "a devastating case" that "may forever" change Jackson's legacy.[75] In theChicago Sun-Times,Richard Roeper described it as a "devastating and undeniably persuasive film".[76]Leaving Neverland earned thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special[4] and theTCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information.[77]
Rebuttal documentaries
A 30-minute documentary rebutting the claims in the film,Neverland Firsthand: Investigating the Michael Jackson Documentary, was released on YouTube on March 30, 2019. It was directed by journalist Liam McEwan and features interviews with Jackson's family and colleagues.[78] It featured Jackson's nieceBrandi Jackson, who dated Robson from 1991 onward for years. She has been countering Robson's claims and the narrative of Michael always being around him.[79] Another documentary challenging the film,Michael Jackson: Chase the Truth, was released on August 13.[80] On August 13, 2019, parts of Robson's 2016 video deposition were released in an online video essay,Lies of Leaving Neverland.[81] The essay argues that his deposition statements contradict statements he made inLeaving Neverland.[82] Another documentary,Square One: Michael Jackson, examined the first accusations made against Jackson and made a case for his innocence, portraying him as a victim oftabloid journalism.[83]
Backlash against Jackson
Leaving Neverland led to a media backlash against Jackson.[84][85] Commentators suggested Jackson's music could fall from favor, similarly to the work of convicted child sexual abuserGary Glitter.[86] Reed said he was not interested in this debate, and said: "I'm not aboutcancelling Jackson. But I think people should know that he was, at times, a monster to children."[86]
AllCogeco-owned radio stations in Canada pulled Jackson's music from their playlists,[87] but later re-added it.[88]NH Radio in the Netherlands[89] andMediaWorks New Zealand,New Zealand Media and Entertainment andRadio New Zealand also pulled Jackson's music,[90] but some New Zealand radio stations eventually re-added it, citing "positive listener survey results".[91] A 1991 episode ofThe Simpsons guest-starring Jackson, "Stark Raving Dad", was pulled from circulation;[92] the co-writer,Al Jean, said he believed Jackson had used the episode to groom boys for sexual abuse.[93] A London concert produced by Jackson's collaboratorQuincy Jones removed Jackson's name and album titles from its advertisements;[94] the organizers said the modified artwork reflected the show's inclusion of Jones's repertoire unrelated to his work with Jackson.[95]"Weird Al" Yankovic dropped his parodies of Jackson's music from hisStrings Attached Tour.[96]
The film producer Jodi Gomes said she and the Jackson family had been working on a new documentary aboutthe Jackson 5 for their 50th anniversary, but that it was canceled after the broadcast ofLeaving Neverland. However, Gomes believed Jackson's legacy would continue "from this generation to the next".[85] Items of Jackson's clothing and a Jackson poster were removed from theChildren's Museum of Indianapolis,[97] but Jackson's photographs from the museum'sRyan White exhibit were kept.[98] The fashion houseLouis Vuitton canceled Jackson-inspired products planned for its 2019 collections.[99] The American gymnastKatelyn Ohashi removed Jackson's music and Jackson-inspired dance moves from herfloor routine at the 2019PAC-12 Championships.[100] The city council ofBrussels cancelled plans to dress theManneken Pis sculpture in Jackson's signature clothing.[101]
Aftermath
Despite the negative publicity, Jackson's honors were not rescinded, as had happened following sexual assault allegations made againstBill Cosby andHarvey Weinstein, and there were no mass calls to stop playing his music, as had happened following allegations againstGary Glitter andR. Kelly.[85] Jackson's combined music sales, including his work with theJackson 5, increased by 10%.Streams of his music and videos increased by 6%, rising from 18.7 million between February 24 and 26 to 19.7 million between March 3 and 5.[102] His videos were viewed 22.1 million times, an increase of roughly 1.2 million from the week prior, and three of his albums re-entered the UKiTunes chart.[103]
In June 2019, around the time of the tenth anniversary ofJackson's death, various industry executives said that his legacy would endure. Darren Julien, president ofJulien's Auctions, which has sold millions of dollars' worth of Jackson memorabilia, said Jackson "still commands prices compared to most any other celebrity". The seniorBillboard editor Gail Mitchell said she interviewed about 30 music executives who believed Jackson's legacy could withstand the controversy.[85] In aGuardian article reassessing Jackson's legacy, the biographerMargo Jefferson expressed her support for Jackson's accusers and concluded: "The task is to read the art and the life fully as they wind and unwind around each other, changing shape and direction."[104]
Reed said he had received abuse and death threats from Jackson fans.[105] In January 2019, he said: "There must be dozens of men out there who have been sexually abused by [Jackson] ... others will see this film and come out."[106] In June, he said he would film a sequel if other victims came forward.[107] A follow-up documentary,Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, premiered on Channel 4 on March 18, 2025.[108] It followed Robson and Safechuck as they took their allegations against Jackson to trial.[109]
Lawsuit against HBO and public arbitration
On February 7, 2019, shortly before broadcast,Howard Weitzman, attorney for the Jackson estate, wrote a letter to HBO chief executiveRichard Plepler criticizingLeaving Neverland as journalistically unethical. The letter asserted that HBO is "being used as part of Robson's and Safechuck's legal strategy [both of which are currently seeking appeals]", and that Reed intentionally did not interview anyone who detracted from the story. The letter said that the two accusers had been caught lying in testimony, and the documentary would only bolster their credibility. "We know that this will go down as the most shameful episode in HBO's history," the letter said.[110]
On February 21, the Jackson estate sued HBO for violating a non-disparagement clause in a 1992 contract by agreeing to run the documentary. The suit sought to compel HBO to litigate the issue in a publicarbitration process and claimed that the estate could be awarded $100 million or more in damages. The suit accused HBO of fabricating lies with a financial motive. HBO did not stop the airing of the documentary.[111][112]
The suit sought to compel HBO to participate in a non-confidentialarbitration that could result in US$100 million or more indamages being awarded to the estate.[113] HBO denied claims of a breach of contract and filed an anti-SLAPP motion against the estate. JudgeGeorge Wu denied HBO's motion to dismiss the case, allowing the Jackson estate to compel arbitration,[114] but granted HBO's motion to stay the arbitration proceedings with the Jackson estate pending HBO's appeal to theUS Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[115] On December 14, 2020, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit upheld the lower court ruling favoring the Jackson estate.[116] The sex abuse lawsuits Robson and Safechuck filed which were based on the allegations they later described inLeaving Neverland would eventually be dismissed as well.[117]On February 28, Plepler resigned from HBO. He was rumored to have chafed under the leadership ofJohn Stankey,WarnerMedia's new chief. The Jackson estate said Plepler "must have known" about the 1992 contract, since he had been senior vice president of communications then.[118] It was reported in September 2019 that Plepler resigned three days after an unnamed shareholder wrote a letter criticizing, among other things, Plepler's greenlighting ofLeaving Neverland, arguing that it opened the company to lawsuits.[119]
On May 2, HBO lawyers Daniel Petrocelli and Theodore Boutrous filed an opposing motion arguing that the contract had expired once both parties had fulfilled their obligations. HBO contended that the estate's interpretation of the clause as conferring perpetual immunity from disparagement, even in death, was excessively broad. They argued that such interpretation would "run afoul of the public policy embodies in numerous California statutes to protect children from sexual abuse" and "legitimize the creation of a category of wealthy, powerful or famous individual who could... preserve for themselves via contract posthumous control over how they are portrayed and described in a way that ordinary citizens cannot." Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Jackson estate, responded, "If HBO thinks the contract does not apply or is expired then why are they opposing adjudicating it? The reason why is because they know they were complicit in this one-sided farce of a money grab that clearly violates the agreement... Let this be a warning to all talent that HBO will disregard the truth and distribute fictitious one-sided content in violation of the artists' rights it promised to protect."[120]
The Jackson estate aimed to have aLos Angeles Superior Court judge compel arbitration proceedings before theAmerican Arbitration Association. HBO said there was no enforceable agreement that pertained toLeaving Neverland. It argued that an over-reading of the 1992 contract would violate both its due process rights and the First Amendment; under theFederal Arbitration Act, the federal judge had to decide the "gateway issues of validity and arbitrability". The Jackson estate called this argument "classic tautology" and that it "assumes the very conclusion that HBO wants an adjudicator to reach in this dispute, i.e., that there are no remaining obligations under the Agreement".[121]
On the recommendation ofJudge George Wu, HBO filed aSLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) motion against the estate on August 29. It pointed to the "extraordinary" origins of the case. The estate argued that its petition is a federal issue, under the Federal Arbitration Act, hence the California SLAPP law should not take precedence. They said, "Breaching an agreement by refusing to arbitrate is not constitutionally protected activity. And even if it were, the Jackson Estate has shown a probability of success on that claim." The SLAPP law provides an automatic right to an immediate appeal, which may bring the case to theNinth Circuit.[122]
On September 19, Judge Wu tentatively denied HBO's motion to dismiss the estate's lawsuit.John Branca, co-executor of the estate, said HBO had been trying to suppress the other side of the story. "I've never seen a media organization fight so hard to keep a secret," Branca said.[123] The following day, Judge Wu gave a final ruling to deny HBO's motion to dismiss the case, granting the Jackson estate's motion to compel arbitration.[114][124]
On October 21, 2019, HBO filed a notice of appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, seeking appellate review of the District Court's order granting the Jackson estate's motion to compel arbitration. Shortly after, HBO applied for a stay of the arbitration proceedings.[125] On November 7, HBO was granted its motion to stay the arbitration proceedings with the Jackson estate pending HBO's appeal to the Ninth Circuit.[115] On December 14, 2020, HBO lost an appellate bid to avoid arbitration, as a three-judge panel for the Ninth Court Court of Appeal upheld the lower court decision favoring the Jackson estate.[126][127] In October 2024, the case was dismissed by both parties resulting inMax removing the film and never to return to the platform.[128]
Criticisms of allegations
In January 2019, the Jackson estate issued a press release condemning the film: "The two accusers testified under oath that these events never occurred. They have provided no independent evidence and absolutely no proof in support of their accusations."[129] On the day of the HBO premiere ofLeaving Neverland: Part One, the estate postedLive in Bucharest onYouTube. The next day, to coincide with the broadcast ofPart Two, the estate posted another concert film,Live at Wembley July 16, 1988.[130]
Fans of Jackson demanded the Sundance Film Festival cancel the screening.[131] At the Sundance premiere, Robson and Safechuck said they had received death threats from fans.[132] Fans organized an internet campaign, protests outside Channel 4's office, and acrowdfunded campaign placing posters with the slogan "Facts don't lie. People do" on public transport.[43][133] On March 13,Transport for London announced it would remove the adverts after the charitySurvivors Trust complained that they could discourage victims of sexual abuse from coming forward.[134][135] On 27 February, theSouthern Christian Leadership Conference wrote a letter asking HBO to reconsider airing the film, calling it a "posthumous lynching".[136]
Several men who were friends of Jackson as children, including some who were named in the documentary as other victims, defended him and denounced the documentary. The American actorCorey Feldman called it "one-sided" and said Jackson never approached him inappropriately.[137] He later said that his comments "[weren't] meant in any way to question the validity of the victims".[138] Feldman toldRolling Stone that his relationship with Jackson was "the standard grooming process that [Robson and Safechuck] describe ... everything was similar [to what happened to me] up until the sexual part".[139][140] The American singerAaron Carter, a friend of Jackson as a child, said in 2019 "there was one thing that he [Jackson] did that was a little bit inappropriate";[141] however, after the release ofLeaving Neverland, said the incident had not been sexual. He remembered Jackson as "an amazing guy" and said his accusers were "full of crap".[142] Barnes and Culkin, whom the documentary suggests replaced Robson and Safechuck when Jackson "pushed them out", also denied any inappropriate behavior from Jackson.[143] Culkin restated that he had never seen inappropriate behavior from Jackson, and said he had no reason to conceal anything now that Jackson had died.[144]
The English singerBoy George expressed skepticism about the documentary: "It's just taken almost for granted that this is what happened and therefore we all should accept it."[145] The American singerMadonna, who was a friend of Jackson, toldBritish Vogue: "I don't have a lynch-mob mentality, so in my mind, people are innocent until proven guilty ... Are there people asking for money, is there some kind of extortion thing happening?"[146]Joey Fatone of the pop groupNSYNC, who had worked with Robson at the2001 MTV Video Music Awards, also expressed skepticism: "[At the time] it seemed like nothing was going on, that's the whole thing. To come out later on and have these repercussions, it's kind of weird and interesting because you never know what's true."[147]
The Jackson biographer Mike Smallcombe argued that Safechuck's claims of sexual abuse at Neverland's train station at age 10 between 1988 and 1992 could not be true because the train station had not been built until 1994, when Safechuck was at least 16. Reed responded that the accusers had misremembered the year the abuse ended, that Safechuck was present at Neverland before and after the construction of the station, and that it was "just one of the many locations where James remembers sexual activity taking place". This contradicts Safechuck's claim that his alleged abuse ended in 1992 because he grew too old.[148] Smallcombe dismissed Reed's response,[149] and criticized the documentary for omitting the debts Robson and Safechuck allegedly owe Jackson's estate in court costs.[150]
Another Jackson biographer,J. Randy Taraborrelli, felt that Jackson's friendships with children were "weird", but saw nothing sexual about them. He said he would have felt that Robson and Safechuck were telling the truth "if it wasn't Michael they were talking about".[151] Bill Whitfield, Jackson's former head of security, also disputed Robson's account that Robson and his wife visited Jackson at his home in Las Vegas in 2008, and said that Robson had never visited.[152]
