Why This Controversial Michael Jackson Documentary Was Taken off HBO Max Before Release of New Biopic
In 2019, HBO released Leaving Neverland, a controversial two-part documentary documenting the child sexual abuse allegations made against Michael Jackson by Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
Despite the film winning an Emmy award in the outstanding documentary or nonfiction special category, generating much media attention and scrutiny, some fans have noticed it was quietly removed from HBO Max.
Explaining that the Jackson estate signed a contract with HBO in 1992 on a concert recording, "Leaving Neverland" director Dan Reed told The Hollywood Reporter that it featured a non-disparagement clause.
“'You can’t say anything nasty about Michael,' applied forever to everything that HBO would ever do — which is patently ridiculous," Reed said. "Somehow, the estate managed to persuade HBO to come to an amicable settlement. And that involved, after six years on the platform, taking Leaving Neverland down."
In the film, Robson alleged that he was seven when Jackson's sexual abuse started, while Safechuck met Jackson around the age of eight after being cast in a Pepsi commercial, and claimed the abuse started months after. Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges in 2005 and denied all allegations made against him until he died in 2009.
Leaving Neverland proved to be controversial hours after its buzzy premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, with the Jackson estate calling it a "tabloid character assassination" featuring "uncorroborated allegations that supposedly happened 20 years ago" in a statement. The film has a notably stark divide between critics and audiences, as evidenced by its 26% audience score compared to its 98% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The news comes as director Antoine Fuqua's Michael has become a pop culture sensation, grossing $217.4 globally in its opening weekend, making it the biggest opening for a music biopic of all time. Starring Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson, the film tells the story of how the King of Pop became the King of Pop, documenting the star's childhood and musical career from the Jackson 5 to the release of Bad in 1987. The film faced its own set of legal challenges; the original third act had to be re-shot to remove references to the 1993 child sexual abuse allegations made against Jackson by Jordan Chandler.
HBO had a license to Leaving Neverland until 2029, leaving it in a state of limbo without a current streaming home; Reed will be able to resell the film and shop it around after the license is up.