Leaving Neverland

WARNING: Graphic Content that many may find disturbing! Read at your own risk.

Leaving Neverland
General Information
Directed by	Dan Reed
Produced by	Dan Reed
Starring	Michael Jackson (archive) Wade Robson James Safechuck
Cinematography	Dan Reed
Edited by	Jules Cornell
Music by	Chad Hobson
Production companies	Amos Pictures
Distributed by	HBO Channel 4 Kew Media
Release date	January 25, 2019 (Sundance) March 3, 2019 (United States) March 6, 2019 (United Kingdom)
Run time	236 min. 189 min. (UK)

Leaving Neverland is a two part documentary film directed by Dan Reed, released on January 25, 2019 and broadcasted on HBO in March. It details Wade Robson's and James Safechuck's sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson between the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

Robson had previously filed a lawsuit in 2013, accusing Jackson of the abuse. Safechuck joined him in the following year, as he "didn't realize he was abused" until Wade talked about his.

Following the release, Jackson's Estate sued HBO in February for breaching a non-disparagement clause from a 1992 contract. On December 14, 2020 the lawsuit was eventually won by the estate.

The accusers went to court with lawsuits against MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures as well. They were dismissed twice in 2017 and 2021, however on August 18, 2023 it was announced a second California appeals court allowed the case to move forward. As of 2024, both accusers are set to soon go to a jury trial against Jackson's companies.

Reed is currently working on a follow-up to Leaving Neverland, with both of the accusers returning. During its production, the filmmaker had tried reaching out to Jackson's fans in order to sweettalk them into joining the project.

On October 30, 2024, the film was removed from HBO Max and is currently unavailable for streaming.

Background

• Michael Jackson with Wade Robson
• Michael Jackson with James Safechuck

1/2

Robson and Safechuck both met Jackson between the late 1980s and early 1990s. The two were allowed to stay at the Neverland Ranch for a while, traveled with the artist for concerts, visited music video sets etc.

In 1993, Michael was accused of sexual abuse from the father of Jordan Chandler - a 13-year old boy who often visited the Ranch in months prior. When asked about any similar situations, Wade Robson stated he didn't share any experiences like that, and that the accusations are "sick".

The two boys shared gratitude for Michael and the Neverland Ranch in later years, and Wade became known in the music industry for working with *NSYNC and the relationship with Britney Spears.

In 2005, Michael Jackson endured a four-month trial, known as People v. Jackson, where he was ultimately accquitted of all charges against him. Wade Robson stated under oath, that no sexual behavior occured between the two. Following Jackson's death in 2009, Robson became known for his dance tributes to the King of Pop.

Soon after however, Robson reversed his position, and in 2013 he filed a civil lawsuit against Jackson's Estate, claiming to had been abused by Michael in the 1990s, and that his earlier statement was due to being "manipulated and brainwashed" by the artist. James Safechuck soon joined Wade, as hearing his story "helped him realize" that he's been abused as well. The film was announced in 2017 to be directed and produced by Dan Reed, and works on it took place between 2017 and 2018.

Effect on Jackson's career

The film received mixed reviews from viewers, but positive from critics and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.

As did the previous allegations against the King of Pop, the movie further negatively affected his legacy. Michael received massive backlash after its release and most of the general public turned their backs on him. However, the loyal fans of Jackson have been organizing protests, creating multiple rebuttal documentaries (e.g. Michael Jackson: Chase the Truth, Neverland Firsthand: Investigating the Michael Jackson Documentary etc.). The Michael Jackson Estate had commented on the film, calling it a "tabloid character assassination".

Contradictions

As pointed out by Jackson's fans around the world, the accusations presented in the film can be easily debunked.

Credits: "25 Lies They Told You in "Leaving Neverland"

Also watch: "Lies of Leaving Neverland"

Claim	Who	Contradiction
Michael replaced Robson and Safechuck with Brett Barnes, who according to both has also been abused	Robson / Safechuck	Barnes has spoken out, that the claim is completely untrue. Additionally, Brett is active on his X account, and is openly a fan of the King of Pop. Barnes has previously had his lawyers contacting HBO, to have his likeness removed from the film, although the company refused.
Michael replaced Robson with Macaulay Culkin who according to him has also been abused	Robson	Culkin has rejected the claims continuously over the years. In fact, the Home Alone star supported Jackson through his People v. Jackson trial in 2005 and so did Wade Robson. Even after the release of Leaving Neverland, Macaulay has stated: "he never did anything to me."
Michael kept Wade and James apart	Robson / Safechuck	Both of them would make appearances as children, even along with Brett, Frank Cascio or Jordan Chandler, e.g. set of the "Jam" music video, hence it's clear, that there was no such effort to keep them apart. In 2005, Wade testified, that at one point he spent a night at Neverland with Culkin and Chandler.
The abuse took place between November 1987 and January 1990 at the ranch's train station	Safechuck	The train station didn't exist until Winter of 1994.
Other places of abuse were "small beds" in the Neverland castle and the arcade	Safechuck	Neverland's workers debunked these claims, and no beds were in any of these places. Additionally, the castle wasn't built until January 1991. When it was, it was empty and had nothing inside of it.
Wade Robson burnt gifts given to him by Jackson.	Robson	What Robson set on fire during the film's dramatic ending were replicas, as the actual items he recieved from Michael were sold by Wade on juliensauctions.com in 2011.
Robson's mother, Joy, sold all the King of Pop-related things they owned following Wade telling his mother about the accusations in 2012.	Robson	In the same film, it is shown, that Joy still owns pictures, tapes, birthday videos and faxes.
Michael "taught" Robson and Safechuck to hate girls.	Robson / Safechuck	There has been zero proof Jackson had any negative feelings towards women or girls. In fact, 'til his last days, it was still clear he was interested in women, as he was crushing on such as Beyoncé. At Neverland, boys and girls alike visited the ranch and spent time with the artist for years. Brandi Jackson (Michael's niece) revealed that it was in fact her uncle who introduced her to Wade, who became her longtime boyfriend.
Jackson wrote "love letters" to Wade through fax.	Robson	The faxes feature noincriminating content, as all it shows is Michael showing his appreciation towards the Robson family, as he would to with others. The court files for Joy's deposition in 2016, include forty faxes, all of which were adressed to the entire family, saying "Joy, whatever I can do to help, I will", "Joy, I love you all" or "Chantal (Wade's sister), I love you because you're very kind and sweet" which weren't shown in Leaving Neverland, as it wouldn't fit Wade's claims.
Michael and James had traveled for a trip to Hawaii	Safechuck	The only "evidence" Safechuck provides in the movie, features an interview with Jackson, in which he says "[...] best thing about Hawaii was spending time with Jimmy", which is an obvious attempt at making the context sound suggestive. However, the full transcript of the interview from court documents, show Jackson was in fact not talking about James or even his family at all.
Mark Geragos' (Michael's attorney) statement in 2003, proves the artists' methods to silence his victims.	-	The original video lasts two minutes and has Geragos adressing a completely different issue, which was directed at two adult men, who legally wiretapped Michael. The video featured in Leaving Neverland however, was cut down to fifteen seconds and edits Mark's words so they say something completely different. The attorney has spoken out about the manipulative scene on his X account.
Safechuck was almost forced by Jackson to testify towards the end of the People v. Jackson trial. Michael's personal assistant, Evvy Tavasci, continued to call and beg James to testify, which James refused to and Michael started to send threats towards him.	Safechuck	In March of 2005, Judge Rodney Melville had ruled that "evidence as to Jimmy Safechuck will not be permitted". It was decided James was a "non-entity", as there were zero allegations in his regards, zero witnesses, and due to Safechuck himself stating under oath, that he hadn't been molested. The defense investigator, stated the defense had no reason to call Safechuck to the stand either. He wasn't on the witnesses list or even a character witness.
Wade was forced by Jackson to testify in 2005 after getting a subpoena.	Robson	Jackson's 2005 defense team, state Wade was the first defense witness, as he was eager to defend Jackson. Thomas Mesereau explained, that a subpoena could've been issued as a matter of bureaucracy and wasn't ordered by him. Mesereau also stated he was shocked by Wade's claims, as "he and his mother and sister all came to Neverland ready to voluntairly support Michael Jackson in and outside of the courtroom. And that's what they did.".
In his lawsuit, Safechuck claims him and Jackson flew to New York to see the Grammy awards in February of 1989. During such, the sexual abuse would continue to occur.	Safechuck	Jackson didn't attend the 1989 Grammy awards, which weren't even held in New York, but Los Angeles. James may have meant the February 1988 Grammy awards, where him and his mother accompanied Michael. However, this doesn't add up again, as him and his mother had a completely separate room from the artist. Additionally, this couldn't have happened, considering Safechuck stated the sexual abuse began in June of that year, in a hotel room in Paris.
James claims he had been molested in each and every possible corner of Neverland.	Safechuck	This claim not only contraddicts Safechuck's description of Jackson as a paranoid and cautious "abuser", but each of these places was monitored, especially the swimming pool James claims to have been abused at. This place was located in a central area, that any of the security or employees would see from the distance. James told a story of how him and Michael almost got caught by his mother in a movie theater, where the two were supposedly locked in a room from the inside. However, this is impossible, considering the theater had crash bars. According to Alan Scanlan who built the theater, locking the doors was only possible from the outside, and the only ones who had the key were security.
In 1990, Wade was left with Michael, as his family went on a trip to the Grand Canyon. Then, the supposed abuse claimed to have started 2 days before had continued.	Robson	Before Leaving Neverland was shot, the Robson family was deposed under oath for their civil lawsuit against Jackson’s companies. The recorded depositions revealed, that the family had several contradicting versions of the story. Before the 2013 lawsuit, Wade was writing a book a year before about the abuse. The court files show, that Robson initially wrote the abuse started as the family went to the trip. Sometime later, it was changed to the abuse starting on the Robson family's second night at the Neverland ranch. In her 2016 deposition however, Joy has stated, that her husband, her mother and her kids left Neverland for the family trip to Grand Canyon. This is consistent with her previous claims in a 1994 Grand Jury hearing and during her testimony in the People v. Jackson trial, where she stated Wade didn't stay alone in Neverland before 1993.
Michael gave Robson and Safechuck suggestive and sexual nicknames.	Robson / Safechuck	The nicknames "Apple head", "Rubba head" and "Doo-doo head" were made up and didn't mean anything. The name "Rubba" was made by Emmanuel Lewis, who also stated "Everyone called everyone Rubba. It didn't mean anything." Michael called everyone by these nicknames, including his family or friends.
Michael gave Wade a camera as a "sexual favor gift".	Robson	In 2002, Robson told a completely different story. Instead of just giving it to him, he told him "Here's a video camera - Take a week, learn how to use it—shoot some stuff. If you've done something interesting you can keep it, if you mess around I'm going to take it back." E-mail correspondence between Wade and Joy, confirms Wade got the camera on their first trip to U.S. when he was 7, not in 1996. The correspondence dates to October 2012, which is when Robson was writing his book and gearing up for his lawsuit.
Wade testified in Jackson's defense, as he "didn't realize he was abused" and "didn't know it was wrong".	Robson	In the film, he explains he decided to testify in Michael's favor, as he felt bad for Prince, Paris and Bigi and didn't want them to lose their father. Wade's concern suggets he was aware, that such a relationship would be inappropriate. On the stand, he had answered multiple explicit questions udner oath, and was aware, that Michael would go to prison if convicted. In 1993, Wade has also stated the allegations against the artist are "sick".
Michael gave the Safechuck family a house after they defended him in 1994.	Safechuck	The actual timeline of events completely refutes this claim. Documents show, that James' parents asked Michael if he could help them buy a new house. In May 1992, Jackson agreed to help and his trust provided them with a fixed loan for $305,000 with a low-interest rate. Their agreement stated that the Safechucks were to return the loan. The parties signed the agreement long before the Jordan Chandler allegations and two years before Michael needed anyone to testify for him. In 1997, Michael's attorneys forgave the debt the Safechucks failed to pay. It had nothing to do with the allegations or the Safechucks' support.
Wade and James have "no financial interest".	Robson / Safechuck	Leaving Neverland's creators insist on showing the accusers as having "no financial interest". However, the film deals with allegations behind a multi-million dollar lawsuit. The film was very visibly meant to support their lawsuits and later was used in support of a law change, that now allows their lawsuit to proceed. Additionally, both of the accusers were confirmed to have unstable financial and employment situation. Wade tried to profit off of his relations with the King of Pop before as well, getting Jackson-related jobs.
Stephanie Safechuck (James' mother) was happy when Michael died, as he wouldn't "hurt" any more children.	Safechuck	This couldn't have happened, as according to her son, he hadn't realized and told about the abuse to anyone until he saw Wade's interview in 2013.
Michael pushed Wade and James away from their own families.	Robson / Safechuck	According to multiple workers at the Neverland ranch, James was always accompanied by his parents. According to Evvy Tavasci, the entire family would visit the ranch multiple times in the early 1990s, but Jackson was barely ever present during the family's visits. According to Joy Robson's testimony, she had been to Neverland every time Wade was there, excluding one occasion in 1993. She testified, that she never felt anyone was trying to keep her away from Michael's bedroom and her family visited the ranch fifty more times when the artist wasn't present.
"Leaving Neverland"	Robson / Safechuck	Although the movie revolves around their supposed traumatic experiences at the ranch, they kept coming back to it over the years and called it "sacred land", even comparing it to Disneyland, saying "it's the best thing in the world!". In 2008, Robson and his wife shot a movie at Neverland, thanking Michael in the credits. The pair had also done their wedding ceremony in Michael's house at the ranch. According to Grace Rwaramba (nanny to Michael's children), Wade made the request to her in the middle of Michael's 2005 trial; "I remember responding with a stern ‘do you seriously expect me to ask Michael, right now — during the trial — if you can use the ranch for Wade’s wedding?’ […] Why would someone who alleges to have been assaulted for over seven years want to have one of the most sacred events in his life on the same property where the attacks allegedly took place?" Meanwhile, James would also shoot a video in Neverland. Most of the pictures appearing in Leaving Neverland, were those he shot himself in 1996.
Dan Reed defended the film's flaws in a short statement: "Nothing’s emerged that cast any doubt on what they told me and what’s in the film. We don’t just go and speak to you once. We speak to you again and again and again. We hang out with you. I never caught a glimpse of anything that made me suspect that they were being anything less than truthful"	Reed	The director had insisted on talking to Robsons, Safechuck's and the prosecution investigators from 2005 case only. He completely and admittedly ignored children, who have completely different stories, including Barnes and Culkin, who Reed has falsly presented as victims. He refused to speak to the Jackson family, defense attorneys or Neverland workers. Dan hadn't even studied the accusers' declarations and depositions in their lawsuits against Jackson's companies. These are very easily accessible to anyone who is willing to conduct a proper investigation.