The 5 Most Shocking Revelations From The Michael Jackson 'Leaving Neverland' Documentary On HBO
This is serious.
Instagram HBO's controversial documentary Leaving Neverland premiered on Sunday and if we're honest — didn't we always kind of suspect something was seriously off with Michael Jackson and his fondness for young boys? We knew. We just didn't want to admit that we knew. At what point do you separate the art from the artist? Now that the facts are indisputably laid out before us, how do we reframe his legacy? So many things were revealed in the four-hour documentary that our heads are spinning. Why didn't any of the parents object? Who in his inner circle helped him procure boys? We have so many questions. The 5 most shocking revelations from the Leaving Neverland documentary on HBO:
1. Who helped him?
Who was in in Michael Jackson's inner circle that helped him and protected him? People knew. There is no way there weren't at least 2-5 or more people in his employ that were turning a blind eye to his actions. During Oprah Winfrey's post-documentary interview with victims Wade Robson and James Safechuck, Robson said that it was “very rare that Michael was alone” and that the star “had a machine around him at all times. Secretaries organized most of my phone calls and would organize cars to pick me up to bring me to him. Security guards were always there outside of the door.” Robson was 7 when Jackson started sexually abusing him; Safechuck was 8.
2. Why weren't the parents raising hell?
Robson and Safechuck spoke about how their parents slept in separate rooms and sometimes separate floors while their children spent the night with Jackson. What the what? That's some straight up Abducted in Plain Sight level B.S. right there. Oprah said: “Yes, in the film we see that the mothers are being moved further and further away. First, you’re next door. Now there’s not a suite on this floor. I mean, somebody has to be arranging that,” which brings us right back to our first point.
3. The Mock Wedding
There is so much weird about this part in the documentary that we can't even unpack it all. In the film, James Safechuck said that Jackson used his own interest in jewelery against him during their relationship. When he was a pre-teen he went through a phase of liking jewelry. Jackson would take him to jewelry stores and have him try on different pieces. Safechuck said that Jackson would tell the salespeople that the jewelry was for a woman and that the young boy's small hands and wrists were good for sizing. Then, one day, Jackson bought a gold band lined with diamonds and gave it to Safechuck during a mock wedding ceremony in which the two exchange vows they had written together. Again: Where were his parents? Who was letting this happen in Michael's camp?
4. Love letters via fax
It was the late 1980s and fax machines were the tech toy of the day. At the height of Wade Robson's friendship (as Jackson called his relationships with young boys) Jackson bought him a fax machine. He then proceeded to send faxed love letters to Robson, who was seven at the time. “I love you little one,” one faxed note allegedly from Jackson to Robson said. “Make me happy and be the best.” Robson's mother Joy said their living room was literally covered in faxes.
5. Jackson practiced drills to avoid getting caught
In the film, Safechuck said that during the years that Michael Jackson was abusing him, the singer created a number of failsafes to avoid getting caught. Bells were hung on the doors leading to the walk-in closet in Jackson's master bedroom, where Jackson would take the boys to a blanket spread on the floor and shut the door. Safechuck also said that while he was on tour with Michael Jackson, he would have them race and see how fast they could get their clothes back on.
There is so much more in Leaving Neverland, y'all.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.