Radio stations all over the world are making the decision to ban Michael Jackson’s music in response to the Leaving Neverland documentary, which details the allegations of sexual assault and child molestation that were made about the late pop-star during his life.
This week, CNN reported that multiple major radio stations in New Zealand stopped playing Jackson’s music. The commercial broadcaster MediaWorks has also pulled all of Jackson’s content from their stations. According to CBC, three major Montreal-based radio stations have pulled Jackson off air in Canada.
The shocking documentary explores the cases of alleged victims Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two men who spent a lot of time with Jackson on his Neverland ranch when they were young boys. Robson and Safechuck, along with their families, give graphic details of their relationship with Jackson in a series of interviews.
There are many disturbing parallels between the allegations against Michael Jackson and those against R&B artist R. Kelly. In both cases, young children were taken from their homes with promises of being turned into stars. Meanwhile, the parents of the children were paid off and turned a blind eye to the relationship that their children were having with adult men.
“He did buy us a house. It’s just coincidental, he wasn’t buying us off,’ but the timing’s right there. It just sounds bad,” mother Stephanie Safechuck said.
Both alleged victims say that Jackson held a mock wedding ceremony with them when they were children.
“We had this mock wedding ceremony. We did this in his bedroom. We filled out some vows, and it was like we were bonded forever. It felt good. And the ring was nice. It has a row of diamonds with a gold band,” Safechuck said.
“You and I were brought together by God. We were meant to be together, and this is us showing each other that we love each other,” Robson added.
Robson and Safechuck both reveal extremely graphic sexual encounters of the most extreme nature that they had with Jackson, the details of which were spelled out in an article this week in Vulture.
The Jackson estate has strongly denied the accusations in the Leaving Neverland documentary, and responded by filing a $100 million lawsuit against HBO. Oddly enough, the estate is not suing for slander or defamation or anything of that nature, but breach of contract. As part of a 1992 contract to air a Jackson concert, HBO promised that the network would never produce anything disparaging about him.
“It is hard to imagine a more direct violation of the non-disparagement clause,” the lawsuit reads.
HBO has not responded to the lawsuit, but in a statement earlier this week, the network issued a statement saying that they will be going forward with airing the film as planned.
“Despite the desperate lengths taken to undermine the film, our plans remain unchanged, HBO will move forward with the airing of ‘Leaving Neverland. This will allow everyone the opportunity to assess the film and the claims in it for themselves,” the statement read.
It was also alleged that Macaulay Culkin was a victim of Jackson’s because they spent so much time together, but Culkin has come forward since the controversy to deny these allegations and say that he had no knowledge of any predatory behavior going on behind the scenes at the Neverland ranch.
Rapper Lupe Fiasco made a thoughtful post on his Instagram page this week, urging parents to stop handing their children over to celebrities in hopes of making them famous.