6 Of The Most Disturbing Allegations From Michael Jackson’s Accusers In ‘Leaving Neverland’ Documentary
HBO’s highly controversial Leaving Neverland documentary, chronicling the child sexual abuse allegations against late musical legend Michael Jackson from the perspectives of two of his accusers, aired on Sunday night (March 3) for the entire small screen world to see.
The four-hour production is divvied into two parts with the second premiering on Monday (March 4), as the first half already stirs up shock for some viewers and skepticism from others.
Accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck recount their childhood introductions, experiences and alleged sexual relationships with Jackson throughout the documentary, which they said began at the adolescent ages of 7 and 10. From there, the men allege, Jackson’s abuse continued on for several years at MJ’s legendarily magical Neverland ranch beneath the noses of their parents. But Robson and Safechuck also allege that Jackson took strict and binding measures to keep the alleged abuse under wraps and the boys brainwashed into rebellion against their own family into their teenage years. The men held back nothing in the recollections of their time spent at Neverland and laid out even the most unsettling of details for the documentary, including an alleged mock wedding and sex drills to avoid detection from their parents. And that's only a portion of the bombshell allegations.
See some of the most alarming claims we rounded up from the testimonies of Robson and Safechuck in Leaving Neverland below.
Jackson allegedly arranged a mock wedding with Safechuck during their alleged relationship
Safechuck recounts that one day Jackson set up the ceremony in his condo. He alleges that they exchanged vows and even a ring, which Safechuck described as a gold, diamond-encrusted band. Safechuck alleges that his love for jewelry prompted Jackson to reward him with such presents in exchange for sex acts, and they’d often go shopping at jewelry stores together to pick out rings under the guise that they were for a woman.
Jackson allegedly ran drills with Safechuck to determine how fast he could put on his clothes
Additionally, both Robson and Safechuck alleged that Jackson went to more extremes to ensure they wouldn’t be caught, like installing locks and wooden doors throughout the Neverland Ranch. They also claimed that he arranged separation between their parents when they’d stay at the same hotel, keeping their rooms on a different floor or further down the hall from the suite Jackson allegedly shared with the young boys.
"It happened every day," Safechuck alleges of his sexual abuse, which he also says occurred everywhere around the ranch, like his pool, train station and attic. "It sounds sick, but when you're first dating somebody, you do a lot of it."
Jackson allegedly forced Robson to discard his underwear following one of their sexual encounters
Robson alleges that he’d moved to L.A. to continue his dancing career and relationship with Jackson. On one of their allegedly frequent meet-ups to have sex, this particular time in a hotel room and through sodomization, Robson claims Jackson allegedly called him the next day asking if there were any blood stains on his underwear from the previous night. When Robson confirmed, he says Jackson allegedly demanded that he trash the underwear to avoid his mother finding them.
It was in California that he allegedly discovered that the singer started relationships of a similar nature with two other boys as well. USA Today points out that the boys in question, Macaulay Culkin and Brett Barnes, have both denied any sexual abuse from Jackson. Robson does admit, however, that the alleged relationships sparked envy from him. “There was jealousy from me,” he says. “It was confusing.”
- advertisement
Jackson allegedly kept a cardboard cutout of Disney character Peter Pan to masturbate to
After both men allege that Jackson initiated their first experiences with masturbation, Robson recollects the singer’s large Peter Pan cardboard cutout. He goes on to allege that Jackson looked at the cutout as he would masturbate.
Jackson allegedly told the boys that they’d receive life sentences in jail if they ever revealed their relationships
The men alleged that Jackson groomed them to believe that their relationships were special and that they’d end up in jail should they ever reveal them to anyone, especially their parents. “’If anyone ever found out that we were doing these sexual things, we would go to jail for the rest of our lives,'" Robson recalls of MJ’s alleged frequent reminders to them. "I was terrified." Jackson allegedly used cash and gifts to keep them quiet as well, both men claim.
Safechuck additionally alleges that he was coached by members of Jackson’s team on how to answer questions from police if he was ever questioned.
Jackson allegedly told them that he feigned public relationships with women
Safechuck specifically recalls Jackson’s first marriage with former wife Lisa Marie Presley. He alleges that Jackson told him that the marriage and his other public relationships with women didn’t mean anything. Both Robson and Safechuck also allege that Jackson even attempted to incite their hatred against women.
- advertisement
The internet tuned in to Leaving Neverland for all of its shocking revelations and allegations. And after wrapping up part one of the documentary, they've got questions, concerns and final decisions on the decades-long controversy of Michael Jackson's alleged sexual abuse:
- advertisement
- advertisement
- advertisement
- advertisement
- advertisement