Michael Jackson’s brothers and his nephew Taj assembled on “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday to tell anchor Gayle King exactly what they think of HBO’s “Leaving Neverland” documentary. By now, readers probably know that the film has not been received favorably by the Jacksons.
The Jackson Family again trashed Dan Reed’s upcoming doc, saying that the filmmaker never reached out to them for their side of the story. They also believe that former M.J. collaborators Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who now accuse the late King of Pop of sexually abusing them, are liars and opportunists.
“If Neverland was so horrifying for him, why would you keep going back?” Michael’s brother Marlon asked about Robson.
Both Robson and Safechuck previously said under oath that Michael Jackson never molested them. Since Michael’s passing, both have changed their stories.
The Jackson Family have a theory as to why.
“It’s always been about money,” Michael’s nephew Taj said. “It’s almost like they see a blank check.”
“This documentary is not telling the truth,” Marlon said. “There has been not one piece of evidence that corroborates their story, and they’re not interested in that.”
Watch the video above.
Reps for the film did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this story. Reed told TheWrap in Sundance that the reason he didn’t reach out to the Jacksons is because they were “concentrated” on “hearing the story of these two individuals,” meaning Robson and Safechuck, and added, “This isn’t a film about Michael.”
Our Steve Pond mentioned the potential backlash from those who believe Robson and Safechuck are now accusing Michael Jackson of sexual abuse for “personal gain.”
“The central thing that I want to say is watch the movie, because the movie addresses all of that,” Reed responded.
“It does seem contradictory […] that a man would say one thing in 2005 and something completely different in 2017,” he acknowledged. “That’s the beauty of having a broad canvas to be able to tell a story which encompasses two decades […] And I think that by the end of it you really do understand why Wade was compelled — because he loved Michael — to support him on the witness stand and that why, subsequently, he could no longer reconcile himself with not speaking the truth.”
“Leaving Neverland,” which debuted at Sundance, premieres this weekend on HBO.