Leaving Neverland doc casts shadow on Michael Jackson's legacy

Warning: This story contains details of a sensitive and graphic nature

Leaving Neverland, a new documentary which tells the story of two men who say they were sexually abused by Michael Jackson as boys, has sparked both an outpouring of support for the alleged victims and vitriol from Jackson's family and fans.

HBO is broadcasting the four-hour film in two parts on Sunday and Monday in the U.S. and Canada despite a $100-million US lawsuit filed by the Jackson estate to prevent it from getting an audience.

"I don't know anybody who's watched this film and hasn't found it credible," Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed told CBS in an interview Friday.

Film alleges ongoing abuse

The film chronicles in painstaking detail the allure, excitement, upheaval and eventual emotional collapse of two men who say they made multiple visits with their family to Jackson's infamous Neverland ranch in California's Santa Barbara county when they were young boys.

The alleged victims, James Safechuck, 40, and Wade Robson, 36, both say they were fondled, molested and gave and received oral sex, but stayed silent for years. They say they also defended the King of Pop in court and in public against similar allegations by others out of a combination of both fear and loyalty.

"He told me if they ever found out what we were doing, he and I would go to jail for the rest of our lives," said Robson, a well-known choreographer who has worked with Britney Spears, boy band NSync and Cirque du Soleil.

Robson, who met Jackson at the age of five after participating in a dance competition in his hometown of Brisbane, Australia, while Jackson was on tour, says he was sexually abused by Jackson from ages seven to 14. He says much of the abuse took place at Neverland, despite his mother often staying there as well in a guest house.

Adding to the controversial claims is Robson's solid testimony on two separate occasions — once at age 11 when Jackson faced a civil suit involving molestation charges and again at age 22 when he faced criminal charges — that Jackson had never touched him inappropriately even though they had shared a bedroom on several occasions.

Robson's 2005 testimony is credited with helping Jackson score an acquittal following allegations he sexually abused 13-year-old cancer survivor, Gavin Arvizo. Jackson settled a previous civil claim in 1994, which alleged misconduct against another 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler, out of court.

It wasn't until 2013, four years after Jackson's death, that Robson alleged he was abused by Jackson and decided to come forward, following the birth of his son and a series of mental breakdowns.

"I had to defend the lie for so many years and I didn't want to do that anymore," Robson says in the documentary.

Both Robson and Safechuck filed lawsuits against the Jackson estate, which were dismissed due to the statute of limitations. Both are appealing.

"Michael had a lot of great attributes and he was great in a lot of ways and you loved him in a lot of ways," said Safechuck, who starred in a Pepsi commercial with Jackson in 1987. "And then Michael does these things to you that are not healthy, but you still have love for him, so it's really hard to have those two feelings together. I still, today, am grappling with that."

Jackson family fights back

Jackson's family points out Robson and Safechuck's unwavering support of Michael Jackson in the past. The family says money is a primary reason for both men's allegations, referring to them in a Jan. 25 statement as "admitted liars" and to the documentary as "tabloid character assassination."

The Jacksons told CBS This Morning on Friday they haven't seen the documentary and don't plan to.

"We know our brother," Marlon Jackson told CBS's Gayle King. "Michael wouldn't do anything like that."

"It's always been about money," said Taj Jackson, Michael Jackson's nephew. "I hate to say, when it's my uncle, it's almost like they see a blank cheque."

While the film includes Michael Jackson's denial of past allegations through recorded statements, it is facing some criticism for not including Jackson's family nor any impartial experts to provide balance.

"This isn't a film about Michael Jackson," said Reed in response. "This is a film about James and Wade and what happened to them. My hope and the point of all this is that this is something that will get the conversation started about how child sexual abuse actually goes down."

Allegations through a new lens

While the film has received both an icy reception from Michael Jackson's devotees and a warm response from those who support the accusers, it has also forced many to acknowledge an emerging grey area of being a believer of the allegations and also remaining a fan of the late pop star's undeniable musical talent.

"He's just such a part of your life," said Renee Graham, a columnist for the Boston Globe who has written about the allegations against Jackson and "cancel culture," which asks fans to put aside achievements by artists who have transgressed morally.

"It's almost like a member of your family. And that's a hard thing to walk away from."

This is a moment in time that allows us to see this societal corruption. It's like a scourge on humanity and it's happening right now.- Oprah Winfrey, who will host a special following the documentary broadcast

But in the era of #MeToo, accusations are being considered under a new lens, taking down high-profile moguls such as Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and R. Kelly.

After years of rumours swirling around Kelly's behaviour toward underage girls, the recent documentary Surviving R. Kelly renewed interest in the case, leading to charges of sexual abuse against Kelly and forcing his record label and radio stations to drop him.

While Jackson's own admission that he often slept with young boys in his room was widely known when he was alive, it's becoming more difficult for many to ignore the possibility that misconduct could have occurred and that celebrity, power and fame could have played a role in hiding it.

"It's just a kind of queasiness, I guess," said Graham. "Especially after the documentary airs, it's going to be thinking about these stories from these young men. And there's something about that. There's a discordance in that, that I can't really reconcile."

Powerful voice of support

Robson and Safechuck say they've been preparing for backlash, but they've also found a powerful ally: Oprah Winfrey.

A sexual abuse survivor herself, Winfrey will host a taped special with the two men airing immediately after part two of the documentary on Monday.

"For me, this moment transcends Michael Jackson. It is much bigger than any one person," said Winfrey in a clip from the segment. "This is a moment in time that allows us to see this societal corruption. It's like a scourge on humanity and it's happening right now."

For those who watch the documentary in its entirety and see the level of compelling detail provided by both Robson and Safechuck, it won't be easy to turn a blind eye to their claims.

"I want to be able to speak the truth as loud as I had to speak the lie for so long," said Robson in the film.