Nearly 17 years after his death, theMichael Jacksonbrand is more carefully curated than ever.
Whilethe new “Michael” biopic(in theaters now) celebrateshis greatest hits and performances, the big-budget nostalgia tripstops short of addressingthe multiple accusations of child molestation that plagued him for the latter third of his life.
The movie ends in 1988, five years before dentist Evan Chandler accused the pop star of molesting his 13-year-old son, Jordan. Jackson denied any wrongdoing, but settled the lawsuit for $23 million in early 1994.
According to Variety, the film was set to address Chandler’s allegations directly, with a scene of investigators searching Jackson’s Neverland Ranch for evidence. But attorneys for Jackson's estate allegedly discovered a clause in the legal settlement with Chandler, preventing any mention or depiction of him in any movie.
“Michael,” which stars the pop music icon's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, attempts to temper the singer’s tainted public perception. The film features numerous scenes of Jackson with children: visiting sick kids in the hospital and signing autographs for youngsters at a toy store, excitedly talking with them about his favorite games and books.
The movie aims to show that the grown-up Jackson was still a child himself: escaping into the worlds of “Peter Pan” and Charlie Chaplin films to cope with the physical and emotional abuse of his domineering father, Joe Jackson (played by Colman Domingo).
It depicts his interactions with kids as kindhearted and innocent – which, at least by court rulings, they were. In 2003, Jackson was arrested on charges of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo. The case went to trial in 2005 and the Grammy winner was acquitted on all counts, with jurors citing insufficient evidence.
But there are still multiple accusers awaiting their days in court.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who met Jackson as children, alleged years of abuse by Jackson in the 2019 documentary “Leaving Neverland.” According to court documents obtained byUs Weeklylast fall, the two men are seeking $400 million in damages, andThe Hollywood Reporterreports that they are expected to go up in front of a jury in a lower court next year.
On April 24, Safechuckreleased a video distributed through his attorney, telling abuse survivors that "you're not alone."
“The 'Michael' movie’s coming out and it’s getting a lot of promotion,” Safechuck says in the clip. “There’s billboards and commercials and just people praising Michael and it can be triggering for survivors who have their own Michael in their lives, whether it’s the priest who’s close to God or the sports coach who’s just helping the kids or the stepparent who’s supporting the family."
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Former Jackson family friendsEdward, Dominic and Aldo Cascio, as well as their sister Marie-Nicole Porte, also filed a lawsuit in California federal court Feb. 27alleging Jackson's employees facilitated and concealed his alleged abuse. They claim representatives for his estate compelled them to sign an agreement, which allegedly prevents them "from talking about the years of abuse they endured," under false pretenses.
Jackson performs an open-air concert in West Berlin on June 19, 1988.
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Jackson's Bad Tour at Wembley Stadium in London is in the "Guinness Book of World Records," with 504,000 people attending seven sold-out shows in the summer of 1988, more than any other artist at the time.
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Michael Jackson's eighth album, "Dangerous," debuted on Nov. 26, 1991, atop the Billboard 200 and was the bestselling album in 1982. Hits include "Black or White."
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Jackson commanded the stage during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII between the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 31, 1993, in Pasadena, California.
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1993 delivered highs and lows for the superstar. On Dec. 22, Jackson delivered a televised statement from Neverland, proclaiming himself innocent of child molestation accusations. Anthony Pellicano, a security consultant, was hired to fight the molestation claims. Although Pellicano branded the alleged victim's civil lawsuit extortion, Jackson ended up settling out of court, paying the teenage plaintiff a reported $15 million-plus, and the case never went to trial.
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On April 18, 1995, Jackson and wife Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson welcomed 46 members of the World Children's Congress representing 17 countries to Neverland.
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Jackson gestured to fans from atop his SUV after his arraignment on child molestation charges at the courthouse in Santa Maria, California, on Jan. 16, 2004. Fans waited every day for a glimpse of the King of Pop during the trial.
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LaToya, Michael and Janet Jackson left the courthouse during a lunch break at a pretrial hearing in Michael's molestation case in Santa Maria, California, on Aug. 16, 2004.
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Four Michael Jackson impersonators pose outside of Jackson's mausoleum at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery in Glendale, California on the 5th anniversary of Jackson's death, June 25, 2014. Fans from around the world gathered at the resting place to pay their respects and remember the King of Pop who died of an overdose of the anesthetic drug Propofol five years prior.
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Michael Jackson fans take photos of drawings, flowers, letters and other items left by fans outside Jackson's mausoleum at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery in Glendale, California, on the 5th anniversary of Jackson's death, June 25, 2014.
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Kosovo artist Alkent Pozhegu works on a mosaic made of grains showing a portrait of Michael Jackson on the 15th anniversary of his death in Gjakova, Kosovo, June 25, 2024.
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Mexican fans of the late US singer, songwriter and dancer Michael Jackson perform a routine in front of an altar set up by followers in Mexico City on June 25, 2024, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of his death.
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Revisiting Michael Jackson's life and legacy in photos
Jackson performs an open-air concert in West Berlin on June 19, 1988.
Jackson, who died in 2009 at age 50, was "a serial child predator who, over the course of more than a decade, drugged, raped and sexually assaulted each of the Plaintiffs, beginning when some of them were as young as seven or eight," their lawsuit states.
The Cascios detailed their allegations in an interview withThe New York Timespublished April 24. "We were brainwashed, we were groomed," Edward told the outlet, alleging that they were "taught" to defend Jackson against abuse accusations.
In a statement to USA TODAY on March 2, the Jackson estate's attorney Marty Singer said, "This lawsuit is a desperate money grab by additional members of the Cascio family who have hopped on the bandwagon with their brother Frank, who is already beingsued in arbitration for civil extortion.
"The family staunchly defended Michael Jackson for more than 25 years, attesting to his innocence of inappropriate conduct. This new court filing is a transparent forum-shopping tactic in their scheme to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars from Michael's estate and companies."
USA TODAY reached out to attorneys for Robson, Safechuck and the Cascios for comment in the day's leading up to the film's release.
Through the years, Jackson’s accusers say they have found it difficult to speak out about their allegations. Before the premiere of “Leaving Neverland” at Sundance Film Festival, Robson and Safechuck recalled receiving death threats from Jackson’s supporters, as well as floods of messages maintaining his innocence.
The hostility "hurts less and less as time goes on," Robsontold USA TODAY at the time. "It's not a great feeling, I'll be honest. But I just keep trying to remember that each and every one of us [as] humans are at our own state of evolution. We can accept whatever we're able to accept based on where we're at in our lives.
“So the people who are choosing to take that nasty, volatile approach to me and James, that's just where they're at right now, and I wish them some peace and less anger in their lives."
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’sNational Sexual Assault Hotlineoffers free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and Spanish via chat and at 800-656-4673.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson and Edward Segarra
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Michael Jackson accusers left out of movie. Where are they now?
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