After much discussion, the first part of the Leaving Neverland documentary, in which two accusers detail allegations of child molestation against Michael Jackson, aired last night on HBO. A lot of upsetting details about Jackson’s relationship with James Safechuck and Wade Robson, who were children at the time, surfaced in the first two hours of the film, including one story about how Jackson staged a mock wedding with Safechuck.
Safechuck said in the movie, “We had this mock wedding ceremony. We did this in his bedroom.” He then showed the ring that Jackson gave him, “a row of diamonds in a gold band.” Safechuck went on to allege that Jackson used jewelry to control him, saying that he had to “earn the gift” by performing sexual acts with the musician.
Meanwhile, Safechuck also said that Jackson would make him practice getting dressed quickly so they wouldn’t get caught engaging in sexual acts, saying, “[Jackson would] run drills with me, where we’d be in the hotel room and he would pretend like somebody is coming in and you had to get dressed as fast as possible without making noise.” Safechuck also said he would spend weeks at a time in Neverland Ranch, with his mother sleeping in a guest room while Safechuck stayed with Jackson in the main house.
The second part of Leaving Neverland airs tonight, and airing immediately after that is Oprah’s interview with Safechuck, Robson, and director Dan Reed. In the meantime, read our interview with Reed here.
