For decades, Michael Jackson was one of the most beloved musicians on the planet, but now that is starting to change in light of the Leaving Neverland documentary that recently premiered on HBO. The film highlights allegations of child molestation against the singer, and now, radio stations around the world are deciding that they don’t want anything to do with Jackson’s music anymore.
Three major Montreal radio stations have stopped playing Jackson’s music, and a spokesperson said of the decision, “We are attentive to listeners’ comments, and last night’s documentary created reactions.” Across the globe in New Zealand, the country’s two largest radio networks have said they will no longer play Jackson’s music in light of the documentary. Leon Wratt, the content director for New Zealand radio network MediaWorks, said in a recent interview, “We aren’t deciding whether Michael Jackson is guilty of pedophilia or not. We’re just merely trying to make sure that our radio stations are going to play the music that people want to hear.”
Meanwhile, BBC recently denied banning Jackson following a report that said BBC Radio 2 had “quietly dropped” Jackson’s songs from their playlists.
Jackson, of course, is one of the most successful entertainers of all time: He is known as the “King Of Pop,” he has sold over 350 million albums, and his 1987 album Bad produced five consecutive No. 1 singles, including “Man In The Mirror” and the album’s title track.
Read our interview with Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed here.
