'After Neverland': Oprah analyzes Jackson’s accusations

[Kimmo 76,622]

 Oprah Winfrey waded into the Michael Jackson debate Monday, hosting an hour-long interview of the men who say the late superstar sexually abused them as minors. The special aired on HBO after the conclusion of the network's presentation of a bombshell four-hour documentary entitled "Leaving Neverland," which has thrown the late Jackson's legacy into question nearly a decade after his death. Calling sexual abuse "a scourge on humanity," Winfrey said "this moment transcends Michael Jackson. It's much bigger than any one person."

Winfrey -- channeling her decades of experience as one of America's foremost talkshow hosts -- unpacked how Jackson's accusers began to identify themselves as victims, and why they remained silent for so long. "He told me it was love," said Wade Robson, now 36. "He told me that he loved me and that God brought us together. Michael was God to me." Robson said he had testified in 2005 on behalf of Jackson, who was ultimately acquitted of those sexual abuse charges, because "if I was to question Michael and my story with my Michael, it would mean I would have to question everything in my life."

James Safechuck, 41, told Winfrey how Jackson "would cry for you, or he would cry because he's so lonely. You want to be there for him." But fatherhood and seeking help encouraged them to speak candidly about their experiences, they said. 

It's not the first public airing of abuse claims against the pop star but the release marks the scandal's first major explosion since his fatal overdose at age 50 in 2009. In the special dubbed "After Neverland" Winfrey referenced her own history as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse -- but did not mention the famous interview she held with Jackson at his Neverland ranch in 1993, which occurred just before the first public accusations dropped against him. The Jackson estate -- which is suing HBO for $100 million over a "posthumous character assassination" -- has vehemently denied all allegations agains the late King of Pop, and attacked the credibility of both the documentary and his accusers.

"Since my uncle is not around to defend himself, the credibility of accusers matter. And Wade and James have none," tweeted Jackson's nephew Taj following the airing of the documentary's first half.

Jackson diehards have swarmed Twitter under the hashtags #MJInnocent and #LeavingNeverland to defend their idol, who died at age 50 in 2009 of a drug overdose.

But director Dan Reed has voiced hope that the film could "inspire other victims to break their silence" and "not feel quite so ashamed."

"Certainly Michael had many more victims," Reed told AFP.

"They are going to come forward when the time is right for them."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/neverland-oprah-winfrey-parses-jackson-accusations-063304435.html

[Ryusei 59,929]

Any place i can watch that documentary now? Anyone got a link?

[yxi 4,999]

It's creepy how he had little boys follow him everywhere, going on tour with him, he sent them love letters and slept in the same bed.. Isolated them from their families and the mothers pimped out their sons for money. 

[Didymus 32,745]

The NYT also wrote a good article on it. This passage is quite interesting:

"based on [Oprah's] conversation with Reed, Robson and Safechuck, it’s clear her perception of Jackson has shifted. Winfrey explained at the beginning of the taping that she reached out to Reed after watching the documentary, and told him that he had done “in four hours what I tried to do in 217 episodes” dedicated to educating her audience about sexual abuse."

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About credibility: it's pretty funny to me. I mean, what credibility to those hundreds of angry fans have compared to these "accusers"? None. Most of them didn't know Michael, most of them haven't watched the documentary and probably won't, all while trying to crap all over the people who made this film, which is getting praise for being professional, unsensationalist, serious and educational from just about everyone who did see it.

Also, just because Michael is dead doesn't mean we can't question his past. That has nothing to do with respect or whatever. Why on earth would it be respectful to ignore claims of sexual abuse to protect the feelings of others? At this point the "accusers" can't win any case anymore, they can't earn money off this, they can't do anything but share their story, false or not.

There will be absolutely no consequences, except that more people will be aware of how sexual abuse happens, in what patterns, and with what consequences, and how Michael's behavior (whether he sexually abused someone or not) was problematic to say the least, and should not be romanticized just because he was talented. That's not a bad thing imo.

[Bolkins 3,831]

I watched the doc last night and I couldn't help but wonder what exactly these two guys would gain from lying about it all now MJ is dead. The answer might be money but honestly I cant see them making big bucks off of an independent doc and a few interviews. I think its time to see the situation for what it was. 

[Adakam 2]

Oprah was the first person that gave antivaxxers a platform. Stop gloryfying her opinion.

 

About MJ, chargers were removed, accusers admitted to making up the story. The end.

[ChromaticaPunk 2,803]

Fully acquitted with 10 plus years of FBI investigation and they found nothing. Michael is innocent end of story.

[ChromaticaPunk 2,803]

MJ also passed polygraph tests which those two men haven't even taken.

[Regina George 59,387]

Wade is the person who went on trial in 2005 and said that allegations about Michael ever doing anything to him are fake and now he is saying this. How can we trust someone who did that?

Many accusers admitted that their parents made them lie about Michael just to get more money from him. 

[Judaz 729]

1 minute ago, HeavyMetalLover said:

MJ also passed polygraph tests which those two men haven't even taken.

Surprised he could even take one the amount of drugs that he was on.

[PlanetChromatica 2,240]

Just now, Judaz said:

Surprised he could even take one the amount of drugs that he was on.

He was only on painkillers and sleeping pills

[Quartz 11,923]

My ears are open.

[Didymus 32,745]

It's even winning over hardcore Michael fans who criticized the documentary before watching it:

"Leaving Neverland is, indeed, much, much bigger than Michael Jackson. It is bigger than Michael Jackson's fans, bigger than me defending the soundtrack to my childhood. Instead, it is about the millions of people in this world who never got to have a childhood because of the sexual abuse they experienced before their young brains were even developed enough to know what was occurring. It's about the fact that every 11 minutes in this country, child protective services substantiates or finds evidence for a claim of child sex abuse—and that's just the ones we know about. Leaving Neverland is about the children—and adults—who are silenced by people like me who are quick to defend accusers simply because of their status—or the people who choose to live in silence because they are afraid of exactly that happening."

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[yxi 4,999]

Even without the sex stuff, what that man was doing with these young boys is not OK. He had a clear obsession with young boys and it's not crazy to think he might have crossed the line with boys he sent love letters to and shared the same bed with. We'll never know the truth anyway. 

[Boyboi12 2,125]

mind blowing! R kelly now Mj.