Leaving Neverland Director Calls Michael Jackson Worse Than Epstein as Biopic Premieres

If you thought the controversy around Michael Jackson was finally running out of steam, guess what — the mess is right back in the spotlight thanks to the new 'Michael' movie. And let me tell you, the headlines are just as wild and contradictory as Jackson himself ever was.

Biopic Backlash: What 'Michael' Doesn’t Want You to Remember

The early reviews for 'Michael' (the biopic) are brutal, with critics piling on about how the film brushes aside the ugliest parts of Jackson's story — namely, the allegations of sexual abuse involving minors. Not exactly a surprise, but it still feels weird to watch Hollywood try to clean up a story that never really healed over.

If that wasn’t enough, director Antoine Fuqua — who’s at the helm of the new movie — went and cast doubt on the abuse allegations in the press. That went about as well as you’d imagine. Meanwhile, the makers of the next 'Scary Movie' (yes, that’s still a thing) publicly mocked the whole situation with a poster featuring Ghostface as Jackson and the tagline: 'Touching fans everywhere.' Subtle? Not even a little.

'Leaving Neverland' Director Fires Back

Enter Dan Reed, director of the massively-talked-about 2019 HBO documentary 'Leaving Neverland.' Remember that? The one that practically took over the internet for a solid month and forced a lot of people to reconsider ever pressing play on 'Thriller' again?

Reed spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and didn’t hold back. He actually called Jackson’s legacy 'worse than Epstein,' saying the big difference is Jackson was seen as a beacon of love and healing, making the betrayal that much more disturbing. Epstein, on the other hand, was always clearly toxic from the jump.

'The Michael Jackson estate had a contract which Jackson had signed with HBO for a concert recording in Budapest in 1992. The contract contained a non-disparagement clause. The estate argued that the non-disparagement clause, which says, "You can’t say anything nasty about Michael," applied forever to everything that HBO would ever do — which is patently ridiculous. Somehow the estate managed to persuade HBO to come to an amicable settlement. And that involved, after six years on the platform, taking Leaving Neverland down.'

Why You Can’t Watch 'Leaving Neverland' Right Now

So, if you’re wondering why one of the hardest-hitting docs in recent memory just disappeared from HBO in time for the biopic? There’s your answer. The Jackson estate dusted off a 1992 concert contract with a 'never talk smack about MJ' clause and somehow managed to convince HBO to pull 'Leaving Neverland' after six years — classic Hollywood backroom dealings. HBO still officially has the license rights until 2029 (so don’t expect to see this pop up anywhere else for a while), but the doc is basically MIA online until then.

Money, Motivation, and the Power of the Myth

• Reed took aim at 'Michael' director Antoine Fuqua for calling abuse victims gold-diggers, pointing out the hypocrisy: 'For Antoine Fuqua to accuse people of gold digging is kind of ironic,' Reed sniped, 'It seems to me all the people involved in this movie are just making bank.'
• 'Michael' (the movie) doesn’t seem to be suffering at the box office though — it’s on track to rake in around $150 million opening weekend despite the tidal wave of negative headlines.
• Reed is, frankly, unimpressed with public memory, bluntly stating, 'literally, people just don’t care.' Turns out that no matter how much gets uncovered, the legend of Michael Jackson is still steamrolling over the darkest chapters of his legacy.

So, if you want to revisit the uncomfortable reality, good luck — the doc the family really doesn’t want you to see is officially on ice for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, MJ’s legacy is somehow business as usual in pop culture, which... well, maybe that says more about us than about him.