It’s been more than five years since Wade Robson and James Safechuck detailed their sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson in Leaving Neverland, but they’re still dealing with the aftermath of going public.
The two men opened up about their continued fight for justice in the new documentary Leaving Neverland II: Surviving Michael Jackson, which premieres Tuesday, March 18. Since the original documentary premiered on HBO in 2019, both have continued their attempts to bring their cases to trial — and it’s been a consistent uphill battle.
(HBO is not involved in Leaving Neverland II after a judge ruled that the first film violated a nondisparagement clause in a 1992 contract for an HBO concert special on Jackson’s Dangerous tour.)
“When I first started speaking about the abuse to my therapist, one of the early things that started coming up for me was, ‘OK this is what happened to me, this is what Michael did to me, what do I do with this now?’” Robson, 42, said in the new documentary. “I went to the beach [in June 2012] and did the burning of items — Michael items, personal items, memorabilia items. As those items were burning and I was looking at them melt and disintegrate in the fire, I started talking to Michael’s spirit. [I said], ‘Michael, somehow I’m gonna turn your wrong into a right.’”
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According to Robson and Safechuck, 47, they’re not only fighting for their younger selves but for the ability to protect other children from the threat of sexual abuse. The duo initially tried to bring their cases against Jackson to court in 2013 and 2014, but their lawsuits were thrown out due to the statute of limitations.
In 2020, they were able to try their cases again after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law extending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases. While their cases were dismissed in 2021, an appellate court ruled in 2023 that they could go to trial. A trial is currently set for November 2026.
The new documentary is largely about their fight to be heard in court. Jackson died in June 2009 at age 50, but Safechuck and Robson’s lawyers argue that his company can be held liable for the alleged abuse.
“While Mr. Jackson certainly bears a lot of responsibility for this, like every other pedophile case I’ve ever encountered, pedophiles don’t operate in a vacuum — especially successful ones,” attorney John Manly said in Leaving Neverland II. “What we have to show is that MJJ Productions, his company that he owned, was aware of it and knew it. People there were aware of it and knew it.”
According to Robson, his entire alleged relationship with Jackson was facilitated by adults who were in his employ.
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“From how I met Michael in the first place to how we met again and then once we became friends, all of my interactions with him were organized by people who worked for him and worked with him,” he claimed. “There were so many times [when] bodyguards that worked for Michael [were] right outside of the door when abuse was going on, whether that was at Neverland or in trailers, at a recording studio. Always people around that worked for him. There was knowledge that there was something weird going on. And nobody in the organization seemingly did anything about it.”
Safechuck made similar comments, telling the camera, “People must have known. It’s hard to imagine being OK with the constant cycle of kids coming in and out. I can’t imagine how they didn’t know.”
Jackson’s estate and attorneys did not participate in Leaving Neverland II. A title card read, “We made repeated requests over a period of six years for interview and comment from the legal team representing Michael Jackson’s estate and MJJ Productions. They declined every opportunity to participate in this documentary.”
As detailed in the first Leaving Neverland, Robson and Safechuck claimed that Jackson sexually abused them as children for a period of seven and four years, respectively. Jackson’s estate called the film a “tabloid character assassination” and slammed Robson and Safechuck as “admitted liars,” citing the fact that they initially claimed nothing ever happened with Jackson before reversing their statements.
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Robson addressed that criticism specifically in Leaving Neverland II, claiming that he never wanted to testify on Jackson’s behalf. (The pop star was arrested and charged with child molestation in 2003 but was found not guilty two years later.)
“Michael called him and called him and called him and called him and kept begging him and begging him and begging him,” attorney Vince Finaldi said of Robson, who detailed some of those alleged conversations.
“He said, ‘You know we can’t let them do this to us. We can’t let them take us down,’” Robson claimed Jackson said. “Us, us, us. I definitely had a real fear of what he said about if anyone ever found out that he and I would go to jail.”
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Robson claimed he eventually told Jackson that he wouldn’t testify, but he soon received a subpoena. “So there it is,” he said. “I got no choice, that’s what I’m doing.”
The choreographer said he felt like he “wasn’t able to tell the truth” during the 2005 trial. It was only years later — after he got married and had his own son — that he felt ready to go public with his allegations.
Ron Zonen, the prosecutor in Jackson’s criminal trial, said he’s been asked over the years whether he would prosecute Robson for perjury, and he’s always said no.
“I said, ‘This is one of those things where very few people have any control over what happens, least of whom — believe it or not — [are] the person who’s experiencing it,’” he explained. “This is just not something within his emotional control.”
Now, after more than a decade of legal back-and-forth, Robson and Safechuck are both ready to take the stand.
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“Whatever’s the final outcome, I don’t really see how I lose,” Robson said. “If I get the opportunity to get back in there and get on the stand and tell the truth like I wasn’t able to for decades, that’s a win for me.”
Safechuck, meanwhile, described the process as “grueling” but said he’s looking forward to speaking his truth.
“Part of me is, like, kind of building up this strength and this shield to go through it,” he explained. “Imagining myself in trial, in the seat, finding the strength and fighting for little Jimmy. When it comes, I’ll be ready.”
Leaving Neverland II: Surviving Michael Jackson premieres on the Real Stories YouTube channel Tuesday, March 18, at 8 p.m. ET.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
