After a long lead up of interviews, op-eds and lawsuits, HBO aired the first portion of their Leaving Neverland documentary. Throughout the first part of the two part documentary, the families of James Safechuck and Wade Robson deliver graphic accounts of sexual abuse that allegedly came at the hands of Michael Jackson.
In the first hour of the documentary, both Robson and Safechuck discussed their first impressions of the entertainer, touring and much more. Towards the end of the first hour, things took a turn for the worse when Safechuck began to go into detail about the abuse he allegedly faced at the hands of Michael Jackson.
At approximately the forty-five minute mark, Safechuck states, “I remember we [Jackson and Safechuck] would fall asleep together and then, when I wake up, he would be in another room. And I would be hurt that he was in another room, so I’d ask him to stay.” Safechuck’s mother then adds, “It seems like a natural thing that would happen. My husband and I had to have said, ‘Yes, you can go sleep with Michael,’.” Safechuck concludes by saying, “In Paris, he introduced me to masturbation. Michael and I were in his room. He set it up like, ‘I’m going to show you something that everybody does and you’ll really enjoy it.’ It was like he was teaching me something new.”
Approximately thirty minutes later, Robson goes in to detail about his alleged early encounters with Jackson. He explains, “We were going to sleep in his bed. The first thing I remember is Michael, sort of, you know, moving his hands across my legs. We were both clothed in PJs and then his hands sort of got to my crotch area and he’s sort of fondling there.”
Michael Jackson’s estate vehemently denies allegations of sexual misconduct on his part and has threatened to sue HBO. As it stands now, the second part of the documentary will air tomorrow night on HBO followed by a Q&A hosted by Oprah.
