‘Leaving Neverland’ Director on Michael Jackson: ‘Worse Than Jeffrey Epstein’
*Seven years after “Leaving Neverland” upended conversations about Michael Jackson’s legacy, director Dan Reed says the public’s reaction has led him to one stark conclusion. Despite the detailed accounts of childhood sexual abuse at the center of the four-hour HBO film, Jackson’s cultural standing has not only survived — it has strengthened. Reed was unequivocal […] The post ‘Leaving Neverland’ Director on Michael Jackson: ‘Worse Than Jeffrey Epstein’ appeared first on EURweb | Black News, Culture, Entertainment & More.
Black News 
*Seven years after “Leaving Neverland” upended conversations about Michael Jackson’s legacy, director Dan Reed says the public’s reaction has led him to one stark conclusion. Despite the detailed accounts of childhood sexual abuse at the center of the four-hour HBO film, Jackson’s cultural standing has not only survived — it has strengthened.
Reed was unequivocal when asked why. “People just don’t care that he was a child molester. Literally, people just don’t care,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
Despite Reed’s belief that Jackson was “worse than Jeffrey Epstein,” the King of Pop’s cultural footprint keeps expanding. Streaming numbers are up, “MJ the Musical” continues drawing crowds on Broadway, and the Lionsgate biopic “Michael,” direct by Antoine Fuqua, is among the most anticipated releases of the year. “Leaving Neverland,” by contrast, has all but vanished from public view.
The film was pulled from HBO after the Jackson estate secured a legal resolution with the network, leaning on language from a decades-old concert contract to make its case. Once the licensing window closes in 2029, Reed says he intends to redistribute the film on his own terms.
“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,” Reed explained. “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.”
Reed also took aim at gold-digger accusations leveled at MJ’s accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck, pointing out that neither Robson nor Safechuck has seen a dollar from the years of legal pursuit. He found it particularly telling that Fuqua raised the issue, saying of those behind the biopic, “It seems to me all the people involved in this movie are just making bank.”
Skeptics have long questioned why Robson initially defended Jackson in 2005 before later changing his account. Reed explained that coming forward as a survivor means telling the people closest to you that you were not telling the truth — a process that dismantles your entire world. Reed says he remains in contact with Robson and Safechuck and is developing a new documentary around their upcoming trial.
Robson and Safechuck are headed back to court in August 2026, pursuing a civil case against the Michael Jackson estate over allegations of childhood sexual abuse and seeking $400 million in damages.
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The post ‘Leaving Neverland’ Director on Michael Jackson: ‘Worse Than Jeffrey Epstein’ appeared first on EURweb | Black News, Culture, Entertainment & More.
