Christine Haveford
It’s the controversial documentary that directly calls into questions Michael Jackson’s legacy.
Now the pop star’s family are speaking out after Leaving Neverland’s Emmy win.
Earlier this year, two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, claimed in the HBO film that the late Thriller singer sexually molested as kids.
On Sunday, it won in the category for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special at the Creative Arts Emmys at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
“For a film that is a complete fiction to be honored in a nonfiction Emmy category is a complete farce,” a spokesperson for the estate said in a statement.
It continued: “Not one shred of proof supports this completely one-sided … so-called documentary which was made in secrecy and for which not one person outside of the two subjects and their families were interviewed.”
Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed, in accepting the award, hailed Robson and Safechuck for their bravery for speaking out.
“None of this would have been possible without the incredible courage and determination of Wade and James and their families, and I wanted to salute that,” he said. “This is one of the first times we’ve been able to shine light on child sexual abuse …”
‘”The pattern of how it unfolds is not an easy story to tell … it often remains undisclosed for so many decades, so I thank them from the bottom of my heart.”
The Emmy win comes soon after Dave Chappelle questioned the victims testimony in his new Netflix special, Sticks & Stones.
Within the first 20-minutes of his highly-anticipated stand up show, Chappelle boldly admits he doesn’t believe Michael Jackson’s rape accusers.
“I don’t think he did it, but you know what? Even if he did do it … you know what I mean? I mean, it’s Michael Jackson,” Chappelle joked.
“I know more than half the people in this room have been molested in their lives, but it wasn’t no goddamn Michael Jackson, was it?”
“This kid got his d**k sucked by the King of Pop. All we get is awkward Thanksgivings for the rest of our lives. You know how good it must have felt to go to school the next day after that s**t?”
“Chappelle is riding on a wave of being contrarian, being controversial, and this, to me, was revolting,” said Reed after winning his Creative Arts Emmy on Saturday.
He added: “I felt physically sick listening to what he was saying…
“You can make comedy out of so many other things. Why not do something brave instead of crapping on some victim of child rape?”
Comments
Loading…