Michael Jackson's Estate Calls 'Leaving Neverland' Emmy's Win, "A Complete Farce"
By Mike Walters on September 15, 2019 at 11:54 AM EDT
HBO documentary 'Leaving Neverland' took home the an Emmy for best documentary or nonfiction special at the Creative Arts Emmys, and Michael Jackson's estate is not happy with the decision.
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Director Dan Reed thanked the two subjects of the documentary Wade Robson and James Safechuck after receiving the award.
“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...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," Reed said.
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But, Michael Jackson's estate was not going allow him or the film to bask in the glory too long...
“For a film that is a complete fiction to be honored in a nonfiction Emmy category is a complete farce. 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.” a spokesperson of the estate said in reaction to the win.
They also pointed out them film only won 1 of the 5 Emmy's it was nominated for and had the chance to take home.
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The estate and and HBO are currently locked in a fierce legal battle over a contract that allegedly bars the company from disparaging MJ.
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Backstage, Reed continued “I realized when listening to Wade’s story that as an eight-year-old he entered into a relationship that is like a twisted seven-year-old version of a romantic relationship….this was something I never expected to hear."
He continued, "Like most people I thought a child sexual predator was when someone in a raincoat grabbed someone from outside a school…if he was trying to bamboozle me he wouldn’t have had to say, ‘I fell in love with Michael Jackson.'”
Mostly likely this isn't the last time producers of 'Leaving Neverland' and Michael Jackson's estate will clash over the film.
