It’s somewhat fitting that Michael Jackson’s biggest album and biggest video was Thriller . Whether you believe the allegations that dogged Jackson for much of his adult life or not, the “Thriller” video, in which he seems to have the whole world lined up against him, really captures the struggle.
And if you do believe the allegations, that moment at the end when the monster inside Michael comes out is basically foreshadowing.
Now, on the heels of the explosive documentary Leaving Neverland , Jackson’s legacy is in more peril than ever.
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‘Leaving Neverland,’ is an HBO documentary that has been shocking audiences.
In it, two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, detail alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Michael Jackson in great detail and with plenty of emotion.
The documentary was first screened at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Reporters said that just the first half of the two-part documentary left festival audiences ” shellshocked ” and ” appalled , and one noted that counselors were on hand in the lobby.
But folks at home didn’t have counselors readily available when the documentary aired on HBO.
In the wake of the film’s shocking allegations, radio stations around the globe have started dropping Jackson’s songs from their playlists.
And they’re trying to make clear that it’s about their audiences and not a directive from management. In Quebec, three major Montreal-based radio stations pulled Jackson’s music following the broadcast.
They said it was the wishes of their listeners.
“We are attentive to listeners’ comments, and last night’s documentary created reactions,” a spokesperson said in a statement, according to the CBC . Other stations have said that they’re monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, major radio stations also pulled Jackson’s music.
As The New Zealand Herald reported, NZME, which operates many different stations, doesn’t have Jackson’s music in their playlists.
In a statement, the company said that “NZME station playlists change from week to week and right now Michael Jackson does not feature in them.”
Which doesn’t exactly admit to pulling the songs because of Leaving Neverland , but the timing is certainly suspect. Perhaps they only removed him from this week’s playlists as a test to see if the whole thing blows over?
NZME isn’t the only kiwi media group to rotate out Jackson’s songs.
CNN reported that New Zealand’s MediaWorks has also removed Jackson from their playlists, saying “This is a reflection of our audiences and their preferences — it is our job to ensure our radio stations are playing the music people want to hear.”
British broadcaster Fix Radio also announced they were pulling Jackson’s music, but they didn’t mince words about their reasoning.
In a tweet, the station said their decision was directly due to the documentary and done “out of respect for not only his victims, but all victims of sexual abuse.”
And at least one station in The Netherlands is planning to take a break from Jackson’s music for a while.
According to the Evening Standard , NH radio is hitting pause for a few weeks. “I don’t think people can listen to the songs the same way anymore,” radio editor Arjan Snijders said. “They are supposed to make you happy, make you sing and dance.”
At least one record shop pledged to take Jackson’s music off its shelves as well.
However, reports that BBC Radio 2 in Britain had banned Jackson’s music proved to be premature.
According to NME , a story from The Times needed clarification, and the BBC said that they don’t ban any artist from their playlists.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be hearing ‘Billy Jean’ on repeat.
“We consider each piece of music on its merits and decisions on what we play on different networks are always made with relevant audiences and context in mind,” they said.
It remains to be seen whether any further radio stations will follow suit.
Predictably, reaction to Leaving Neverland has been split online, with Jackson’s supporters claiming the allegations are lies, and supporters of the documentary welcoming the move to get his music off the airwaves.
Jackson’s estate filed a lawsuit against HBO over the documentary in February.
The lawsuit alleges that HBO signed a contract as part of a deal to air a Jackson concert in 1992. That contract involved agreeing to not make any “disparaging remarks” about Jackson or his representatives, or to “do any act that may harm or disparage or cause to lower in esteem the reputation or public image.”
