MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

A project shrouded in secrecy until it was first presented at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, the HBO Documentary Leaving Neverland sparked an heated and ongoing debate about its subject. Documenting a history of accusations of sexual predation and abuse by two now-grown men who spent countless private hours with Jackson as pre-teens, the project was met with swift condemnation by the Jackson estate and many of his followers and fans. Yet there were also numerous fans who found their opinion about Jackson’s alleged behavior shifting in the face of the evidence presented by the four-hour documentary, most notably Oprah Winfrey, considered a longtime Jackson ally and friend who even produced and hosted a one-hour special where she admitted to believing Jackson’s accusers.

This presentations examines critical and popular response to Leaving Neverland, particularly focusing on the writers, critics, fans, and commentators who indicate that their minds were changed or influenced by the documentary in a way that previous public accusations against Jackson have not. Focusing on the ways in which these viewers understand and define terms such as “authentic” and “believable” in the context of stories of sexual trauma and abuse, these reactions can be positioned within a larger framework of understanding how traumatized victims tell their stories, newly empowered by the #metoo era and the broader conversations acknowledging celebrity abuses of power. Finally, there will be a consideration of how fans and institutions now measure Jackson’s music: how do we separate the artistic talent from the off-stage person we now suspect to be a serial abuser of children?