#1 – Wade Robson changes his story
In Leaving Neverland, Wade Robson claims the first time he was allegedly molested by Michael Jackson was when his entire family left him all alone at Neverland to take a trip to the Grand Canyon. It’s portrayed as a young boy being left with his abuser in an era with no cell phones, with his mother anxious when she tries calling and can’t get through.
But in his court filing and, in a deposition, taken just two months before filming his interview for the film, Robson tells an entirely different story. He says his family was still at Neverland and his sister was sleeping upstairs in Michael’s bedroom.
This is the same story he tells in the failed book he tried to sell in 2012, which means his story has come full circle. If he changes his story so willingly, how can you trust it or anything he says?
#2 – Robson’s “evolved” memories
In Leaving Neverland,Robson recalls in vivid detail his first weekend visit to Neverland and his alleged abuse there. But when he was trying to write a book in 2012 he admitted in emails to his mother he recalled virtually nothing and needed her to help him reconstruct his memories.
Robson wrote: “As I write out my story with Michael, there are a lot of details that I either just don’t remember or never knew that you might have memory of.”
While in Leaving Neverland, he describes in detail Michael driving his sister and him, while playing unreleased music, and the anticipation as they neared, in 2012 he asked his mother: “I don’t remember much of the drive until we arrived at Neverland.” Robson would later say of his memories “They’ve evolved.”
#3 – James Safechuck’s rings scene doesn’t ring true
In Leaving Neverland, James Safechuck pulls out jewelry he claims Michael Jackson gave him for sex. He says they shopped for jewelry. that Michael bought him rings…even a ring for a mock “wedding.” This is the “gut wrenching scene” critics cite.
And it all looks like a seamless, spontaneous moment. Except sharp eyed viewers noticed the background wasn’t the same. Furniture and plants were different. And James’ undershirt suddenly disappeared,
So, director Dan Reed copped that this melodramatic scene was a reshoot…17 months later at an Airbnb. They tried, and failed, to dupe viewers into believing it was one seamless moment.
Reed has tried to claim that Safechuck was unable to find the jewelry and came across it. But in court papers, the only jewelry he listed as still owning was a necklace with a medallion showing Michael’s image.
Given the elaborate effort that went into deceiving viewers, how can the trust anything they are seeing is true?
#4 – Director Dan Reed rewrites the history of Michael Jackson’s 2005 acquittal
One of the key premises of Leaving Neverland is its efforts to discredit Michael Jackson’s acquittal in 2005 on child molestation charges in Santa Barbara County, Calif.
James Safechuck claims that he resisted pressure by Michael Jackson to testify on his behalf, adding that his parents were lobbied to have him testify as well. Yet months earlier the judge had ruled him out as a witness. Robson also claims he was a reluctant witness, even claiming he received a subpoena, which makes no sense because he was a friendly witness .
Leaving Neverland further deceived by showing a drawn-out scenario about a dinner the night before Robson’s testimony. Robson, his sister, his mother and wife all set the scene to suggest that this convinced Robson he had to lie to “save” Michael Jackson. But Michael’s nephew, Taj Jackson, who was there notes that the dinner came AFTER Robson’s testimony. In other words, it was staged narrated drama to suggest Robson’s testimony was a lie.
In 2008, he told Access Hollywood he testified because “he’s always been friend to me. That’s what you do for a friend…you tell the truth.”
#5 – The memorabilia burned in the credits is fake
The end credits of Leaving Neverland end with Wade Robson burning Michael Jackson memorabilia.
As it turns out, Robson had long since auctioned off his most valuable memorabilia given to him by Michael Jackson.
In 2011, he auctioned the hat Michael Jackson gave him from the Smooth Criminal video for $49,920 and the gloves from the Bad video for $31,250. Darren Julien of Julien’s auction tweeted that Robson needed money at the time and requested that he be allowed to sell the items anonymously but was rejected.