The fallout from the Michael Jackson Leaving Neverland documentary continues…
In the inflammatory HBO doc, the late singer is accused of sexually abusing former child stars Wade Robson and James Safechuck when they were children.
Director Don Reed has described the four-hour film as a “study of the psychology of child sexual abuse, told through two ordinary families who were groomed for 20 years by a paedophile masquerading as a trusted friend.”
But not everyone has been so quick to jump on the burn MJ bandwagon.
How about we take this to the next level?
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On Friday, Jackson’s longtime friend and occasional collaborator Diana Ross tweeted, “This is what’s on my heart this morning. I believe and trust that Michael Jackson was and is A magnificent incredible force to me and to many others. STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE.”
This is what’s on my heart this morning. I believe and trust that Michael Jackson was and is A magnificent incredible force to me and to many others.
STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE— Ms. Ross (@DianaRoss) March 23, 2019
The tweet received nearly 25K likes, 8K retweets, 3K responses, and a whoooole lot of backlash.
You’re aff yer heed. He’s a paedophile who should have been imprisoned a long time before he died. Would you have been tweeting this if he’d been a plumber…oh sorry you’d have had no idea who he was then would you?
— James Dornan SNP (@glasgowcathcart) March 23, 2019
Oh look, #DianaRoss is trash too. Good to know. Celebrities keep showing their ass. Let me say this one more time: MICHAEL JACKSON WAS AN ABUSIVE PEDOPHILE. If u defend or deny his actions cause you were his friend/a fan, you are complicit in the sexual abuse of children.
— Joshua Hunter Nix (@TheJoshuaHunter) March 23, 2019
he was also a magnificent and incredible child pumper
— Dom Joly (@domjoly) March 24, 2019
I’ve always loved & respected you. You realize a person can simultaneously B 2 things at once? He can have been the person you knew&loved & a dangerous, abusing, pedophile too? They hide in plain sight. Fact:people of your generation protect abusers=why we are where we are?
— Emily Filmore (@EmilyFilmore) March 23, 2019
I was a big MJ fan. Totally disgusted by him now. The documentary is a tell all of who he really was!!!
— Adrianne (@Adriann69053190) March 25, 2019
You dusty old bitch, GTFOH
— @Katherinelee (@hannahlee64) March 25, 2019
But it didn’t stop there…
Oof, girl. Not a good look.
— anthony (@anthonysthots) March 23, 2019
In other words “he didn’t hurt ME so I don’t care what he did to anyone else.” Gross.
— BMcThomas (@barbaramcthomas) March 23, 2019
EXCEPT he was a pedophile and his so-called generosity was called, “grooming.”
Paris functions pretty well, but not his two boys. I could well be wrong, but I’m concerned they were victims as well. If not by Jackson, perhaps whomever molested Jackson when he was young.
— Terri ? #Eco #NoHate #Resist #AlwaysBeKind #Vegan (@EcoSystemGarden) March 23, 2019
Is Diana Ross drinking the Jesus Juice? She’s been shoved into the trash heap along with Babs. They knew. They have lost momentum with younger fans. Next up, apology tour.
— Elizabeth M. Ward (@ElizabethMWard3) March 24, 2019
No Diana, just no. Just because you knew and liked someone doesn’t mean they’re innocent. You saw him with those boys and never thought it was strange for an adult to not have friends his age? One of the boys was 7 when the grooming and abuse started! What’s wrong with you?
— Vote Dem for the Planet (@Brasilmagic) March 23, 2019
What a fucking bitch!
— StefaniaBeauty (@JacksonZone58) March 24, 2019
Ross’ relationship with MJ goes back all the way to the 1960s. Over the course of their 40-year friendship, they recorded and performed several songs together and grew to consider one another like family.
Jackson named Ross the secondary caregiver to his three children. And in his autobiography “Moonwalk,” he called her, “my mother, my lover and my sister all rolled into one.”
But not everyone is so quick to throw Ross under the bus for sticking up her old friend. Many have come to her defense:
Diana Ross knew Michael Jackson closely for 40 YEARS. She trusted him with her children and they adore him. He named her as a possible guardian for his children in his will. She has EVERY RIGHT to defend the man she knew now that
he cannot defend himself.
THANK YOU @DianaRoss. pic.twitter.com/dzBr6Lzgxn— MJJLegion ? (@MJJLegion) March 24, 2019
What you’re not going to do is drag Diana Ross.
— FERRARI SHEPPARD (@stopbeingfamous) March 23, 2019
So let me get this straight, if any member of Michael Jackson’s family or closest friends (i.e., Diana Ross) speak out in SUPPORT of him, they’re in denial and showing blind loyalty, but the media and people who’ve NEVER met him are spot-on when they label him a pedophile? ?
— Elgin Charles (@ElginCharles) March 24, 2019
You fake woke clowns can just sit ALL THE WAY DOWN. Don’t dare come for the Queen @DianaRoss for telling the TRUTH about her baby Michael Jackson. She knew this man before he was a man. A lot of you are nothing but a bunch of uneducated ignorant BULLIES. #FactsDontLiePeopleDo
— Nicole’s View (@BLKLiberation84) March 23, 2019
Imagine knowing someone since they were like 5yrs old until they passed away at 50 & being told youre wrong about your thoughts & feelings about them & all because they say so. Exactly what theyre doing to Diana Ross right now.
— Dwight (@DaWhite_Man) March 23, 2019
What is happening to Diana Ross right now is precisely why more celebs have not spoken out in defense of Michael. They don’t want to be attacked or have their own reputations put in jeopardy. It’s a sad state of affairs that we’ve come to this.
— Raven Woods (@emailraven) March 23, 2019
Dear fake #woke twitter. Please back the fuck off of @msdebbieallen and @DianaRoss . They should be applauded for being #brave enough to tell the truth in this outrage porn filled era of #MeToo
— Damo (@djbaby2009) March 24, 2019
Diana Ross has known Michael for more years than you’ve been alive. Y’all can just fuck off.
— vic (@jongshot) March 23, 2019
People who’ve never met Michael are somehow more qualified to speak on his life than Diana Ross. Apparently they’re experts.
I have to laugh.
— Awesome, Wow ? (@IndigoFro) March 23, 2019
Who are you to talk to DIANA ROSS, one of the greatest soul icons of all time, about someone she knew for 40 years, like you know better? To tell her to shut up? Astounding level of disrespect.
— Casey Rain (aka S-Endz) (@CaseyRain) March 24, 2019
Billy Budd
To me it is quite obvious he was a pedo. He thought he was Peter Pan, for real. He was crazy, but talented. Or talented, but crazy.
iamru2
Maybe but what she said doesn’t go into the accusations, she’s just saying how she felt about her friend!
deacon
Not quite sure what position Queerty is taking but there is no trashing Miss Ross, am I fan of hers, no not really, however Miss Ross is an ICON that will not be disrespected by a bunch of internet trolls based on a subjective sudo-documentary made after his death using people who have lied in the past. Miss Ross was a friend of MJ’s from the time he was a kid and has the right to feel however she feels about him. If you don’t like it you can kiss her ass.
DCguy
Sweetie, you gave away your agenda, next time try to be more subtle.
deacon
If something did happen…..Why is that no one is calling out the parents for letting their child spend time alone with a grown ass man, oh that right they got paid and the money ran out and now they want more.
Brian
People have been calling the parents out for allowing this to happen for decades. Next.
Also, that argument makes no logical sense.
Brian
Ever notice how much Michael Jackson fans and scientologists sound the same when defending their freak beliefs?
LostMyClothesAgain
The best comment posted on Queerty in past 27 years.
djmcgamester
I liked his music. Does that mean I have “freak beliefs”?
Brian
The context of this article, along with common sense, should make it obvious that that is not what I am talking about.
iamru2
Wow I’m more concerned about the nasty , hateful responses she got to her heartfelt statement.
Brian
Would Twitter even exist without nasty hateful responses?
batesmotel
Like Brian said, it is Twitter, what do you expect. Twitter is a toilet bowl for the lower evolved.
DCguy
Can somebody please tell me how good at their job somebody needs to be to reach the point where we have to ignore things like rape or child abuse?
Mel Gibson is working, Roman Polanski got nominated for an Oscar, and Michael Jackson, who exhibited pretty much every sign of a child predator is apparently off limits.
So just curious, how good at making pancakes does the line cook at the local diner have to be before their crimes get ignored too? Oh right, the “Talent” argument only applies to celebrities.
Diana Ross was fine talking bout how she loved her friend, but adding the phrase “Stop in the name of LOVE” is just too gross to even think about when talking about what Jackson is accused of. So now we know either she does her own twitter or the person she hired is dumb as a box of rocks.
Invalid
I’ll never be able to listen to Stop in the Name of Love again.
Kangol
Don’t forget Jeffrey Epstein! He had young girls coming and going, allegedly hundreds of them in multiple cities, on airplanes, etc. and some of them have identified other high profile friends of his, like Alan Dershowitz and Prince Andrew, but not a single one of these powerful men accused of pedophilia is behind bars!
Heywood Jablowme
“my mother, my lover and my sister all rolled into one.”
Ewwwww.
Josh447
Double ditto that. “Lover”? The traces of mental illness fraud and grooming the public (yes, the world at large got tranced out on Jackson’s pedo charades just like the families and their sons) are quite apparent looking over the decades.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Q: Why did Michael Jackson immediately have his driver stop at Macy’s??
A: He noticed a sign advertising:
“Boys pants HALF OFF”
😛
LostMyClothesAgain
What is brown and found in baby diapers? Michael Jackson’s make-up.
Brian
Why does Michael Jackson like twenty eight year olds?
Because they’re are twenty of them.
Sotzume
Why Diana Ross felt the need to voice off on Michael Jackson (unless it was that third martini)is a very stupid decision. Most of the negative comments to her post referenced the documentary, so it wasn’t just “strangers” as the Jackson cult boringly accused the anti Diana’s words group. All one has to do is to watch the documentary. Period. The Jacksonites are a nasty group of worshipers with blinders on for their fearless leader, a pedophile of the first order who used his power, money and celebrity to use and abuse children barely out of diapers. He threw it in people’s faces as well, dragging them publicly around the world with him, then dumping them for the next younger child he found. Diana Ross appears to be just another mother who would have sold her boys to the highest bidder of the highest fame. Ugh.
Brian
I think Michael was somewhat like extended family to Diana, so it doesn’t surprise me that she would have the same level of denial that the Jackson family has.
Kangol
They were very close friends. It’s not that hard to grasp. He even initially redid his face to look like her, until he kept going and tried to turn himself into his other close friend, Elizabeth Taylor.
boymikefl
To me, 2 different issues. Pedophilia and sexual assault. Ok both, somewhat the same. Sex assault is Kavanaugh. He did what she said and 100% believe her. To me, kids from infant to 18, (pedo). After 18, and still continue to hang out and continue to advance your visability in the business until he dies, GOLD DIGGERS. Also, testifying on his behalf mid 20’s. Get a f*cking job. Money train is over. Shame on you. Karma will have you living under a bridge shortly and you can’t call Michael for help. Trash!
iamru2
So if you 100% believe the accuser then why wouldn’t you 100% believe the accused?
miguel
I’m a huge fan of Diana Ross, and have been since I could talk. I retweeted her response regarding Michael as well as thanked her for speaking her truth. In life, MJ’s life, home, and body were literally and figuratively turned upside down for years by the FBI, prosecutors, DA, investigators, and private detectives. He went through the long and horrendous ordeal of the legal process and trial, adamant that he would be vindicated when all was said and done. He turned out to be right. He was exonerated of all charges. At the end of it all nothing was found but extortionist parents and liars. The two liars involved in this so called documentary are proven liars in the court and grifters. They’ve spent years trying to get money from MJ and his estate. When that didn’t work they took up with an opportunistic director trying to a name for himself, take advantage of the MeToo movement, and bring this man down in death and make the money they so desperately sought in the process.
Anyone who knows a little about film making can see how this “director” edited his documentary and filmed it just right to get the response he wanted. It’s bullsh*t on steroids. Ross has known Michael since he was 11 years old. She and all of her children knew him intimately. He lived with her for some time when he was young. He spent time with all of her children, and I believe was the godfather to one or two of her kids. She definitely knows him and has every right not to join the social media bull crap chorus, that enjoys taking anyone down, even with no evidence and a trial that the highest levels of law enforcement exonerated him at its conclusion.
Frankly I’m sick of the sh*t. Those two punks are grifters. This is not MeToo or any other join the bandwagon victim hashtag. This is grifting, period. I agree with all the tweeters who said plainly “fall allllll the way back.” Somehow, these keyboard creeps know more than the highest levels of law enforcement and an internationally known legend who knew Michael for 40 years right up until his death. GTFOH
boymikefl
Loved your comment. Oprah is on my shit list. Bitch did it solely for ratings. Despicable! I am still holding out hopes for our little Jussie. I still think he was framed because the cops despised that they had to investigate a gay bashing because he was famous. I hope they investigate it thoroughly. Coincidence, Jussie has the same lawyer as Michael. Mark Geragos.
Brian
Yeah. Jussie was framed into telling the cops that he was attacked by two white men, because he could see their white skin through the eye and mouth holes on the mask. How on earth do you think he got that wrong if he’s innocent?
DCguy
Except for a few things you left out…
1. Kids that didn’t have a childhood act MORE adult, not less, and are not interested in “Reliving” childhood.
2. Pedophiles routinely try to make themselves or their homes attractive to children, ones with less money will have things like Ice cream machines and video games, wealthy ones like Jackson will build an amusement park at their home and call it the “Neverland Valley Fairytale Ranch”, AND go on TV holding a boys hand using quotes like “Age doesn’t matter” as if he was a nambla spokesperson.
3. Lastly, if he loves all children so much, where were all the girls?
batesmotel
Finally an intelligent commenter on this site for a change. You nailed it Miguel.
jjose712
It’s funny a couple of months ago people were trashing Sam Smith on twitter because he (only) said that he didn’t like Michael Jackson (it was supposed to be talked about his music) but Human Nature was an amazing song.
Now people are trashing the ones who not trash Jackson.
The documentary is not a surprise. This is not one of those cases of “i can’t believe this”.
What i wonder is what the parents of all those kids were doing all the time
djmcgamester
She cared about her friend. That’s it. And I doubt the “backlash” was all that significant considering the number of likes and retweets she got. I’m not sure why she’s being trashed by anyone because she loved her friend and almost certainly knew he was a troubled man.
I don’t know what Michael Jackson did. I have no doubt he had a mental disorder. People talk about him believing he was “Peter Pan”. If so, it’s not likely he molested anyone. That’s not a defense. There was clearly something very wrong with the man and I wouldn’t be surprised if the touching were inappropriate.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
If Michael Jackson wasn’t diddling little boys, why did he pay Jordy Chandler $23,000,000.00????
boymikefl
$23 million to Michael is like $23 dollars to you and me. The kids dad was tape recorded saying that he would destroy Michael. The scum father comitted suicide (karma’s a bitch) and the kid grew up and admitted that his dad told him to lie. The only thing Michael did wrong was to surround himself with devious, money hungry scum bags. Sad ending for Michael. The dad, anybody crying? Now that’s pure child abuse and criminal.
DCguy
@boymikefl
Except you’re a liar. When he died the estate was in debt and he had no money. But nice try.
MISTERJETT
why don’t they just leave the man alone? he’s been dead for ten year and what ever happened or didn’t happen is now between him and God. it doesn’t involve us at all. as for Miss Ross, she has a right to her opinion just like the rest of us.
jasentylar
Queerty made it seem like there aren’t just as many people defending Michael. I don’t know if he’s guilty. Even Cosby was innocent until proven guilty. People can have opposing viewpoints and not be run out of town.
Brian
People are not innocent until proven guilty. They are presumed innocent by the courts until proven guilty. Which is not remotely the same thing
gingered1970
It’s her Brother for crying out loud. So yeah it’s no surprise there.
Kangol
I’m not surprised she’s defending him. They were extremely close friends for years, and she basically was like a big sister to him. MJ’s pedophilia wasn’t a secret during his lifetime and most people chose to look the other way, but now that he’s dead people are burning his corpse at the stake. It’s kind of absurd. The man stated on TV that he liked to sleep in the bed with children who were not his own, which should have sent up 1,000 red flags, but most people just said, Ho hum, he hasn’t been convicted of anything, so whatever. They loved his music and coddled his bizarre behavior. He even dangled his child off a balcony; if that wasn’t yet another sign something was seriously off I don’t know what to say. People always defend monsters that they’re close to, admire, or worship. You have someone accused of rape, assault, etc., including the alleged rape of a child, in the company of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, now heading the US, and his supporters look the other way. They won’t even talk about it. This kind of thing happens all the time.
batesmotel
If allegations against Michael Jackson happened against your closest friend or family member on the planet, then if you’re any kind of friend you’d be standing by them no matter what. That doesn’t mean you approve of what they did, but he also hasn’t been convicted in a court of law. Until he’s been convicted in a court under the judicial system, I don’t buy the allegations and never will. You can call it denial or reasonable. Because no reasonable person could possible automatically side with someone who has offered no proof. There is zero proof. Saying something that happened doesn’t mean it happened. If it did happen, let’s say, then Michael Jackson would deserve any punishment he receives to pay for those crimes. Good look locating him at that point. This story is just to give gossip hounds something to talk about around the water cooler. No one wins in this regardless if the “ACCUSERS” are telling the truth or not.
Response
Diana Ross has raised 5 children, and none of them has ever publicly said one bad word about her, and all of her children are doing well. I do not believe that Diana Ross would have tolerated Michael Jackson’s pedophilia if she knew about it. Diana Ross was busy having a stellar solo career and raising 5 children at the same time. I doubt that she had time to monitor who was sleeping in Michael Jackson’s bed. Don’t try to drag MISS ROSS down with Michael’s improprieties.
Kieran
It’s always very convenient to attack the dead. Michael isn’t here to fight back. He can’t do an interview with Oprah to categorically refute the charges.