Michael Jackson Biopic Sparks Backlash for ‘Erasing’ Abuse Allegations

Michael Jackson’s long-awaited biopic Michael hasn’t even hit theaters yet — and it’s already causing a firestorm.

The $150 million Lionsgate production — starring Jackson’s real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson — is being slammed by critics and insiders who claim the film “airbrushes” the most controversial chapter of the late pop legend’s life: the child sex abuse allegations that haunted him for decades.

Former Jackson bodyguard Matt Fiddes told reporters the film “fails to acknowledge” the darker side of Jackson’s story. “I’ve been Michael’s biggest supporter,” Fiddes said. “But you can’t just erase this part of his life. He’d want the truth out there.”

Fiddes, who once called the allegations “proven untrue,” now says cutting them out entirely “undermines the film’s credibility.”

Even Jackson’s daughter, Paris, 27, has reportedly distanced herself from the project — believing the portrayal feels too “sanitized” and disconnected from her father’s real struggles.

The film, directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua and produced by Bohemian Rhapsody’s Graham King, promises to chronicle Jackson’s journey from child prodigy to global icon. But many fans say the movie’s slick trailer — which racked up 150 million views in days — seems to gloss over the scandals that defined much of his later life.

The controversy comes just six years after HBO’s Leaving Neverland reignited allegations against the singer. Despite ongoing debate, Jackson’s estate has always denied the claims, and the pop star was acquitted of all charges in 2005.

Industry insiders say the filmmakers even reshot parts of the movie’s ending after legal complications involving a 1994 settlement with accuser Jordan Chandler. It’s unclear whether those scenes will make it into the final cut.

Producer Graham King insists the film will be “like nothing audiences have seen before.” Still, critics are already calling it “revisionist history.”

Even estate adviser Jeff Jampol admitted the real challenge is deciding which Michael Jackson story to tell. “Will it include the allegations, his relationship with his father, his death — or none of that? We’ll find out,” Jampol said.

For now, fans are split between excitement and outrage — proof that, 16 years after his death, the King of Pop can still divide the world.

Source: RadarOnline / Lionsgate