James Safechuck Said Michael Jackson's Fanbase Is "Coordinated, Vicious, and Persistent"

In January 2019, James Safechuck and Wade Robson were on their way to a screening that would change their lies forever. The documentary Leaving Neverland was at the Sundance Film Festival, and the two men were gripped by anxiety. What didn't help was the fact that someone had called in a bomb threat to the theater the night before, per the Daily Mail. What kind of film would elicit such a terrifying reaction?

The documentary details years of alleged sexual abuse perpetrated by Michael Jackson against Safechuck and Robson. Although the two didn't know each other during the years it was allegedly happening, they later bonded over their claims. These two men also had something else in common. They previously denied Jackson abused them, after he was accused by another little boy. Safechuck would later decline to defend Jackson in a separate trial. Where is he now? Here's what we know.

According to People Magazine, a then 35-year-old Safechuck filed a lawsuit against Jackson's estate in 2014. This was done a year after Robson, age 30, did the the same. A trial court dismissed both cases because they were filed after the statute of limitations were up and this needed to be done before both men were 26 years old.

Safechuck and Robeson got a second chance in October 2020 after California governor Gavin Newsom "signed a new law giving those who allege childhood sexual abuse longer to file lawsuits, but their cases were dismissed again in April 2021." An attorney for the two men filed an appeal which was granted by the California appeals court, who restored the original lawsuits, which have been filed against Jacksons corporations.

These lawsuits allege that the corporations that employed Jackson's staff were complicit in the alleged sexual abuse because they knew about it and covered it up. Safechuck claims Jackson began sexually abusing him in 1988 in Paris, when he was only 10 years old. This allegedly continued until 1992. A court date is scheduled for November 2026. In the meantime, Safechuck participated in a followup to Leaving Neverland titled Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson.

In an interview with The Times, Safechuck looked back at that Sundance premiere and marveled at the support he received from the audience. "If history was any indicator, then we [as accusers of Jackson] were going to get attacked, so I’d mentally prepared for that," he said. Six years later, the married father of three opened up a bit about the intense reaction from Jackson's fans following the release of Leaving Neverland.

"The Jackson fanbase is coordinated, vicious and persistent," he explained. There have been threats made against him, both online and offline, which include rape and death threats. Because of this, Safechuck has safeguards in place for the followup documentary. What makes this worth it, other than Safechuck and Robson's pursuit of justice, is the fact that survivors of child abuse have come forward.

Safechuck said that it never occurred to him that this would help other people. He didn't know that he would meet a community of fellow survivors. That bond has been an "unexpected blessing," he revealed.