4 biggest reveals from Leaving Neverland’s Part 1 premiere

The disturbing documentary, Leaving Neverland, is now on HBO. Here are some of the revelations from part one of the series.

Warning: This article might contain information that is disturbing for some readers.

Leaving Neverland is already stirring up a lot of controversies. The documentary, which aired its first episode on HBO this weekend, has raised a lot of questions about Michael Jackson and has left many people with conflicting feelings.

The documentary deals with many hard topics that are understandably difficult for many people. Many critics have noted that it’s a particularly rough documentary to watch because of the content.

Finding Neverland tells the story of Wade Robson and James “Jimmy” Safechuck and their experience and relationships with Michael Jackson when they were children. In the documentary, they, their families, and their friends talk about the alleged sexual abuse they endured.

The Michael Jackson estate is suing HBO over the documentary, saying that is it, “yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson.”

While we understand that these topics are extremely sensitive and that there are a lot of complicated conversations to be had here especially in this era of MeToo and Time’s Up, we’ve broken down the most noteworthy information revealed in the premiere. This is especially relevant if you want to be aware of the story without actually watching the documentary.

We learn how Safechuck and Robson came into Michael Jackson’s orbit

The information about how Jackson came to know the boys is somewhat disturbing. Safechuck reportedly met Jackson while he was filming part of a Pepsi commercial and was then invited to Jackson’s trailer. Allegedly, Jackson’s makeup artist said that Jackson himself was like a 9-year-old and not a threat. After this first meeting, Jackson invited the Safechuck family to his home and the family was accepting of Jackson and had him over many times, too.

Robson met Jackson after winning a dance contest where meeting Michael Jackson was the reward. He was also given the chance to perform on stage with Jackson and spent time in his hotel.

Michael Jackson would take the families on vacations and spend money on them

Including trips to Hawaii and then to Paris, Jackson spent a good deal of time with the Safechuck family. Jimmy Safechuck was invited to go on stage at one point of a tour, and the Safechuck family met celebrities and attended events.

Similar to the Safechuck family, the Robson family was invited to Neverland Ranch under direction from Jackson. Both of the families spent time with Jackson at Neverland Ranch as well as in hotel rooms.

Jackson spent a lot of alone time with the two boys

In the documentary, details of sexual acts are given, and the information is rather disturbing. Jackson would allegedly have both of the boys sleep alone with him in his bed. And, at one point while Robson’s family was on a trip to the Grand Canyon, he was left alone with Jackson at Neverland Ranch for a few days.

Safechuck alleges there were times when Michael was with him around the clock, even though he was only 10 years old.

The documentary also details what Jackson did to allegedly keep the abuse hidden. Safechuck says Jackson would have him “run drills” so that they wouldn’t get caught doing anything inappropriate.

Safechuck and Robson weren’t the only ones

One shocking allegation from the documentary is how Jackson would bring more children into his orbit at the same time. Safechuck talks about how, as he got older, he would be sent to sleep on the couch while a younger child would sleep in the room with Jackson.

Both Safechuck and Robson also detail how he would manipulate them by alienating them from their families and by telling them things such as that their relationship was sanctioned by God.

Overall, the Leaving Neverland documentary is not an easy watch. For a more detailed breakdown of the documentary’s premiere, you can read E! News’ coverage here.  We’ll note though that material found here may be hard to read for some.

Leaving Neverland‘s Part 2 airs March 4 at 8 p.m. on HBO.