'Michael' Movie Legal Nightmare: Actress Who Plays Diana Ross in King of Pop's Biopic Reveals Her Scenes Were Cut to Avoid Lawsuit — As Film Is Trashed by Critics Over 'Lies'

The highly anticipated Michael Jackson film is already mired in controversy just one day before its April 24 release, with actress Kat Graham revealing her portrayal of Diana Ross was completely cut from the film over legal fears, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Kat Graham shared a statement on social media explaining that "certain legal considerations affected a few scenes," including the ones she filmed, confirming that her performance never made it into the final version of the movie.

While Graham did not go into detail about the exact legal issues, sources familiar with major studio productions say such last-minute edits are often made to avoid potential legal exposure tied to the depiction of real-life figures, especially when those figures, like Ross, remain living icons with powerful legacies to protect.

The revelation is raising serious questions about just how much of the original film was altered behind the scenes, particularly given Ross’ deep personal and professional connection to the King of Pop.

The Motown legend famously helped introduce Jackson 5 to mainstream audiences, making her absence from the biopic more glaring.

According to Variety, the decision is part of broader legal complications that forced significant rewrites and reshoots during production. Reports suggest the filmmakers were required to navigate strict limitations tied to Jackson’s past legal history restrictions that ultimately shaped what could and could not be shown on screen.

Those constraints appear to have led to multiple scenes being scrapped entirely, including Graham’s portrayal among the most high-profile cuts.

The controversy comes as the film is already being slammed by some critics ahead of its release, with early reactions accusing the project of glossing over or omitting major chapters of Jackson’s life. Some have gone as far as to label the film misleading, fueling backlash that it prioritizes image control over truth.

The backlash isn’t just coming from critics. As previously reported, the Thriller singer's daughter, Paris Jackson, has publicly distanced herself from the biopic and previously criticized an early version of the film as "sugar-coated."

Paris wrote on her social media last September, "A big section of the film panders to a very specific section of my dad's fandom that still lives in the fantasy, and they're gonna be happy with it."

The 28-year-old continued by stating, "The narrative is being controlled, and there's a lot of inaccuracy, and there's a lot of just full-blown lies.”

Meanwhile, Janet Jackson declined to participate in the project despite being approached, a decision that has only fueled speculation about tensions within the Jackson family over how the story is being told.