Mock Marriage, Sex Bribes & Assault: Biggest 'Leaving Neverland' Secrets Revealed
Mar. 4 2019, Updated 6:06 p.m. ET
The explosive new two-part HBO documentary Leaving Neverland is ripping the lid off of Michael Jackson's alleged twisted life behind closed doors at his infamous California estate. Click through RadarOnline.com's gallery to find out the top secrets and scandals exposed almost 10 years after the pop legend's death.
The documentary follows Wade Robson, 36, and James Safechuck, 40, who were just young child dancers when they met Jackson. Safechuck, who acted in a Pepsi commercial with Jackson, alleged the singer taught him how to pleasure himself. "He set it up like I'm going to show you something that everybody does and you'll enjoy it," Safechuck said. "It felt like you were bonding, in a way." Robson claimed he was just 8 when Jackson allegedly kissed him and performed oral sex on him during a private sleepover. "He was one of the kindest, most gentle, loving, caring people I knew," he recalled of that confusing time. "He helped me … tremendously. He helped me with my career. He helped me with my creativity, with all of those sorts of things. And he also sexually abused me. For seven years."
Jackson was allegedly so concerned with getting caught he made sure his victims knew how to cover up his actions. "He would run drills with me where, you'd be in the hotel room, and he would pretend like somebody was coming in, and you had to get dressed as fast as possible without making noise," Safechuck said in the first part of the explosive documentary. "So not getting caught was a big, like, just kind of fundamental. It was very much a secret, and he would tell me that if anybody found out, his life would be over and my life would be over."
Jackson allegedly lectured both boys on how they could not trust their mean and evil parents. Meanwhile, Safechuck and Robson's mothers claim in Leaving Neverland that the King of Pop often would separate them from their children. "In the context of what was going on, this all seemed normal," said Robson. Jackson's estate has vehemently denied many of the allegations in the documentary.
The documentary revealed Jackson was able to hide some of the alleged sexual abuse because his sprawling Neverland estate — currently for sale — was filled with secret rooms and other hard-to-find areas.
Safechuck said Jackson went as far as gifting him a diamond wedding ring, staging a mock wedding ceremony and convincing him they were married. "It's still hard for me to not blame myself," he said when showing the jewelry in the documentary. As a boy, he also received bling from Jackson on other occasions. "I was really into jewelry at that time and he would reward me with jewelry for doing sexual acts to him," Safechuck said.
Both boys said as they aged they struggled with feeling jealous and resentful when they began to be phased out as younger boys came into Jackson's life — including McCauley Culkin, then a child star. "You're no longer special," said Safechuck. Culkin denied speculation his relationship with the singer was anything but a "normal friendship."
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.