The pop star’s estate, once drowning in debt, had rebounded remarkably since his death, but it’s now contending with renewed allegations of child abuse in an HBO documentary.
Michael Jackson waves to his supporters as he arrives for his child molestation trial in Santa Maria, Calif. in 2005. By Lavanya Ramanathan and Lavanya Ramanathan Features reporter Email Bio Follow Elahe Izadi Elahe Izadi Pop culture writer Email Bio Follow March 4 at 7:44 PM When Michael Jackson died in 2009, the singer had hit a low point, dogged by personal scandals and diminishing star power that paled in comparison to the rarefied heights he achieved in his record-setting career.
For a legion of die-hard Jackson fans, the allegations rang false. On social media, they co-opted the hashtag #LeavingNeverland as their own, posting their criticisms of the film and bombarding celebrities who tweeted about the documentary. Bus ads appeared in London, declaring, “Facts don’t lie. People do.” Jackson’s estate offered its own counterprogramming during the documentary’s premiere, enthusiastically promoting new concert footage while remaining silent on the allegations.
Jackson designated his mother, Katherine, and his three children as beneficiaries of his estate, which has vigorously tried and failed to stop the film from airing, filing a $100 million lawsuit last month in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing HBO of violating a 1992 contract promising not to disparage the singer.
But Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing form Metaforce and an adjunct business professor at New York University, said corporate partners may turn skittish. “For any mainstream marketing tapping into big sponsors and big advertisers, I think it’s going to come off the table, certainly for the next couple of years and maybe forever, because marketers are risk-averse,” he said. “There are plenty of choices in entertainment.
Controversy followed Jackson as well. Since the early 1990s, five boys alleged molestation or inappropriate behavior; the families of two arranged settlements with the pop star, reportedly totaling more than $20 million.
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