Spike Lee defends Michael Jackson biopic against criticism
daily mail | Tuesday May 5, 2026 09:32
The film, titled Michael, stars the hitmaker's real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson as the King Of Pop, and charts his life from being in the Jackson 5 in the Sixties to his early solo career.
And despite breaking box office records, the movie has sparked backlash over the producers' decision to leave out the abuse allegations, which began in 1993 and plagued Michael later in his career and even after his death in 2009. However, director Spike, 69, has defended the film - which he said he'd already seen twice and 'loves' - insisting that the abuse accusations weren't included as it only documents Michael's life up until 1988 - before the first allegation was made.
'First of all, if you’re a movie critic, and you are complaining about all this other stuff, but the movie ends in ‘88,' the Oscar winner told CNN. 'And the stuff you are talking about, accusations, happened [later]. So you are critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the film.' While he suggested that the fact the movie did so well at the box office further justified the omission, adding: 'But people showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love.'
Spike was a long-time friend and collaborator of Michael, directing the 1996 music video for They Don’t Care About Us and two documentaries about the late star - Bad 25 (2012) and Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016). Reflecting on his relationship with the Billie Jean star and fellow late singer Prince, he said: 'I miss Mike. I miss Prince. I mean, these are my brothers. I worked with both of them. Both beautiful, beautiful people.' Michael's career and legacy became clouded by rumours of paedophilia beginning in 1993, when he was accused of sexually abusing 13-year-old Jordan Chandler in a lawsuit filed by the boy's father. A criminal investigation found no physical evidence of abuse, but Michael ultimately settled the civil suit with the family in January 1994 for $23million. He later faced further allegations, as well as a high-profile, sensational criminal trial on child molestation charges involving 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo in 2005. He was acquitted of all charges. The Thriller star died in 2009 aged 50 of a cardiac arrest he suffered after having Propofol administered as a sleep aid.
But his legacy fell under renewed scrutiny in recent years over the ongoing molestation claims, which were reignited by Wade Robson and James Safechuck in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland. Leaving Neverland 2 was released last year and saw the pair's ongoing legal battle as they doubled down on their claims that the late star sexually abused them as children for years. In regards to his 'approach' to the biopic, the film's director Antoine Fuqua previously said: 'Just to tell the facts as we know it, about the artist, about the man, about the human being. You know, the good, bad, and the ugly.' (Daily Mail)