As the world is just weeks away from the highly anticipated premiere of “Michael,” we’ve been keeping you up to date on all the excitement leading up to the release of the biopic about the life and legacy of Michael Jackson. But before you pull out your red “Thriller” jacket and sparkly gloves, we have to talk about the elephant in the room – the slew of allegations that have greatly impacted Jackson’s legacy.
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Since the ’90s, the pop star has faced widespread sexual abuse allegations against children, and even after Jackson was acquitted of all charges in a criminal trial and after his death in 2009, speculations and rumors continue to haunt the “Thriller” singer. Ahead of his biopic, we’re laying out a full timeline of the allegations and legal drama surrounding the King of Pop.
December 1986: MJ Meets James Safechuck
In order to truly understand the rest of Jackson’s accusations, you have to go all the way back to the ’80s. According to the Los Angeles Times, the singer purchase his Neverland Ranch– originally called the Sycamore Valley Ranch– for $19.5 million in 1987. A year before, however, Jackson would meet a 10-year-old boy from California, James “Jimmy” Safechuck, while working on a commercial for Pepsi.
Safechuck later said Jackson befriended his whole family after the ad aired, evening buying lavish gifts for them, allegedly including the one and only jacket from the “Thriller” music video and flying them out for vacations. On an alleged trip to Hawaii, Safechuck claimed the singer asked him to sleep in the same bed for the first time, Billboard reported.
May 1992: MJ Meets Jordan Chandler
GQ previously reported, Jackson befriended another boy named Jordan Chandler in May 1992. According to reports, the owner of a local car rental business offered Jackson a deal on a rental in exchange for a phone call with his 13-year-old stepson, Jordan Chandler, who was a huge MJ fan.
August 1993: LAPD Begins Investigating MJ
Jackson’s relationship with the Chandler family took a turn however in 1993 when the father repeatedly alleged Jackson molested the younger Chandler. The boy also told a psychiatrist Jackson molested him, the Times also reported, even detailing oral sexual incidents and masturbation. The doctor eventually reported the allegations to the police.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the LAPD began investigating Jackson for possible molestation against a total of four children. In August 1993, police raided MJ’s estate but only came up with videotapes that were not incriminating. A police source told the outlet “the search warrant didn’t result in anything that would support a criminal filing.”
September 1993: Chandler Family Sues MJ
The September 1993 lawsuit obtained by the Times alleged Jackson was responsible for several incidents of sexual battery, seduction, battery, fraud, willful misconduct, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. They sought $30 million in damages.
December 1993: LaToya Jackson Speaks
Just weeks after the bombshell lawsuit, Jackson’s estranged sister LaToya spoke to the press in Israel alleging that all of the accusations against her brother were true.
“I must tell you that this is very difficult for me,” she began. “Michael is my brother. I love him a great deal. But I cannot, and I will not, be a silent collaborator of his crimes against small, innocent children.” She went on detailing what she said were “checks payable to the families of these children,” alleging her mother, Katherine, was even aware of Jackson’s alleged activity.
December 1993: MJ Is Strip-searched by Police
During Jackson’s notorious 1993 statement pleading his innocence, the singer described a strip search done by police as “the most humiliating ordeal of my life.” According to reports, the singer’s entire naked body was photographed and filmed as part of the ongoing investigation.
“These statements are totally false,” Jackson added in the video. “I am hoping for a speedy end to this horrifying, horrifying experience to which I have been subjected.” The singer went on to criticize the “mass media” he said were irresponsible. At this point, police hadn’t even issue a warrant for his arrest.
January 1994: MJ Settles Suit With Chandler Family
In January 1994, Jackson agreed to settle the salacious lawsuit but never admitted guilt, NBC News reported. A total $15 million was set aside for the young boy in a trust until he turned 18. Chandler’s parents each received $1.5 million from Jackson.
By the end of the year, a grand jury declined to indict Jackson in connection to any of the allegations against him. But while folks probably thought this would be the final chapter in this book, the allegations continued to follow.
February 2003: ‘Living with Michael Jackson’ Documentary Airs
On Feb. 6, 2003, British journalist Martin Bashir’s documentary following Jackson aired in the U.S. For many viewers, the film– which portrayed Jackson holding hands with a young boy named Gavin Arvizo and his alleged lack of accountability– was troublesome. Even Bashir mentioned several times in the footage that he was left uneasy after many interactions he had with Jackson and children.
“It’s not sexual, we’re going to sleep,” MJ told Bashir of his Neverland sleepovers. “I tuck them in… It’s very charming, it’s very sweet.” Days after the premiere, Chandler’s sworn testimony leaked online.
June 2003: Santa Barbara Sheriff, DA Renew Investigation
Following Bashir’s documentary, the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s office reopened their investigation into Jackson. This time, police interviewed Arvizo– from the documentary– his father David, mother and brother in the summer of 2003. The teenager told police Jackson molested him multiple times that same year. His mother, Janet Arvizo, alleged MJ held the family captive at his Neverland ranch.
In November, Jackson was arrested following another raid at Neverland, the Guardian reported. He was released one week later on a $3 million bond.
February 2005: MJ’s Criminal Trial Starts
The high-profile case went on for several months, According to court documents, many celebrities testified, including Jackson’s long-time friend Chris Tucker and childhood actor Macaulay Culkin. The “Home Alone” actor befriended Jackson early in his career. He told the court any and all allegations that Jackson took advantage of him was “absolutely ridiculous.”
Other witnesses like Wade Robson testified to having more than 20 sleepovers at Neverland. He told the court he would often sleep in the “Butterflies” singer’s bed, but he was never sexually abused by him.
June 2005: MJ Found Not Guilty
Jurors deliberated for 32 hours over the course of seven days. In the end, Jackson was acquitted on all charges against him, according to Today.
June 25, 2009: Michael Jackson Dies
Four years after his not guilty verdict, Jackson died of cardiac arrest in his Los Angeles home. The singer never returned to Neverland, however. He’d say that after several police raids, the ranch never felt like home again.
June 2011: LaToya Recants
In her second book titled “Starting Over,” LaToya did a complete 180-degree from allegations she made against her brother and father. “My family and Michael knew that wasn’t really me talking,” she said, according to the Daily Beast. “I never believed for a minute my brother was guilty of anything like that.”
May 2013: Wade Robson Sues MJ’s estate
Years after testifying that he was not molested by Jackson, Robson, who became a dancer and choerographer, claimed in a 2013 lawsuit that he was abused over the course of seven years by the singer. “He said ‘This is how we show our love,’” Robson alleged Jackson told him before performing oral sex on the teen during his first ever sleepover at Neverland.
“I understand why it’s so hard for [fans] to believe it,” Robson later said during a screening of “Leaving Neverland.” He added, “We can only accept and understand something when we’re ready.”
August 2014: James Safechuck Sues MJ’s Estate
Safechuck, the boy who appeared in the 1987 Pepsi commercial, claimed in a 2024 lawsuit that Jackson sexually abused him more than 100 times over the course of four years.
According to court documents, Jackson “engaged in a calculated course of conduct to lure both [Safechuck] and his parents into a false sense of security and normalcy that was far from reality. And [Jackson] was successful in his efforts to the point that [Safechuck] endured repeated acts of sexual abuse of a heinous nature and was brainwashed by the decedent into believing they were acts of love and instigated by James himself rather than the decedent.”
2019: Leaving Neverland Airs
The two-part HBO documentary once again revived the focus into allegations against Jackson. The film features both Safechuck and Robson as well as their families.
2017 to 2020: Court Tosses Both Lawsuit, but Then…
Both suits were initially dismissed in 2017 citing California’s statute of limitations. In 2020, however, new state laws extended the limits for survivors who were minors at the time of their alleged abuse, the Guardian reported. In 2023, the court ruled Robson and Safechuck could proceed with a jury trial.
As of 2025, the two accusers are seeking a $400 million payout, according to PEOPLE.
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