Louis Theroux responds to Michael Jackson ‘paedophile’ allegation documentary

He tried to make his own film about Jackson in 2003

Louis Theroux has said that anyone who "can't see that Michael Jackson was a paedophile" after watching the new Leaving Neverland documentary is being "willfully blind". He also said that fans of Jackson campaigning against it were "actively colluding in the silencing of victims". https://twitter.com/louistheroux/status/1103689654027632642

If you can’t see that Michael Jackson was a paedophile after watching Dan Reed's film you are being willfully blind. And if you are campaigning against it you are actively colluding in the silencing of victims.

Leaving Neverland was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival last month. It is airing on Channel 4 over two parts on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The documentary follows the story of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two men who claim they were sexually abused by Michael Jackson after they were befriended by the singer as children. Louis Theroux made his own film attempting to interview Jackson with 2003's Louis, Martin & Michael. He failed to speak with the singer but did interview his father, Joe Jackson. The same year, Michael Jackson was instead interviewed by Martin Bashir for ITV's Living With Michael Jackson. Theroux also made a film with Jimmy Saville, who after his death was subject to many accusations of sexual assault. The documentary maker would address this with a follow-up film in 2016. Michael Jackson first faced accusations of child sex abuse in 1993. Dentist Evan Chandler alleged that the singer abused his 13-year-old son, making headlines around the world, but the case was settled out of court in January 1994. Nearly a decade later, in 2003, Jackson was actually charged seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent, in relation to a 13-year-old boy who was featured in the Martin Bashir documentary. But in 2005, he was acquitted of all counts.