Michael Jackson accuser James Safechuck reveals how his ‘painful’ memories of ‘s3xu@l @bus3’ came back to haunt him when he became a father and led him to a breakdown

 

A man who has accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing him when he was ten years old has spoken about processing the ‘pain’ of the alleged events after he had his own children.

James Safechuck – who along with Wade Robson starred in the bombshell documentary Leaving Neverland in 2019 – where they detailed shocking allegations against the King of Pop when they were young boys is set to appear in a sequel series.

And the father-of-three, now 47, recounted grappling with a ‘breakdown’ after his wife first gave birth in 2010.

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‘Michael made you feel like you did it, that it was all your idea,’ he told The Times. ‘Then you look at your own kid and for the first time you really realise, what? That just makes no sense.’

James told the outlet that the famous musician was 30 – 20 years his senior – when he conducted ‘one giant seduction’ over James and ‘his entire family’.

He was then ‘really into jewellery’, and alleged Jackson would ‘reward’ the young boy with pieces in return for ‘sexual acts’.

‘It would happen every day. It sounds sick, but it was like when you are first dating someone – you do a lot of it,’ he said.

Decades later, James admits his ‘understanding of the abuse and what has happened has matured’.

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James told the outlet that the famous musician was 30 – 20 years his senior – when he conducted ‘one giant seduction’ over James and ‘his entire family’. Michael and James in 1988

‘Over the years I have a better understanding of just the horribleness of what he did, how brutal it was, and some anger has developed,’ he added.

Jackson’s career was clouded by rumors of pedophilia from the 1990s onward, but after the allegations were taken to court, he was acquitted in 2005.

The late King Of Pop died in 2009 at the age of 50 of a cardiac arrest he suffered after having Propofol administered as a sleep aid.

In recent years, his legacy has fallen under renewed scrutiny because of the molestation claims. Now, a follow-up documentary called Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson is slated to premiere March 18, Deadline reports.

James also told The Times about his eventual fallout with Jackson, after their ‘relationship’ ended.

He claims Jackson ‘replaced’ him with ‘younger boys’ but still kept in touch via career advice in film-making and music. He also allegedly bought him a car on his 16th birthday.

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James (pictured) also told The Times about his eventual fallout with Jackson, after their ‘relationship’ ended

It is elsewhere reported that after the Safechucks testified for the defense in Jackson’s child molestation trial brought by Jordan Chandler (James would have been in his early teens), Jackson bought them a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house.

However, James claimed that by the time a second trial by Gavin Arvizo came around in 2000 – he had distanced himself from Jackson, who he claims ‘threatened to expose him for perjury in the 1993 case’.

‘I think a part of me died. You are dead inside. You go numb — you don’t learn how to process events, good or bad,’ he reflected.

‘The self-hatred was really intense, but you don’t know why you hate yourself. I know now that it’s because instead of hating Michael, I hated myself.’

His twenties were marred by drug use – but he was forced to ‘clean up’ after getting a job in the tech industry.

However, ‘the floodgates were opened’ in 2013, after Wade Robson, 42, made public allegations against Jackson.

Both men say the alleged abuse – which continued for seven years in Wade’s case and four in James’s – left them mentally traumatised.

Wade, who was five when he met Jackson and who then featured in three of the pop star’s music videos, says he was seven when his own alleged abuse began.

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James’s case was dismissed in 2017 – but three years later, revived, thanks to a change in law when came to the statute of limitations for those who allege childhood sexual abuse

James said that the ‘connections’ he has made with other survivors and ‘facing his fears’ has shaped how he now feels about the past.

‘And seeing my kids become the age I was when I was abused allows me to have more of an outside perspective,’ he added. ‘I can see the insidiousness of what he did.’

James’s case was dismissed in 2017 – but three years later, revived, thanks to a change in law when came to the statute of limitations for those who allege childhood sexual abuse.

It was once again dismissed after Jackson’s business claimed the companies didn’t have a duty of care to him, the BBC reported.

However, in 2023, an appeals court in California ruled that ‘a corporation that facilitates the sexual abuse of children by one of its employees is not excused from an affirmative duty to protect those children merely because it is solely owned by the perpetrator of the abuse’.

‘It would be perverse to find no duty based on the corporate defendant having only one shareholder,’ the court judgement said, as stated by the outlet. ‘And so we reverse the judgments entered for the corporations.’

Wade and James’s former lawyer Vince Finaldi – who is now retired – said that ‘the court had overturned previous incorrect rulings in these cases, which were against California law and would have set a dangerous precedent that endangered children’.

But a lawyer for Jackson’s estate, Jonathan Steinsapir, insisted of ‘full confidence’ in the singer’s innocence.

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The sequel is directed by British filmmaker Dan Reed (centre). Pictured with Wade Robson, left, and James Safechuck, right

While the court case is ongoing and is likely to head to trial later this year, James and Wade have rebuilt their lives away from the showbiz milieu they once inhabited.

James is a podcaster who draws on his own experience of abuse to help others while Wade – a successful choreographer who once dated Britney Spears – has swapped glitzy music tours for rural peace in a quiet part of Maui.

Although he still teaches dance and regularly travels to colleges and schools on the US mainland for his education work, the Australian native devotes much of his time to a new role as a life coach.

On his website, he says he draws on his experience of childhood sexual abuse in the sessions and reveals that the trauma resulted in him suffering two nervous breakdowns.

The webpage read: ‘Several years ago, Wade experienced two nervous breakdowns culminating in his leaving the entertainment business and disclosing for the first time the sexual abuse he experienced as a child; His healing journey had begun.’

It goes on: ‘Wade has woven his personal odyssey as a survivor of child abuse into a profound narrative as a Life Mentor.

‘Drawing from extensive healing and spiritual studies, Wade imparts not only guidance but a deeply personal understanding of transformation.

‘His mentoring is a fusion of creativity and spiritual insight, offering individuals a path to self-discovery and healing that goes beyond conventional advice.

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As of this past December, Jackson remained one of the top 50 most followed artists on Spotify, a whopping 15 years after his death

‘Wade’s unique approach is a testament to the power of resilience, authenticity, and the wisdom gained through a profound healing journey.’

James also draws on his alleged abuse at Jackson’s hands in his work and runs a podcast with Wade called ‘From Trauma to Triumph’.

In it, the pair talk to abuse victims and trauma specialists with the aim of ‘highlighting the many resources available in order to inspire the brave steps to starting, or continuing, the healing journey’.

Despite the trauma they say they endured as children, both men have gone on to enjoy happy marriages.

James is married to Laura Primack, 47, who is successful in her own right and currently holds the role of vice president of culture and creative services at Avatarlabs – a digital advertising agency that has worked on campaigns for Deadpool, Narcos and Marvel Studios among many others.

Like James, Wade is also a devoted husband with a successful wife: Amanda Robson, 44, runs an upscale event design company named Feast Hawaii.

The glamorous mom-of-one appears regularly on the company’s social media pages – as does Robson.

Amanda has also been supportive of Robson’s own battle with his alleged past abuse and has lent her name to a charity fund aimed at tackling childhood sexual abuse.

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Leaving Neverland was showered with acclaim upon its initial release, receiving an Emmy for outstanding documentary of nonfiction special

The fund, named the Robson Child Abuse Healing and Prevention Fund, was begun with a $10,000 donation from the couple and is administered through the Hawaii Community Foundation.

After HBO ran the original Leaving Neverland series, it was sued for $100 million by Jackson’s estate, which accused the network of breaching a 27-year-old contract.

Specifically, Leaving Neverland was said to have violated a non-disparagement clause in the 1992 deal HBO struck to air a TV special of Jackson’s Dangerous tour.

In the wake of the legal battle, HBO is not airing Leaving Neverland 2, which will premiere on the UK broadcast Channel 4 next month instead.

The sequel is directed by British filmmaker Dan Reed, who also helmed the original series, as well as HBO documentaries about January 6 and Alex Jones.

In late 2020 it emerged that Leaving Neverland’s director was filming Wade and Safechuck’s legal efforts against Jackson’s companies MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures at the Los Angeles Superior Court, via Deadline.

As of this past December, Jackson remained one of the top 50 most followed artists on Spotify, a whopping 15 years after his death.

Wade and James’s new lawyer, John C. Carpenter, last year claimed he believes the defendants MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, both of which are now owned by the estate, were ‘seeking a trial well beyond his target of February 2025’ because the MJ biopic, tentatively titled ‘Michael’ is expected to be largely flattering.

‘They want the Michael Jackson biopic to come out before the trial. That’s what I think,’ he told Rolling Stone. ‘These corporations that facilitated the abuse in the first place, they’re rewriting the history.’

But the lawyer for the companies reportedly said her clients were ‘waive a three-year speedy trial rule because she believes the case won’t be ready for jurors until after December 2026’.

She added it would also likely go on for more than 20 days, and include dozens of witnesses.

According to USA TODAY, a trial start date of November 23, 2026, has been proposed.

FEMAIL has reached out to the legal team for Michael Jackson’s estates for comment.

Leaving Neverland was showered with acclaim upon its initial release, receiving an Emmy for outstanding documentary of nonfiction special.

Months after Leaving Neverland first aired in 2019, a Broadway jukebox musical of Jackson’s hit songs received an official opening date for the following year.

Although the production was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, MJ The Musical did eventually open on Broadway in 2022 and emerged as a box office success.

Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson will premiere on the Real Stories YouTube channel in the US and Canada at 8pm (ET) 18th March (English language). Real Stories is Little Dot Studios’ premium documentary YouTube channel.