When Did Safechuck First Speak Out About Jackson and Why?
In 2014, The Daily Beast reported that Safechuck had added his claims to a lawsuit being brought by Wade Robson, another former Jackson favourite. The duo's stories would become inextricably linked through the lawsuit, and it is their allegations that form the backbone of Leaving Neverland. In his interview with The Independent, Safechuck had a simple explanation for why he came forward when he did.
"I want to speak the truth as loud as I spoke the lie," he said. The other impetus to him speaking out, especially after having spoken in Jackson's defence? In 2010, Safechuck and his wife had a son.
"Michael made you feel like you did it, that it was all your idea. Then you look at your own kid, and for the first time you really realise, 'what? That just makes no sense.'"
Safechuck and Robson sat down for a joint interview with CBS prior to the documentary's release, and he emphasised that his coming forward was a personal decision, but one also rooted in trying to tell survivors of abuse that they are not alone.
"I do think there are others out there, but I also don't expect them to just come out now that we're coming out," he said. "It's such a difficult thing to do to come out. You have to do it when you're ready." He also told the Associated Press that he was initially hesitant to participate in Leaving Neverland at all:
"I was concerned about somebody just sensationalising the story," he explained. "Is this person out to just put together a piece for people to watch because it's Michael? Or is it somebody who is going to tell the story of survivors and abuse and what that's like?"