Colman Domingo explains why Michael Jackson film skips allegations, but a key detail is off

Colman Domingo and Nia Long have opened up about why the Michael Jackson biopic doesn’t portray the sexual molestation allegations against the singer, and while their explanation makes sense, one detail about the timeline has come into question.

Domingo and Long play MJ’s father and mother, Joseph and Katherine Scruse-Jackson, in the film – simply titled Michael – which centres on his early days in the Jackson 5 to his transformation into the King of Pop. 

One subject the biopic doesn’t delve into, however, is the issue surrounding the various child sexual abuse allegations that have been filed against Michael over the years. 

The decision has been criticised in many reviews, with the film earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of 37%. 

In an interview with Today, the actors were asked about what they would say to critics accusing the film of whitewashing, and the answer they give is simple: the timeline. 

Domingo said: “The film takes place from the ‘60s to 1988, so it does not go into the first allegations.”

Why the Michael Jackson biopic doesn’t cover the allegations

However, the comment that’s come into question is what he said next: that the first allegations were in “2005”. The truth is that they arrived years earlier. 

In 1993, Michael Jackson was famously accused by dentist and screenwriter Evan Chandler of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son, Jordan Chandler. 

The LAPD launched an investigation into the claims but found no evidence, and later that year, the Chandlers filed a $30million lawsuit against the singer. Michael chose to settle the case out of court, reportedly paying around $22million.

There have been multiple allegations since then, including a renewed police investigation in 2003, two years before Domingo claimed they began. 

People have pointed to this online, with one writing on X, “First allegations in 2005??? Oh, Colman.” Another said, “Did Mr. Domingo just say that MJ’s first sexual abuse allegation was in 2005?”

A third added, “It’s interesting that Colman Domingo thinks the first child molestation allegations were in 2005. He didn’t do his research at all. 

“The first allegations were in 1993, and that is what tarnished MJ’s image. It was never the same after 1993. True or not, his career took a huge hit.”

Others aren’t so against the film’s decision to omit the allegations, however, including this person who said, “Maybe because the movie ends in 1988 and the accusations began in 1993.”

Another commented, “Why would it? It takes place before any accusations like that even happened.”

It’s worth pointing out that perhaps Colman was referring to the infamous 2005 trial that made headlines across the globe. 

What are the allegations against Michael Jackson?

As said, the first major allegations against Michael Jackson surfaced in 1993, when Evan Chandler accused the singer of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son, Jordan Chandler. 

Jackson denied the claims, and while the criminal investigation did not lead to charges, he settled a civil lawsuit out of court in 1994 for a reported $22 million, with no admission of guilt.

A second wave of allegations emerged in 2003, when documentary filmmaker Martin Bashir placed focus on Michael’s relationship with a young cancer patient named Gavin Arvizo.

In the aftermath of the documentary, titled Living with Michael Jackson, authorities reopened the investigation and Arvizo eventually alleged he had been molested by the singer. 

This led to a high-profile criminal trial in 2005 following charges of conspiracy involving child abduction, false imprisonment, and extortion, which Michael again denied. He was later acquitted on all counts by a jury.

Following Jackson’s death in 2009, further allegations were brought in civil cases, including claims from choreographer Wade Robson and actor James Safechuck, who alleged abuse during their childhoods.

Their accounts were later detailed in the 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which reignited global scrutiny of Jackson’s legacy, though his estate has strongly denied the allegations and challenged the claims in court.

The legal cases tied to these later accusations have been subject to ongoing appeals and rulings, with no criminal convictions ever made against Jackson during his lifetime.

As for whether these cases could ever be explored in a biopic, Colman said in the Today interview, “There’s a possibility of there being a part two that may deal with other things that may happen afterwards.”

When the interviewer mentioned the potential of a sequel, Colman said, “There could be,” while Long joked, “If the price is right.”

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Featured image credit: Dave Lewis/Shutterstock/Universal Pictures