WADE Robson, an Australian dancer and choreographer, made allegations against Michael Jackson, accusing him of sexually abusing him when he was just seven years old. These accusations were denied by the late singer.
In a documentary titled Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson, the now 42-year-old Robson shares his decade-long struggle to bring his allegations to court and have them acknowledged.
He features alongside James Safechuck, another alleged victim, as they fight to get the singer’s estate to accept their claims of sexual abuse.
Who is Wade Robson?
Wade Robson is a dancer and choreographer from Brisbane, Australia.
He began his dancing career at just five years old, when he first met Jackson after winning a dance competition.
The singer was inspired by Jackson from the age of two to start dancing.
When he was nine, Robson and his family relocated to America.
He appeared in three of Jackson’s music videos — Black and White, Jam and Heal The World.
The talented choreographer has also directed music videos and world tours for some of the biggest artists including Britney Spears and NSYNC.
The Toxic singer admitted in 2023 that she cheated on Justin Timberlake with Wade, before their split in 2002.
In her memoir Woman In Me, Britney said of her fling with Wade: “We were out one night and we went to a Spanish bar.
“We danced and danced. I made out with him that night.”
In 2003, Wade had his own show on MTV called The Wade Robson Project and was a guest judge on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance.
As well as dancing, directing and choreographing, Wade has appeared as an actor in a number of movies and TV series.
He appeared in episodes of Full House (1992), Picket Fences (1994), 413 Hope St (1997), Nothing Sacred (1997), Pacific Blue and (1998).
Robson also has credited acting roles in the films Kazaam (1996), Edtv (1999) and You Got Served (2004).
In 2005, he married actress Amanda Rodriguez with whom he has one son.
In 2007 and 2008, he won two Emmys but soon took a hiatus in 2012 followed by a return to teaching dance in 2017.
He said: “My relationship with dance had become tainted.
“Michael Jackson was the reason I began dancing at the age of two.
Robson describes Jackson as both his primary source of inspiration and his mentor, but also as his abuser. The association between dance, Jackson, and the abuse he suffered created a complex and inseparable web in Robson’s life.
In 2019, Wade and Amanda set up the Robson Family Fund to help raise money “towards the healing from and prevention of child abuse”.
What has Wade Robson accused Michael Jackson of?
The dancer met Jackson when he was a child and dated his niece Brandi Jackson in the 1990s.
After first meeting the singer at the age of five, Wade and his family were invited by the Thriller singer to stay with him at his Los Olivos home in California – also known as Neverland.
He later spent more time with Jackson after his family moved to Los Angeles.
It was at the child-like ranch that he claims the singer molested him, claiming two of Jackson’s companies were used to lure in victims, calling Neverland a “well-orchestrated trap”.
When the singer was first accused of child sex abuse in 1993, Wade, who was just 10 years old at the time, told police that nothing inappropriate happened between himself and Jackson.
In 2005, when the singer went on trial, Wade said while under oath that nothing sexual had ever occurred.
But in 2013, he claimed that the star abused him from 1990 to 1997 between the ages of seven and 14.
The court filings included claims that the singer raped him before “losing interest” when he hit puberty.
As Jackson had died in 2009, Wade filed a late creditor claim and civil lawsuit against the singer’s estate when he made the allegations.
He doubled down on the accusations in 2019 in the controversial documentary Leaving Neverland.
Jackson’s estate sued HBO for $100 million, claiming the doc violated a non-disparagement clause from 1992 and the case was sent to arbitration.
They also slammed Wade’s accusations in 2023, when it was reported that his case may go to trial.
The estate said: “We are disappointed with the Court’s decision.
“Two distinguished trial judges repeatedly dismissed these cases on numerous occasions over the last decade because the law required it.
“We remain fully confident that Michael is innocent of these allegations, which are contrary to all credible evidence and independent corroboration, and which were only first made years after Michael’s death.
“We trust that the truth will ultimately prevail with Michael’s vindication yet again. Michael Jackson himself said, ‘lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons.'”
Where can I watch Leaving Neverland 2?
Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson airs on March 18 on Channel 4 and YouTube.
It documents the fallout faced by Wade and fellow accuser James after the release of the first Leaving Neverland documentary in 2019 which saw the pair receive abuse from devoted Jackson fans and victim-blaming viewers.
As well as facing public scrutiny and dealing with depression, the documentary will also show the continued battle by both Wade and James to get their claims against the Jackson estate heard in court.
