{"id":1916982,"date":"2026-05-04T08:21:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1916982"},"modified":"2026-05-04T08:21:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:21:51","slug":"spike-lee-defends-michael-film-following-criticism-over-omission-of-child-sexual-abuse-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1916982","title":{"rendered":"Spike Lee defends \u2018Michael\u2019 film following criticism over omission of child sexual abuse allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/live-spike-lee.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2749694\" class=\"post-2749694 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>News<\/span><i class=\"tdb-bread-sep td-icon-right\"><\/i><span>Film News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Spike Lee defends \u2018Michael\u2019 film following criticism over omission of child sexual abuse allegations<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>&#8220;It doesn\u2019t work in the timeline of the film&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Poppy Burton<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-05-04T09:21:51+01:00\">4th May 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- .\/block --><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure>\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/live-spike-lee-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Spike Lee\" title=\"Spike Lee\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Director Spike Lee, 2012. CREDIT: Pascal Le Segretain\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_83 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Spike Lee has defended the <em>Michael<\/em> film following significant criticism for its exclusion of the child sexual abuse allegations made against the pop icon.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"post-content-read-more\">\n<li><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>\u2018Michael\u2019 review: safe, shiny reminder of the King Of Pop\u2019s musical genius<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The record-breaking Michael Jackson biopic charts the singer\u2019s life from childhood up until the peak of his popularity in the late \u201880s, stopping short of featuring the allegations made against him, which he and his estate have continually denied.<\/p>\n<p>The film concludes in 1988, and Jackson didn\u2019t face his first accusation until 1993, which many of the film\u2019s critics have taken issue with.\u00a0<em>Michael<\/em> was meant to feature the allegations as part of the storyline, but a clause in a legal settlement meant that the production spent $15million on reshoots, ending the film at a different point in his life and shifting the narrative tension onto his relationship with his father, Joe (Colman Domingo).<\/p>\n<p>During a recent interview with <em>CNN<\/em>, Lee defended the biopic, saying: \u201cFirst of all, if you\u2019re a movie critic, and you\u2019re complaining about the stuff \u2013 all this other stuff \u2013 but the movie ends at \u201888.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe stuff you\u2019re talking about, accusations, happen [later]. So you\u2019re critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn\u2019t work in the timeline of the film. But people showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Spike Lee regarding the critics regarding the #michaelmovie <\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfa5 @CNN pic.twitter.com\/jVjamC1lUL<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Decked Out Media \ud83c\udf7f (@deckedoutmag) May 2, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As friends and collaborators, Lee helmed the singer\u2019s music video for his song \u2018They Don\u2019t Care About Us\u2018, and also directed two documentaries about Jackson\u2019s life, including 2012\u2019s <em>Bad 25<\/em> and 2016\u2019s <em>Michael Jackson\u2019s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>He continued: \u201cI miss Mike. I miss Prince. I mean, these are my brothers. I worked with both of them. Both beautiful, beautiful people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Michael<\/em>\u00a0scored a\u00a0three-star review\u00a0from\u00a0<em>NME<\/em>, which read: \u201c<em>Michael<\/em>\u00a0feels like a job well done: it\u2019s a slick, accessible advert for Jackson\u2019s incredible imperial phase. But if the singer\u2019s estate wanna be startin\u2019 somethin\u2019 bigger like a film franchise, they\u2019ll have their work cut out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>James Safechuck, one of the accusers featured in 2019 HBO documentary\u00a0<em>Leaving Neverland<\/em>,\u00a0recently shared a statement in support of child sex abuse survivors\u00a0amid the release of the new biopic. The documentary\u2019s director Dan Reed has spoken out against\u00a0<em>Michael<\/em>, claiming the singer was\u00a0\u201cworse than Jeffrey Epstein\u201d, while also questioning why the film fails to address the abuse allegations.<\/p>\n<p>The studio executive behind<em>\u00a0Michael<\/em> has already confirmed that a sequel is in development, and could shoot as early as this year.<\/p>\n<p>Despite its contentious approach to the allegations, the film has been a box office success, breaking records for the music biopic genre with a $217million (\u00a3160million) global opening, surpassing the record set by\u00a0<em>Bohemian Rhapsody<\/em>\u00a0in 2019. A sequel has been rumoured ever since its release, and now there is official word that one is being developed.<\/p>\n<p>On the podcast\u00a0<em>The Town With Matt Belloni<\/em>, Adam Fogelson, the head of the film\u2019s studio, Lionsgate, said that it was probable that a sequel could be shooting either this year or next, and that there is enough source material to warrant a follow-up.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3941457\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3941457\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3941457\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael_Bad_Tour.jpg\" alt=\"'Michael' still\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3941457\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u2018Michael\u2019 still CREDIT: Universal Pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThere is a massive amount of music\u2026 and life experiences separate and apart from allegations\u2026 that would fill more than a second movie on its own,\u201d Fogelson said. When asked about what could feature, he pointed to the artist\u2019s landmark 1993 Super Bowl halftime performance as an example.<\/p>\n<p>The executive also talked about whether such a film could feature the sexual abuse allegations made against Jackson, saying:\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a really complicated question, and I\u2019m not sure I think that I am the best person or now is the best time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Michael<\/li>\n<li>Michael Jackson<\/li>\n<li>Spike Lee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_89 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<div id=\"taboola-below-article\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div 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data-img-retina-url=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Peter-Kay-in-2010.-CREDIT_-Jim-Dyson_Getty-Images-800x508.jpg\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Peter Kay rushed off stage and 19-year-old in custody after \u201csuspicious bag\u201d found at Birmingham show<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-image-container\">\n<div class=\"td-module-thumb\"><span class=\"entry-thumb td-thumb-css\" data-type=\"css_image\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/live-steven-tyler-2026-400x254.jpg\" data-img-retina-url=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/live-steven-tyler-2026-800x508.jpg\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Majority of child sexual assault lawsuit claims against Aerosmith\u2019s Steven Tyler dismissed<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>                    <span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span>                <\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Spike Lee has defended the <em>Michael<\/em> film following significant criticism for its exclusion of the child sexual abuse allegations made against the pop icon.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"post-content-read-more\">\n<li><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>\u2018Michael\u2019 review: safe, shiny reminder of the King Of Pop\u2019s musical genius<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The record-breaking Michael Jackson biopic charts the singer\u2019s life from childhood up until the peak of his popularity in the late \u201880s, stopping short of featuring the allegations made against him, which he and his estate have continually denied.<\/p>\n<p>The film concludes in 1988, and Jackson didn\u2019t face his first accusation until 1993, which many of the film\u2019s critics have taken issue with.\u00a0<em>Michael<\/em> was meant to feature the allegations as part of the storyline, but a clause in a legal settlement meant that the production spent $15million on reshoots, ending the film at a different point in his life and shifting the narrative tension onto his relationship with his father, Joe (Colman Domingo).<\/p>\n<p>During a recent interview with <em>CNN<\/em>, Lee defended the biopic, saying: \u201cFirst of all, if you\u2019re a movie critic, and you\u2019re complaining about the stuff \u2013 all this other stuff \u2013 but the movie ends at \u201888.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe stuff you\u2019re talking about, accusations, happen [later]. So you\u2019re critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn\u2019t work in the timeline of the film. But people showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Spike Lee regarding the critics regarding the #michaelmovie <\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfa5 @CNN pic.twitter.com\/jVjamC1lUL<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Decked Out Media \ud83c\udf7f (@deckedoutmag) May 2, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As friends and collaborators, Lee helmed the singer\u2019s music video for his song \u2018They Don\u2019t Care About Us\u2018, and also directed two documentaries about Jackson\u2019s life, including 2012\u2019s <em>Bad 25<\/em> and 2016\u2019s <em>Michael Jackson\u2019s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>He continued: \u201cI miss Mike. I miss Prince. I mean, these are my brothers. I worked with both of them. Both beautiful, beautiful people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Michael<\/em>\u00a0scored a\u00a0three-star review\u00a0from\u00a0<em>NME<\/em>, which read: \u201c<em>Michael<\/em>\u00a0feels like a job well done: it\u2019s a slick, accessible advert for Jackson\u2019s incredible imperial phase. But if the singer\u2019s estate wanna be startin\u2019 somethin\u2019 bigger like a film franchise, they\u2019ll have their work cut out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>James Safechuck, one of the accusers featured in 2019 HBO documentary\u00a0<em>Leaving Neverland<\/em>,\u00a0recently shared a statement in support of child sex abuse survivors\u00a0amid the release of the new biopic. The documentary\u2019s director Dan Reed has spoken out against\u00a0<em>Michael<\/em>, claiming the singer was\u00a0\u201cworse than Jeffrey Epstein\u201d, while also questioning why the film fails to address the abuse allegations.<\/p>\n<p>The studio executive behind<em>\u00a0Michael<\/em> has already confirmed that a sequel is in development, and could shoot as early as this year.<\/p>\n<p>Despite its contentious approach to the allegations, the film has been a box office success, breaking records for the music biopic genre with a $217million (\u00a3160million) global opening, surpassing the record set by\u00a0<em>Bohemian Rhapsody<\/em>\u00a0in 2019. A sequel has been rumoured ever since its release, and now there is official word that one is being developed.<\/p>\n<p>On the podcast\u00a0<em>The Town With Matt Belloni<\/em>, Adam Fogelson, the head of the film\u2019s studio, Lionsgate, said that it was probable that a sequel could be shooting either this year or next, and that there is enough source material to warrant a follow-up.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3941457\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3941457\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3941457\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael_Bad_Tour.jpg\" alt=\"'Michael' still\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3941457\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u2018Michael\u2019 still CREDIT: Universal Pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThere is a massive amount of music\u2026 and life experiences separate and apart from allegations\u2026 that would fill more than a second movie on its own,\u201d Fogelson said. When asked about what could feature, he pointed to the artist\u2019s landmark 1993 Super Bowl halftime performance as an example.<\/p>\n<p>The executive also talked about whether such a film could feature the sexual abuse allegations made against Jackson, saying:\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a really complicated question, and I\u2019m not sure I think that I am the best person or now is the best time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/film\/spike-lee-defends-michael-film-following-criticism-over-omission-of-child-sexual-abuse-allegations-3943893&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/live-spike-lee.jpg&#8221;] NewsFilm News Spike Lee defends \u2018Michael\u2019 film following criticism over omission of child sexual abuse allegations &#8220;It doesn\u2019t work in the timeline of the film&#8221; By Poppy Burton 4th May 2026 Director Spike Lee, 2012. CREDIT: Pascal Le Segretain\/Getty Images Spike Lee has defended the Michael film following significant criticism for its [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-1916982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1916982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1916982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1916982\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1916982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1916982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1916982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}