Michael Jackson, commonly referred to as the “King of Pop“ is one of the most influential figures in the music industry of all time. Michael started in a music group formed in 1964 called The Jackson 5, originally consisting of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. Originally, the group was managed by Joe Jackson, the father of the Jackson 5 singers. The group soon reached great success through songs such as “I Want You Back” and “ABC.”
Michael specifically went on to have a large amount of studio success. He started releasing solo music through legendary American record label, Motown, but his real breakthrough came in 1979. Michael released his album titled “Off The Wall,” and it was an instant commercial success. “Off The Wall“ skyrocketed to no. 3 on the Billboard 200 and no. 1 in R&B and had four top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 all at once.
It was only up from there for Michael. In 1982, he released the album “Thriller” that contained strong singles such as “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.” It soon went on to become the best-selling album of 1983, selling upwards of 30 million copies in the US In 1984, the album received eight Grammys, including Album of the Year. “Thriller“ also went on to become the first album to be best-selling in the US for 2 consecutive years.
In recent weeks, there has been a large influx of talk about Michael due to the new movie titled “Michael.“ The movie came to theatres on April 24, 2026, directed by Antoine Fuqua.
With the controversy surrounding Michael, people are wondering if he really deserves to be seen on the big screen.
Michael has received multiple allegations regarding persistent child sexual abuse, as well as new lawsuits alleging sex trafficking. Although acquitted in a 2005 Trial, the sheer amount of allegations has people questioning America’s so-called “King of Pop.” Michael’s estate, managed by John Branca and John McClain, has denied all allegations, calling them “desperate money grabs.“
“Michael” has received severe backlash from the public due to the movie not addressing any of the allegations whatsoever. Many believe the movie isn’t telling the full story and leaving important details out, as well as disregarding the people who were potentially harmed by Michael.
Early scripts included scenes covering mainly the 1993 scandals, but a settlement with the Jackson Estate had them cut from the movie completely. Some fans defend the choice, stating the artistry should be the main focus of the film. Colton Foster, a sophomore at Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School, says, “I don’t necessarily support the decision, but at the same time, the real focus of the movie is on his rise to success, not what happened after. I still don’t support Michael, though.” But many people think the full story needs to be told. Travis Kuykendall, a sophomore at IBW, says, “I was planning on seeing the movie, but I heard they were cutting out all the bad stuff, which just seems questionable to me.”
The movie has remained unchanged, with Director Fuqua explaining that attempting to cover such allegations in a single film without context could be difficult. Although not yet greenlit, an official sequel is confirmed to be in very early development. With this, scenes regarding the many allegations are not out of the question.
