‘Leaving Neverland' Director Takes Aim at Jaafar Jackson's Performance as Michael Jackson

Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed isn't mincing words about his thoughts on Jaafar Jackson's performance as Michael Jackson in the new Michael biopic.

In a bombshell new interview with Variety, Reed explained that "the first part of Michael as a child, I could kind of buy that. But as soon as we go to the adult Jackson, played by his nephew Jaafar, that burst my bubble."

"I thought, he's a great dancer, but his performance is very wooden, and one of the reasons for that is he didn't have much of a script to work with," Reed continued. "He becomes this waxwork who performs these jukebox songs, but there's zero insight into what makes Jackson tick. He's this asexual plastic action doll of a figure in the film."

In the film Michael, which was directed by Antoine Fuqua and released in theaters April 24, Jaafar Jackson plays Michael Jackson as he rises to fame in his solo career, with the release of hit songs like Thriller and the 1987 album Bad. Despite earning the highest opening for a music biopic, with a $217.4 global gross, the film has generated controversy.

Leaving Neverland, the two-part documentary that released on HBO, detailed the child sexual abuse allegations made against Jackson by Wade Robson and James Safechuck. Michael, by contrast, doesn't address these allegations and instead focuses on the star's rise to fame.

When asked about scenes in Michael featuring Jackson alongside sick kids in hospitals, Reed said, "That made me feel really icky. It suggests that Jackson's engagement with children was entirely benign and motivated by nothing but philanthropy. Jeffrey Epstein was a great philanthropist, and Harvey Weinstein was a great filmmaker, but there's unfortunately another dimension to their stories."

Reed clarified, "I'm not calling for Jackson to be 'canceled' and for nobody to listen to his music, but Wade and James' story needs to be respected as well, and what the movie does is creates a version of events that essentially portrays Wade, James, and others who've accused Jackson of child sexual abuse as liars without actually articulating it."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 5:57 PM.