Myth: James Safechuck Fabricated A Narrative That Jackson Abandoned Him After Puberty

March 31, 2020

One of the myths often repeated by Michael Jackson’s supporters is that James Safechuck lied in the documentary Leaving Neverland when he said he was replaced by another boy, Brett Barnes, after reaching puberty. Fans argue that this can’t be true because James continued to have contact with Jackson during his teenage years—including working for him—at a time when Jackson was married to Lisa Marie Presley.

However, this interpretation misrepresents what Safechuck actually said. He has never denied working for Jackson as a teenager. In fact, he openly discusses this in both his civil lawsuit and the documentary itself. He explains that while the sexual abuse ended when he hit puberty, their relationship didn’t end abruptly—it simply became less frequent and more distant over time.

For example, Safechuck’s civil complaint outlines two specific jobs he did for Jackson:

In 1994, Plaintiff worked as an intern/shadow director in Budapest, Hungary for MICHAEL JACKSON's "HIStory" promo video. Again, Plaintiff travelled and worked under the cover name "Jimmy Andrews" to protect his identity. Plaintiff appeared as "Jimmy Andrews" on the call sheets for the "HIStory" promo video and was employed as a production assistant. Plaintiff's mother accompanied him on the trip to Budapest, which lasted one-two weeks. MICHAEL JACKSON and MJJ PRODUCTIONS arranged and paid for the travel and accommodations.

In 1995, Plaintiff was employed by the MICHAEL JACKSON and/or MJJ PRODUCTIONS and MJJ VENTURES as an intern/shadow director for MICHAEL JACKSON's "Earthsong" video. Again, Plaintiff appeared on the call sheets for this video, which was filmed in New Jersey. Plaintiff was a wardrobe double on this shoot, and also appears as a hand double in the video for MICHAEL JACKSON.

These roles are not hidden or disputed by Safechuck—they’re documented in legal filings and even shown in Leaving Neverland (at 20:27 and 21:44 in part 2).

The claim that James fabricated a narrative that Jackson completely cut him off is a distortion. In both the documentary and his deposition, Safechuck describes how Jackson encouraged him to pursue filmmaking, even persuading his parents to let him leave school to focus on directing. Jackson paid for private film lessons, hired professionals to teach him at home, and even gave him a car at age 16. He told Safechuck things like “study hard and be extraordinary” and promised to help him break into the film industry.

Once he reached puberty, and the sexual abuse stopped, Plaintiff would speak to MICHAEL JACKSON less frequently. MICHAEL JACKSON remained active in his life, however, and paid for the Plaintiff to direct several movies in high school. MICHAEL JACKSON turned Plaintiff's focus away from scholastics and towards becoming a director. MICHAEL JACKSON hired a professor from NYU to teach Plaintiff on the weekends how to direct films. MICHAEL JACKSON told Plaintiff that "one day, we're going to make movies together." He also told Plaintiff to "study hard and be extraordinary" and that "[the MICHAEL JACKSON] will be there to get [the Plaintiff's] foot in the door" of the entertainment industry and motion picture business. MICHAEL JACKSON and/or MJJ PRODUCTIONS and MJJ VENTURES arranged and paid for John Lugar to spearhead Plaintiff's filmmaking and planning; hired Gretchen Sommerfeld to teach directing to Plaintiff, and also hired Craig Thorton to teach script writing to Plaintiff. MICHAEL JACKSON arranged for Ms. Sommerfeld and Mr. Thorton to go to Plaintiff's house on weekends to teach him about the filmmaking process.

Source: scribd.com

Safechuck also makes it clear that their contact became increasingly sporadic after the abuse ended. By his late teens and early adulthood, Jackson was largely absent from his life—only reaching out again when legal allegations against him began to surface. The only time Safechuck refers to a complete break in contact is from 2005 onwards.

So, the notion that James Safechuck implied he was replaced by another boy—Brett Barnes—and subsequently cut out of Michael Jackson’s life is a fabrication promoted by Jackson’s fanbase. What Safechuck actually highlighted in Leaving Neverland and in his civil complaint is that, between the ages of 10 and 13, he and Jackson shared a close relationship. This included spending time at each other’s homes and accompanying Jackson on tour. However, once James reached around 14—and the  sexual abuse ceased—the invitations became increasingly sporadic before stopping altogether. In essence, Jackson’s focus shifted to younger boys, and James was no longer a favourite.