Explained: The Grand Canyon Trip Controversy

May 2, 2020

In Leaving Neverland, the Robson family recounts their first visit to the ranch, detailing how they stayed there on two separate weekends, except for 7-year-old Wade who stayed there the entire week, as the rest of his family continued their mini trip around the United States, which included a stop at the Grand Canyon. During the Monday to Friday, where Wade was left unattended, he states that Michael Jackson started sexually abusing him.

Watch the clip below.

This claim has sparked controversy, particularly because Wade's mother, Joy Robson, stated in 1993 that she had taken "my family" on this trip. Unsurprisingly, Jackson supporters have seized upon this minor discrepancy to discredit Wade's account.

However, it is essential to consider all the facts before drawing conclusions.

Wade states in his lawsuit:

Plaintiff's family left the ranch on Monday to continue their road trip, but left Plaintiff behind to stay with Doe 1. Plaintiff slept in Doe 1's bed every night and sexual abuse took place every night. Plaintiff's family returned to stay with Plaintiff at the ranch the following weekend.

Source: MJFacts.com

During the investigation into the Jordan Chandler case in 1993, investigators asked Joy about her activities after her initial visit to Neverland. She explained that she had travelled to the Grand Canyon with her family.

Q. And you spent a couple of days there, and then what happened? Physically where did you go?

A. We went to the Grand Canyon and cane back the following weekend.

Q. And was this when you say you went to the Grand Canyon, your family went to the Grand Canyon, or Mr. Jackson accompanied you?

A. No. Excuse me. My family.

Q. Okay. And I gather that was just a vacation? 

A. Yes

Q. Okay. And then the next weekend you went back up to the ranch?

A. Yes.

Furthermore, she revealed that Wade's first time alone with Michael Jackson at the ranch occurred in 1993. Joy noted, “My son had never been to the ranch without me until this year.”

However, I must stress that I've never seen the original transcript, and individuals, such as Mike Smallcombe, who aggressively pushed the story along with the train station discrepancy, never posted it on his Twitter account, just a screenshot. The claim that: “My son had never been to the ranch without me until this year”, in particular, appears to be cherry picked, without any further contexts.

View a screenshot of the document here.

Now, before we look at other evidence, its important to put things into context. At that time, Joy Robson had known Michael Jackson for several years, and he had been a steadfast supporter of hers, both financially and morally. He played a significant role in helping her and her children relocate permanently from Australia to the United States.

During the Chandler allegations, Michael Jackson's public relations and legal teams worked tirelessly to reinforce his claims of "innocence." For Joy Robson, it would have been imprudent to publicly reveal her questionable parenting choices by admitting to leaving her 7-year-old son unattended for five days. Furthermore, acknowledging that Jackson spent unsupervised time alone with her son behind closed doors, without either parent present, could be profoundly damaging. Therefore, if she opted to fabricate her account, one can understand her motivations.

In any case, the 2005 trial transcripts do indeed support Wade's claim that he was left behind from Monday to Friday while his family visited the Grand Canyon. 

Wade provided the following testimony while being questioned by Thomas Mesereau:

Q. Did you spend much time at Neverland?

A. Yeah. Spent a lot of time, yeah.

Q. When do you think you first went to Neverland?

A. It was right after that visit. I’m pretty sure it was that night that we went, my whole family went to the ranch. And, you know, we stayed for, I don’t know, about a week or something like that.

Q. And approximately what year do you think you first went to Neverland, Mr. Robson?

A. That was 1989. 

Q. Okay. And who did you go to Neverland with the first time? 

A. Went with my mother, my sister, my father, and my grandfather, grandmother. 

Q. And how long did you stay during that first visit?

A. I think it was about a week. 

Q. And after you spent a week at Neverland, what did you do?

A. Went back to Australia.

Source: Wade Robson's testimony.

Another compelling indicator that Wade spent that week at the ranch with Michael Jackson is Joy's 2005 testimony. During cross-examination by Tom Sneddon, Joy is questioned about whether Wade was invited on a trip to Japan with Michael Jackson during his first visit to the ranch. She reluctantly admits that Wade chose to remain at the ranch, leading Jackson to cancel the trip in order to stay with him.

Q. Okay. Now, during that first visit, the first weekend that you were at the ranch, did the subject of your son going on a trip to Japan come up?

A. Yes.

Q. So this would have been the first day or the second day?

A. I don’t recall, I’m sorry.

Q. One of those two days, in any case?

A. Possibly.

Q. And the subject of the conversation was that you had agreed to allow your son to accompany Mr. Jackson on a trip to Japan if they wanted to go, correct?

A. I think we talked about it.

Q. Well, did you agree to allow him to go with Mr. Jackson on a trip to Japan?

A. I can't really remember. I think I may have, but we decided not to.

Q. Mr. Jackson decided he would rather spend time with your son than go to Japan?

A. I think the decision was that Wade preferred to stay here. Stay at Neverland.

Q. So it wasn't Mr. Jackson's decision. It was Wade's decision?

A. It was Wade's decision.

Q. Do you recall testifying in the deposition with Mr. Feldman that that was Mr. Jackson’s decision to decide not to go to Japan, because he wanted to stay and have the time with your son?

A: I think what happened was Wade was given the choice.

(Continued from page 23)

Q. BY MR. SNEDDON: I asked you a question about whose decision it was to cancel the trip to Japan. And I asked you if it was, in fact, Mr. Jackson -- that you had stated previously in your testimony it was Mr. Jackson, and you said you had no recollection of that, correct?

A. Yes.

Q. And did you have a chance to review your deposition to Mr. Feldman prior to coming to court here today?

A. I don't remember reading that.

Q. Would it help you to refresh your recollection if I showed you the deposition?

A: Yes.

(…)

Q. BY MR. SNEDDON: 9 Q. BY MR. SNEDDON: The procedure is you just read that to yourself quietly, and then I’ll ask you a question, okay? And I want to direct your attention to page 181, and from lines 4 to line 9. And you can read anything else you want.

A. Okay.

Q. Having read that, does that refresh your recollection as to whose idea it was to cancel the trip to Japan?

A. Well, it says that Wade was given the choice, and Wade preferred to stay at Neverland.

Q. It says, “After the first weekend that we were there, he cancelled the trip because he wanted to stay and spend some time with us,” does it not?

A. If you read further down.

Q. Yeah, it says, “But he asked to go on this trip with your son,” and “I offered to let Wade go with him.”

A. Further.

Q. Do you want me to read the whole thing?

A: No, just a couple, few more lines.

Q. It doesn't get any better.

A. Just a few more lines. It will say exactly what I said.

Q. And then Wade had a choice of going to Japan or staying at Neverland, and he chose to stay?

A. Yeah. That's what I said, Wade was given the choice. And he decided to stay at Neverland.

Q. But it was the defendant’s choice not to go to Japan, as you testified.

A. He had a business trip and he cancelled it, and because Wade decided to stay at Neverland, but it was Wade's choice.

Q. Thank you.

Source: Joy Robson's 2005 testimony.

Adding to this, Joy confirmed that she left Wade at Neverland through a series of private emails exchanged between her and her son, which have since been made public. Before delving into these emails, it's essential to clarify that many people misinterpret their contents. The chronological order of these emails is from bottom to top, rather than top to bottom. This sequence can be verified by examining the dates and understanding how emails are organized when forwarded.

In one email, Wade directly asks his mother how long they left him at the ranch while they visited the Grand Canyon, to which she replies, “Monday through Friday.” Furthermore, the phrase that has caused considerable confusion—“I have several versions; I will let you know if I think there is something that will benefit you”—actually pertains to a book that Joy was writing about her memoirs in 2011. This statement is unrelated to the Grand Canyon question.

For the full list of emails click here.

Joy Robson's 2016 Deposition Video

But hold on a moment. Joy Robson herself revealed during her 2016 deposition conducted by the Jackson estate that her family, including her children, took a trip to the Grand Canyon during that first visit.

Watch the clip below.

It's crucial to consider the context here. This short clip is taken from a video titled "The Lies of Leaving Neverland," which is widely believed to have been produced by the Jackson estate. Overall, the thirty minute video is littered with conspiracies and misinformation

Furthermore, the transcript from Joy Robson's 2016 deposition is only partially available online, and the section regarding the Grand Canyon trip isn't complete. This means there is no opportunity to fact-check the accuracy of the claims in the video. In my opinion, she was reaffirming what she had previously stated in 1993 rather than contradicting her son's account. However, the editing has been crafted to make you believe otherwise.

Here's the ironic twist: "The Lies of Leaving Neverland" also features a clip of Wade Robson, in which he talks about his first visit, clarifying that he stayed "for a week" rather than for two separate weekends. So, in the Jackson's estate own words, which one is true?

Watch the clip below.

Conclusion

The Grand Canyon discrepancy (if you could call it that) is a minor detail at best. Once again, Jackson supporters are fixating on trivial points that only serve to elevate him while diminishing Wade and his family's credibility. Ideally, Joy Robson should have clarified her statements from 1993 in Leaving Neverland. It's possible she did, but due to time constraints, this was left out. Nonetheless, this detail holds little importance. In his 2005 testimony, Wade explicitly states spending a week at Neverland, a claim further supported by Jackson’s cancelled trip to Japan and email exchanges with his mother.