Since Leaving Neverland debuted on Sunday, there has been a ripple effect in the entertainment industry. While Michael Jackson still has his die-hard defenders, pop culture is being reassessed.
That includes a season 3 episode of The Simpsons, “Stark Raving Dad,” in which Jackson voices Leon Kompowsky, a man who believes he is Michael Jackson. He also wrote the song “Happy Birthday, Lisa.” After watching Leaving Neverland, which includes graphic sexual abuse allegations against the singer, executive producer James L. Brooks decided to take the 1991 episode out of circulation. That includes streaming, DVDs, and TV. He told the Wall Street Journal it “feels clearly the only choice to make” after the documentary laid out Jackson’s history of “monstrous behavior.”
“I’m against book burning of any kind,” Brooks said. “But this is our book, and we’re allowed to take out a chapter.”
Three Canadian radio stations have also started taking Jackson songs out of rotation, and other stations have followed suit, citing the documentary.
READ MORE:
- ‘Leaving Neverland’ is a brutal document of reckoning
- How to watch ‘Leaving Neverland’ for free
- Michael Jackson concerts air on YouTube during ‘Leaving Neverland’
H/T L.A. Times