A former bodyguard who once worked closely with Michael Jackson has criticized the upcoming biopic about the pop icon, accusing it of “whitewashing” the sexual abuse allegations linked to Jackson’s past. The bodyguard, who lives in Devon, claims the film glosses over a major part of Jackson’s life story.
The new biographical movie, focused on the rise and legacy of the “King of Pop,” is scheduled for release next year. Its trailer, dropped earlier this week, has already broken records — becoming the most-watched trailer ever with more than 150 million views.
Matt Fiddes, a longtime friend and protector of Jackson, says he believes the allegations were ultimately shown to be false. However, he insists that completely avoiding the subject in the film would fail to represent the emotional and personal impact the accusations had on Jackson.
Fiddes argues that the film, titled Michael, should acknowledge the controversies that followed the singer beginning in 1993, when he was first accused of child abuse by 13-year-old Jordan Chandler and his father, Evan Chandler. Those claims went on to shape much of the public conversation around Jackson for decades.
Following the trailer’s release, the 45-year-old businessman — who runs the world’s largest martial arts and dance school network — said that leaving out these allegations would be misleading. As someone who admired and supported Jackson deeply, he believes the late superstar would have wanted the full truth shown, not a version that erases difficult chapters of his life.
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