Other attractions have buckled to pressure

Madame Tussauds have said that all waxwork statues of Michael Jackson are set to remain on display at all of their museums while the Thriller musical will also continue, despite the controversy surrounding the Leaving Neverland documentary.

Leaving Neverland, which split opinion when part one aired in the UK earlier this month, focuses on testimony by Wade Robson, 36, and James Safechuck, 41, who both claim that Jackson sexually abused them when they were children.

While a large group of fans protested against the broadcast of the film in London, recent weeks have also seen his songs banned on numerous radio stations around the world, while the National Football Museum removed their statue of the ‘Thriller’ star. However, it seems that Madame Tussauds will not be following suit for the moment.

‘The figures on display at Madame Tussauds reflect profiles that have had an impact on popular culture and that visitors expect to see,” a spokesperson told NME. “Michael Jackson has been and is currently a feature of Madame Tussauds attractions around the world. We regularly monitor our choice of figures on display based on external events and visitor feedback.”

Madame Tussauds have over 50 attractions around the world.

Meanwhile, the Thriller Live musical stage show in the Lyric Theatre of London’s West End is also set to continue.

A spokesperson from the show refused to comment on the documentary and allegations but added that “on April 7 Thriller Live at the Lyric theatre will overtake Miss Saigon to become the 13th longest running West end musical of all time”.

This week Rudi Dolezal, a music video producer who worked with Jackson for numerous years, described the singer as “a predator” and spoke out for the accusers.

“I believe almost every word. It’s brilliant work,” he said of Leaving Neverland. “Nobody would stop Michael,” he continued. “It’s hard to believe an icon is a con.”

Elsewhere, Jackson’s niece Brandi claimed that the accusers were “liars” and “motivated by money”, while Aaron Carter also questioned their motives and said that they were “stomping on a legend’s grave“. This comes after Juice WRLD defended the ‘Thriller’ star urging people to “let the legend rest“, while Louis Theroux said that anyone still defending Jackson was being “wilfully blind“.

Earlier this month, Jackson’s nephew Taj confirmed to NME that he was working on a counter-documentary to dispute the claims made in Leaving Neverland. Jackson’s fans last week announced their plans to sue Wade Robson and James Safechuck for “sullying” Jackson’s memory.

Jackson denied any wrongdoing before he died in 2009.