Radio stations around the world are banning Michael Jackson's music following the airing of Leaving Neverland
The reaction to the powerful documentary continues to be felt.
Following an early screening of Leaving Neverland, Ryan Tubridy announced that he probably won't play another Michael Jackson song on his radio programme ever again, saying:
"The chances are, you won’t hear one again on this programme being played again, because it just leaves one very queasy at the thought.
"If a quarter of what those say happened to them at the hands of Michael Jackson then we all have to sit down and reassess our approach to that pop star and that icon, and probably, I have to say, his back catalogue."
The documentary, which aired in the US last week and on Channel 4 this week, has already garnered a huge reaction by viewers, but now radio stations around the world say they are currently in the process of banning any and all Michael Jackson songs.
Some stations made the announcements via Twitter, and others made official statements:
After watching #LeavingNeverland, we have banned Michael Jackson from our radio stations. This is out of respect for not only his victims, but all victims of sexual abuse.
— Fix Radio (@FixRadioUK) March 6, 2019
Three Canadian radio stations all simultaneously put in place their ban, with a spokesperson for the stations stating: "We are attentive to listeners’ comments, and last night’s documentary created reactions."
That's it. We're joining the ban as well. And cancelling our Michael Jackson Tribute we were planning for this weekend. https://t.co/cyHaTiNj1m
— 98 Rock (@Sacs98ROCK) March 7, 2019
Two of New Zealand's biggest radio stations made a similar move, telling The New York Times: "We aren’t deciding whether Michael Jackson is guilty of pedophilia or not. We’re just merely trying to make sure that our radio stations are going to play the music that people want to hear."
