Content warning: the following article has mentions of child abuse; reader discretion advised.
Colman Domingo and Nia Long sat down on Wednesday with NBC’s “Today” anchor Craig Melvin to discuss their roles in the highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” which opens in theaters Friday. The two actors portray Joe Jackson and Katherine Jackson, respectively — the late pop star’s parents, whose influence shaped his life and career.
Jackson is portrayed as an adult by his nephew Jaafar Jackson, the son of Jermaine Jackson, in what is his film debut. Critics have universally praised Jaafar Jackson’s performance in the title role. But during the interview, Melvin raised a pointed question about the film’s decision not to address child abuse allegations against the King of Pop, according to The Daily Beast.
Jackson consistently denied all accusations of such abuse throughout his lifetime.
He was first accused of child abuse in 1993 and later, in December 2003, was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent. On June 13, 2005, a jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all counts.
In February 2026, four adult members of the Cascio family — brothers Edward, Dominic and Aldo, and their sister Marie-Nicole Porte — filed a lawsuit alleging Jackson had assaulted each of them as children, calling him “a serial child predator.” Jackson’s estate attorney Marty Singer denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit “a desperate money grab” and noting that the family “defended Michael Jackson for more than 25 years.” A judge subsequently ordered the Cascio federal lawsuit into private arbitration.
Melvin pointed out that the film ends in 1988, years before the initial allegations emerged, and asked the guests to respond to criticism that the filmmakers “whitewashed” that chapter of Jackson’s life.
“The film does stop in 1988, several years before the first child molestation allegations were made,” Melvin told the actors. “We live in an environment now where we take survivors (…) and their stories very seriously. What would you say to folks who see (…) they didn’t even include that part? How do you reconcile your performance with that?”
Domingo was careful to frame the project as a celebration of Jackson’s artistry rather than a comprehensive life account. “The film takes place from the ’60s to 1988, so it does not go into the first allegations in, what, 2005?” Domingo said. “Basically, we center it on the makings of Michael. It’s an intimate portrait of who Michael is — through his eyes.”
Long listened as Domingo described the film as a portrait of Jackson searching for his voice and establishing himself as a solo artist. Both actors hinted that a potential sequel could address later chapters of Jackson’s life, reports TMZ. “There’s the possibility of there being a Part 2 that may deal with some other things that happened afterward,” Domingo said. “This is about the making of Michael, how he was raised and then how he was trying to find his voice as an artist and be a solo artist.”
The film debuted with a 27% score on Rotten Tomatoes, though that figure has since risen to 37%.