Jackson’s family has repeatedly denied all allegations put forth in Leaving Neverland
A 1991 episode of The Simpsons featuring the voice of the late singer Michael Jackson is being pulled from its archives following the explosive allegations of child sexual abuse surfaced in the bombshell HBO documentary Leaving Neverland.
Top creatives from the long-running Fox animated series — including creator Matt Groening, executive producer James L. Brooks, and showrunner Al Jean — have all collectively agreed to remove the episode from re-runs, streaming platforms, and even upcoming DVD/Blu-ray box sets, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“It feels clearly the only choice to make,” Brooks told the outlet. “The guys I work with — where we spend our lives arguing over jokes — we’re of one mind on this.”
Jackson’s episode of The Simpsons, called “Stark Raving Dad,” features him voicing a man named Leon Kompowsky who believes he’s Michael Jackson. Brooks called it “a treasured episode” while speaking to the Journal, but admitted the allegations in the documentary changed that. “There are a lot of great memories we have wrapped up in that one, and this certainly doesn’t allow them to remain,” he said.
RELATED: Lies, Abuse & Trauma: The Biggest Bombshells About Michael Jackson from Leaving Neverland
Leaving Neverland chronicles allegations from two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who both claim Jackson befriended them when they were children and that their relationships quickly turned sexual.
Safechuck, who met Jackson when he was cast in the star’s 1986 Pepsi commercial, claims Jackson taught him how to masturbate, while Robson, who met Jackson when he was just 5 years old, says the star performed oral sex on him and kissed him.
“You and I were brought together by God. We were meant to be together,” Robson claims Jackson told him. “This is how we show love.”
Both men allege they were instructed by the star to cover their tracks, with Robson claiming Jackson told him they would “go to jail for the rest of our lives” if anyone found out about their alleged sexual encounters.
Jackson’s family has repeatedly denied all allegations put forth in Leaving Neverland, and said in a January statement the film was “another rehash of dated and discredited allegations,” calling it “yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson.”
Two co-executors of the singer’s estate and Optimum Productions also sued HBO and its parent company, Time Warner, for $100 million in February, claiming that the network’s decision to air Leaving Neverland violated a non-disparagement clause, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, HBO responded: “Despite the desperate lengths taken to undermine the film, our plans remain unchanged. HBO will move forward with the airing of Leaving Neverland. … This will allow everyone the opportunity to assess the film and the claims in it for themselves.”
Meanwhile, since the two-part documentary film made its television premiere last Sunday on HBO, other Jackson boycotts have began, including a decisions by Canadian radio stations to delete Jackson’s songs from their rotation.