After continued fallout from the fake documentary “Leaving Neverland,” MTV is considering cutting ties with Michael Jackson’s name for its annual Video Music Awards in August.
“There’s a lot of heated discussion at the network about how to handle the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award this year, and it’s getting ugly,” a source told. “There’s talk about if they should change the name, or get rid of it altogether. [There’s also talk] about who would present it and who would accept it. It’s a mess.”
Michael Jackson’s estate denied the allegations and filed a $100 million lawsuit against HBO for violating a clause from a 1992 contract that barred the network from making “disparaging remarks” about the King of Pop. HBO countered in court docs that the contract had expired.
But months after the film aired, there are still shock waves being felt in the industry.
“MTV [potentially] banning his name is the latest fallout. They haven’t decided yet, but they’ve been going back and forth on it. There are a lot of issues,” a source said.
The award is not given annually, which could also buy MTV time.
Michael Jackson received the Vanguard Award in 1988, and MTV renamed it in his honor in 1991.
Rihanna, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Britney Spears, U2 and Jennifer Lopez (last year’s recipient) are some of the stars to have been honored under the name.
MTV announced its VMA nominees this week, with Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X topping the list. Grande and Swift lead the nominations with 10 each.
But while MTV announced Lopez as the MJ Vanguard recipient last July, ahead of the late August airdate, the network so far remains mum on whether there is a recipient this year.
MTV did not confirm or deny this yet.
NOTE: This is not the first time MTV renamed this award. Named after Michael Jackson in 1991, the name was dropped in 2003 and reinstalled in 2011 (Britney Spears received it).
SOURCE: Page Six
They jump off and on the “bandwagon”, don’t they??
Make a decision and stick to it.!!!!!
If it benefits them, then oh yes, they will call it the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award.
The family should contact MTV and tell that they no longer wish for the Jackson name to be associated with their organization! No loyalty! What they are actually saying is that the #FBI and the jury are incompetent. ” The documentary has been debunk. Full of lies”
Have they LOST the remainder of their minds?? MICHAEL JACKSON is Everything ♡♡♡
You GOTTA be fckin kiddting me 🙄 MTV wouldn’t have been shit ! without Michael Jackson and they haven’t been shit since.
Thank You Ahliyon, you spoke the truth. What happen to a person being innocent till proven guilty. Lying Neverland was just that, fill with lies and no one has the guts to stand up for right.
True! Michael Jackson made MTV who they are ! How dare they, and all the others doing things like this, after two money hungry liars that are in serious issues with money, make a bullshit lying documentary! Proven innocent from FBI, will it all just stop!!!
They will lose me and many of my pack from their audience. I will definately boycott them from now on if this becomes reality!
Usually you provide the source for your news stories. Can you please add it to this one so we can track it back to a source (and comment there too, if possible?) Thanks!
Its actually true it come out yesterday
The family should contact MTV and tell that they no longer wish for the Jackson name to be associated with their organization! No loyalty! What they are actually saying is that the #FBI and the jury are incompetent. ” The documentary has been debunk. Full of lies”
“Tell them”
All this is unfair, Michael Jackson is a global icon and he worked hard for it, he opened the way for black artistes together with Whitney Houston. Both are my favorite, may God bless their souls. He was acquitted in 2005, why exhume this after his death? To us in Africa, we shall keep his music playing every minute!!
MTV is trash 🗑 and now putting Michael Jackson away, WTF is going on? Who gonna believe in that documentary of living in neverland??? it’s just all for money, and that’s what they are putting in their pockets!!! Full of lies, lovely and kind men who always love to help and that was what he just done with those two who is lying in that documentary, how can they sleep at night??? Fuck of!
[…] In spite of recent reports that MTV was considering changing the name of the award in the wake of backlash from recent documentary “Leaving Neverland,” the network has not done so. […]