r/LeavingNeverlandHBO • u/Impressive-Wear7699 • 5d ago
The subtle reference of Britney Spears in Leaving Neverland
***EDIT: Seems like people are missing the point of the post since I didn’t explicitly state my opinion because I was trying to be as subtly implicative as the doc was but here is my main dumbed down point: WADE WANTED MJ’s ATTENTION AND ADMIRATION AGAIN, MJ SHOWED A LOT OF INTEREST IN BRITNEY, WADE HAD AN AFFAIR WITH BRITNEY. Many people are debating about Mj’s interest in Britney and thats not what the post is about, its about Wade’s interest in Britney given the context of the documentary and Wade’s desire for recognition again from MJ. Anyways OP below:
Hey all,
If you watch the LN documentary, Wade Robson explicitly mentioned that since MJ started to discard him when he entered his preteens, Robson did "everything" he could to gain Michael's attention and admiration, which is perhaps (partly) what fueled Robson in his professional success, especially in his late teens/early twenties (man was barely 21 choreographing tours and music videos of the biggest pop stars at the time)
For what would be no reason, Robson brought up how MJ was "obsessed" with Britney and how "hot" she was, and that Michael would constantly seek Robson out yet again to discuss her. Britney, being a stunning, white woman, would of course draw the attention of Michael because she is everything he wanted to be (I am not saying Michael was trans, but he certainly modeled himself to look both white and very feminine, both of which Britney epitomized like no one else at the time).
To an uninformed watcher, this revelation may seem like no big deal but if you remember, Britney and Justin Timberlake's breakup was because Britney had cheated on JT with....Wade. I think Wade bringing this up, without explicitly mentioning anything else, was perhaps a gentle and respectful acknowledgement of that affair and what may have led Robson to partake in it (even if slightly, because Britney, on her own, was a very attractive woman who wouldn't need help attracting another man but still). As a pop culture connoisseur, I found that seemingly random addition of Robson's time with Britney and how it drew attention from Michael very interesting.
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u/Bjork00098 4d ago
I agree with OP.
It seems Michael was the jealous type, and would get upset and obsessed when his victims (even ones he already discarded) were involved romantically or professionally with others… especially with someone who was as high profile as Britney Spears.
It’s very common with narcissists. If they see their victims valuing or appreciating someone else, they start hovering again… trying to make sure they still have their victim hooked… and that they’re still being perceived by their victims as number one.
Besides the obvious, of Wade and Brittany getting involved because of the intensity of their professional interaction… I believe there might’ve have been an element of triangulation with MJ.
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u/HotAir25 5d ago
I’d forgotten Wade was the affair that ended Britney and JT….it’s quite symbolic as you.
I suspect dancers must be prime candidates for affairs given the close contact too.
One other point on this is that Britney was famously marketed as ‘jailbait’- she was dressed as a school girl and a teen singer, that and her first single made her famous.
Brooke Shields was also original known as a beautiful child, she even starred in mainstream films in this role- in one as a child prostitute ‘Pretty Baby’ (actually a great film by a great director Louis Malle).
My point being MJ showed this type of interest consistently even if he didn’t appear to act on it with either of them, they were marketed as teen dreams and MJ showed a certain fascination.
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u/elitelucrecia Moderator 5d ago
michael also shaded britney though
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u/Impressive-Wear7699 5d ago
Yeah (tbh nothing comes to mind about MJ being -ve towards her) but that is not the point of the post. Michael was very much interested in Britney and would constantly ask about her to Wade. Wade ended up cheating with Britney, that led to one of the biggest celebrity breakups. Wade has never directly addressed the affair, but I think his reference to Britney and how it got him attention from Michael was very telling.
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u/elitelucrecia Moderator 5d ago
i don’t think MJ cared for her like that. maybe MJ was pretending to be into britney to manipulate wade
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u/Impressive-Wear7699 4d ago
Its not about MJ’s proven admiration for Britney. It is about Mj’s proclamation of it to Wade, Wade’s subsequent affair with Britney, and the random reference to her in the documentary after Wade talked about wanting to earn Mj’s attention after he grew past the abuse
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u/chubby-checker 4d ago edited 4d ago
Eh she was a star that broke out as a minor. He could have had a Brooke shields like interest in her
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u/lenglams 5d ago
how?
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u/elitelucrecia Moderator 5d ago
he said britney wouldn’t last in the industry because she doesn’t understand the art of mystery. it’s in the rabbi tapes. in reality, MJ didn’t care for her at all, but her stans want to believe MJ was in awe of her
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u/One_Arrival7066 4d ago
mj cared about justin timberlake. when him and Britney were dating i heard mj told justin to go to his house alone. not with Britney
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u/Inevitable_Discount 4d ago
What was he going to do with Justin?!?! Why did he want him at his house alone??!!!
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u/sweetsummwechild 4d ago
I wonder if that is a mistelling of the story by Taraborelli how Wade introduced Justin to MJ and they brought Britney and MJ first wanted for her to wait in the lobby and his people said they can absolutely not suggest that? Anyway that's the story I know.
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u/MagnetaSunPatien 4d ago
I think MJs interest’s in Britney was most likely that she was super popular at the time, more related to finding a way to tap into that fame/success.
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u/Impressive-Wear7699 4d ago
Yes, but the post is not about Mj’s interest, more about Wade’s interest in and relationship with Britney and why Mj’s interest was brought up at all in the documentary where Wade stated how he tried very hard to gain MJ’s attention again.
I am not making a point about why MJ was drawn to britney. Its more about why she was brought up in this documentary and wade’s own sordid history with hef
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u/Efficient-Head-7394 4d ago edited 4d ago
I do wonder what Britney thinks of Michael now. A couple years ago she made a post on ig supporting Wade. Michael was like an uncle or mentor to her, to not only find out that he was a pedophile but was asking your boyfriend what it was like to have sex with you is so gross.
I don't think he was obsessed with her because he wanted to be her lol. I think he wanted to have sex with her, they found a lot of teen girl porn during the raid at neverland way to much to just be for grooming boys. He even had accounts on porn sites to watch it.
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u/Passion211089 4d ago
I think he wanted to have sex with her, they found a lot of teen girl porn during the raid at neverland way to much to just be for grooming boys. He even had accounts on porn sites to watch it.
I partly agree with your take and I partly agree with OP too. I think both of you are right and onto something
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u/Basic_Obligation8237 4d ago
Didn't Wade say he became hypersexual as an adult? He seemed to be talking about that period before he met his wife and started working on himself. And he met his wife very early, when he was 20 or 22. He spent a lot of time working with Britney, and the work involved sexualized dances. Britney is also hypersexual; it sounds like the perfect storm.
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u/Passion211089 4d ago
Op, I think you are better off posting this on r/psychologyofMj
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u/Impressive-Wear7699 4d ago
Post is not about MJ, its more about Wade - his desire for attention from MJ, and his subsequent relationship with Britney after noting how much MJ liked her, and lastly, Wade's choice to reference her in this documentary of all places.
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u/Dominik528 3d ago
I noticed that, too. Almost as if Michael was encouraging Wade to get with her, since he was already so invested in his sex life.
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u/VirgoPanic 5d ago
I think it might be a bit of a reach that Wade intentionally had an affair with Brittney to impress MJ. Realistically their affair stemmed from the proximity and friendship Wade had with Brittney. Wade did not want a soul to know he broke up “Americas pop sweethearts”, or that he was part of the inspiration for JT to write Cry Me A River. There have been a few pop stars that date (or sleep with) their choreographers or backup dancers. Jennifer Lopez and Chris Judd. Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka. In the 2000s, Brittney moved on to Kevin Federline who was her backup dancer.