The fallout from a controversial Michael Jackson documentary could potentially result in the pop icon’s name being removed from MTV’s prestigious Video Vanguard Award.
For a few months now, there has been much said about the legacy of Michael Jackson thanks to the controversial Leaving Neverland documentary.
The documentary itself focuses around claims of child sex abuse made against Jackson, giving particular attention to the allegations made by Jimmy Safechuck and Brisbane-born Wade Robson.
While Jackson’s estate has called it nothing but a “tabloid character assassination”, it seems as though the allegations made have carried some weight, with radio stations around the world dropping Jackson’s music in response, and even his iconic episode of The Simpsons being pulled from streaming services.
Now, it seems as though these allegations could also affect the King of Pop’s legacy as the namesake for a prestigious MTV award.
As Page Six reports, MTV are reportedly considering renaming their Video Vanguard Award, which has been named in honour of the late musician for close to 30 years.
First handed out back in 1984, the award recognises contributions through the visual arts, and has been awarded to directors and musicians for their efforts in the music video medium.
Following Jackson’s win in 1988, the award was named in his honour in 1991. Seen as a controversial move by some, Guns N’ Roses even distanced themselves from Jackson in 1992, stating their win had “nothing to do with” the award’s namesake.
Check out Kanye West winning the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award:
However, ahead of the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards just next month, a source has told Page Six that the network is discussing how this year’s award should be handed.
“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,” the source explains.
“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.
“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.”
Whether or not the information provided by the source is factual remains to be seen, but at the current time, MTV have not spoken officially regarding the status of the award.
However, if the Video Vanguard Award was not handed out in 2019, this would not necessarily be an unusual move, considering it is not presented annually.
Although the nominees for the 2019 edition of the MTV Video Music Awards have been announced, no information regarding the Video Vanguard Award has been made public yet.
Check out Guns N’ Roses winning the Video Vanguard Award:
