Michael Jackson: The Trial has landed on Channel 4 and, once again, the spotlight is firmly on the King of Pop and his most famous home.
And viewers are already asking what really became of Neverland.
The opening episode of the four-part series returned repeatedly to Michael’s sprawling ranch, using previously unheard audio recordings to paint a deeply unsettling picture.
Fans heard Michael speak about Neverland as a place where children could ‘remain young forever’, echoing his long held obsession with Peter Pan.
The programme also revisited his friendship with 10-year-old cancer patient, Gavin Arvizo.
Michael regularly invited Gavin and other children to stay at Neverland, presenting it as a magical refuge inspired by fantasy.
As the documentary makes clear, that dreamlike vision later became inseparable from the serious child abuse allegations made against him.
Michael Jackson: The Trial continues tonight, with scenes showing police raiding Neverland after Michael admitted to sharing his bed with children.
As the story unfolds, many viewers are asking the same question. What actually happened to Neverland?
Michael Jackson: What happened to Neverland?
Neverland Ranch has remained a source of fascination long after Michael Jackson’s death in June 2009.
The vast estate in Santa Barbara County, California, served as both his private home and a personal amusement park from 1988 until 2005.
The ranch has been thrust back into public view by Michael Jackson: The Trial. In its opening moments, sombre music underscored its isolation across 3,000 acres.
In previously unheard recordings, Michael described the privacy the land gave him and his desire to recreate the childhood he felt he had missed.
“Peter Pan knew what the real golden magic of childhood was all about,” he said, describing children staying young forever at Neverland.
Tonight’s episode will show the police raid that marked a turning point for the property.
Neverland also featured heavily in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, in which Wade Robson and James Safechuck alleged they were groomed and abused there as children.
Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch and its changing name
Michael Jackson bought Neverland Ranch in 1988, but it had already gone through several identities.
When it was built in 1980, it was known as Zaca Laderas Ranch.
Developer William Bone purchased it in 1981 and renamed it Sycamore Valley Ranch. That changed again when Michael bought the property in 1988 for around $17 million, according to The New York Times.
Michael renamed it Neverland after the fictional island in Peter Pan. He first visited the ranch in 1983 while meeting Sir Paul McCartney, who was staying there during the filming of Say Say Say.
When did Michael Jackson leave?
Michael left Neverland in 2005 following allegations of sexual abuse involving children.
Four years later, the fairground rides and most of the animals were removed, leaving only the llamas behind.
He never returned to live there but continued to own the estate until his death in 2009, aged 50.
In 2015, Forbes reported that the ranch was put on the market for $100 million. Interest was limited and the name was changed back to Sycamore Valley Ranch to attract buyers.
In 2020, businessman and family friend Ronald Burkle bought the property for $22 million (£16million), according to The Wall Street Journal.
The price was $88 million below the original asking figure.
Ronald is believed to have restored much of the fairground, installed new rides and refilled drained swimming pools. The small zoo is also thought to have been reinstated.
In 2024, the ranch was evacuated as the Lake Fire burned 38,664 acres in Santa Barbara County and spread close to the estate.
Is Neverland in the Michael Jackson biopic?
The upcoming film, Michael, is set to be released worldwide this April and will chart the singer’s life from the Jackson 5 to the weeks before his death.
Michael will be played by Jaafar Jeremiah Jackson, the son of his brother Jermaine. Actor Miles Teller takes on the role of lawyer John Branca, co-executor of the Michael Jackson estate.
Miles has confirmed that scenes were filmed at Neverland for Antoine Fuqua’s biopic.
Speaking on Watch What Happens Live, he said: “I play John Branca, his entertainment lawyer. We filmed at Neverland. It was wild.”
He added that while the property had changed ownership after 2005, it was transformed again for filming.
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