The controversy over casting Joseph Fiennes to portray Michael Jackson for an upcoming comedy show continues.
The trailer for the episode “Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon” of the British TV show “Urban Myths,” which features Fiennes as Jackson, dropped Wednesday ― and the blowback has been excruciating.
For context, this is what Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson looks like:
A Michael Jackson podcast called “The MJ Cast” sent out a call to arms to boycott the upcoming show and asked Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson, for her thoughts.
Paris Jackson responded to the missive to share her disdain for the portrayal:
She also added that her father “made a point of it plenty of times to express his pride in his roots” and that “he would never have wanted this,” in a response to a fellow tweeter.
And she wasn’t alone. Her feelings were shared by many:
Paris followed up her tweet about her discontent with the portrayal of her father with another tweet that just read “#justice4mj #justice4liz.”
The “Urban Myths” episode, with its contentious casting choices, debuts Jan. 19 on Sky Arts and will feature other “believe it or not” stories.