Living with Michael Jackson

Living with Michael Jackson is a television documentary in which British journalist Martin Bashir interviewed American singer Michael Jackson from May 2002 to January 2003. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV (as a Tonight with Trevor McDonald special) on 3 February 2003, and in the United States three days later on ABC, introduced by Barbara Walters. Jackson took Bashir on a tour of his home, Neverland Ranch, and discussed his family, unhappy childhood, plastic surgery and relationships with children.

In November 2003, the BBC aired Louis, Martin & Michael, a documentary by British filmmaker Louis Theroux, who had lost out to Bashir to make the documentary. The following month, following controversy raised from Bashir's documentary, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor with alcohol, all of which he was acquitted of in a court of law in June 2005.

Living with Michael Jackson begins at Neverland Ranch, where Jackson and Martin Bashir tour the estate's grounds and face off in a go-kart race. Jackson explains that he writes his songs by composing lyrics and not the music, because the music "will write itself". While watching archival footage of the Jackson 5, Jackson recalls painful memories of abusive treatment at the hands of his father Joe, and explains that this is why he never laid a hand on his children.

At the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, Jackson speaks about his love life, his changing physical appearance and his children. Bashir meets Jackson's children, Prince and Paris, who wear masks to conceal their appearance. Jackson then goes to Berlin, where the "baby dangling" incident occurs. Jackson visits the Berlin Zoo and a charity auction and receives a humanitarian award at the Bambi Awards.

Back at Neverland Ranch, Gavin Arvizo is interviewed and states that it was Jackson's support that helped him beat his bout with cancer. Jackson admits that sometimes, when Gavin stayed with him, the singer let him sleep in his bed while he slept on the floor. When asked what he gets out of his involvement with children, Jackson replies that he gains joy, because "my greatest inspiration comes from kids".

During January 2003, Bashir meets with Jackson in Miami for the final interview and brings up the subject of his face. A visibly upset Jackson says that he has only had two operations on his nose in order to facilitate his singing. Bashir concludes that Jackson wanted to change his appearance as a result of his troubled youth. He repeatedly questions Jackson about why he allows children into his room. Jackson defends himself stating that such activity is natural when the children are of close friends or family, and that "many children", including Macaulay and Kieran Culkin, have slept in the same bed as him. Jackson strongly denies any sexual motivation for this.

Following the documentary's transmission, Jackson felt betrayed by Bashir and complained that the film gave a distorted picture of his behaviour and conduct as a father. He said that in the final version of his interview, Bashir used only material that supported the negative view Bashir was portrayed as holding towards Jackson. In response, Jackson and his personal cameraman released a rebuttal interview, which showed Bashir complimenting Jackson on his abilities as a father and his grace under pressure.

"I haven't seen that documentary," remarked the American singer Madonna, "but it sounds disgusting, like Bashir exploited a friendship. Publicly humiliating someone for your own gain will only come back to haunt you. I can assure you, all these people will be sorry. God's going to have his revenge."